What are the biggest rips to avoid when maintaining your car?
We asked the Woodward Dream Cruise car enthusiasts to nominate the biggest rift in car maintenance.
Air filters help keep the engine clean and need to be replaced frequently to ensure that the vehicle runs smoothly.
Air entering your intake must be filtered to prevent dirt and other contaminants from reaching the engine. That’s where the filter comes in. Fortunately, the air filter is easy to check and easily replace.
According to AutoZone, air filters need to be replaced once a year or every 12,000 miles, but if you live in an area with a lot of dust and dirt, you need to replace them more frequently. For some vehicles, you can also easily reach the filter without the help of the tool. Here’s how to quickly replace yours:
Select the right filter
Before you begin, you need to find the right filter type for your car. To find this, you can look at the owner’s manual or open the hood and check it out yourself. Once you know the type you need, you can purchase it from an auto store or online retailer.
Find the filter housing
First, press the hood release button from inside the car to unlock it and open the hood the whole time. The filter housing is a black box connected to the air intake. Trust us, it’s hard to miss it.
Now release and open the latch holding the home in place. Some cars have bolts that lock the housing, so you should first loosen and remove it using a socket or ratchet wrench with the correct sizing.
Remove the old filter
You can latch and open the housing to remove the old filter inside. Just looking at it will let you know if you need to replace it. If it appears dirty and worn, you need to go. If not, you can stay a little longer before throwing it in the trash can.
If you find it necessary to replace it, remove the old filter and discard it. Next, place the new filter inside and make sure the rubber ends fit perfectly into the home. Now close the housing and secure the latch. If you need to loosen them to open the housing in advance, don’t forget to re-illuminate the bolts.
Can I clean and reuse the old filter instead of replacing it?
In some cases, you can reuse it, but there are a few things to consider before cleaning and reusing the filter.
If you notice it’s not too dirty, you can use compressed air or water to clean it. Most filters are intended to be replaced and are not that expensive, so it’s best to replace them when doing so.
Is it really easy?
yes! The truth is that changing the air filter is cheap and simple. We like it.
Doing this yourself is one of the easiest car maintenance jobs you can do, yet one of the most important things. It is essential to continue to exclude contaminants to prevent them from entering the engine.
Learning how to change your air filter yourself will make you feel like a professional. Plus, you don’t have to worry about being overcharged at the car shop during an oil change.
