Time for a New Car Air Filter? Visit Your Salisbury Toyota Dealer

Your engine requires a huge amount of air. Your car air filter removes pollen, dirt, dead insects, and other debris. The filtered air then enters your engine where it’s used for combustion. Your filter will eventually clog up and will need to be replaced. As your Toyota dealer, we can easily replace the filter for you. These are some of the signs that your filter needs to be changed.

Signs You Need a New Car Air Filter From Your Toyota Dealer

A Strong Smell of Gas

When your engine is running normally, it doesn’t produce any smell. If you start to smell a strong scent of gas, your air filter could be the problem. Combustion requires fuel, air, and a spark. Fuel enters the intake manifold when you step on the gas pedal and air enters through the air filter. These two substances mix in the manifold and are then injected into the cylinders.

If your air filter is blocked, it will prevent air from entering your engine. Without enough air, your engine will become fuel-rich, as there is more fuel than air in the system. The vapors from this excess fuel will blow into your cabin. This is also a sign that your engine is wasting gas. Once our technicians replace the filter, the smell of gas will disappear.

Black Smoke from the Exhaust

Black exhaust smoke is a sign that there’s a large percentage of unburnt fuel being ejected from your engine. Combustion requires 14:1 air to fuel, but a blocked air filter will reduce the amount of air that enters your engine. Once the fuel-rich mix is injected into the cylinders, it’s compressed before its ignited. A lack of air will also reduce the level of compression.

The spark plugs require air to ignite correctly. If there isn’t enough air, much of the fuel in the cylinders won’t burn. The unburnt fuel is ejected from the cylinders and forced into the exhaust system. The unburnt fuel will exit the exhaust as thick black smoke. This smoke is hazardous as it contains a large percentage of polluting chemicals.

Your Filter Is Dirty

We check your air filter according to your car’s service schedule. If you drive in areas with large amounts of dust or sand, your filter may need to be changed more frequently. The filter will start to block up as it accumulates dirt.

You can check the condition of your filter by opening the filter box in your engine. If the filter looks brown or black, it’s blocked and needs to be replaced.

If you have any signs of an air filter problem, call us right away at Cloninger Toyota. We can speedily replace the filter for you.

Tags: car air filter, toyota dealer
Posted in Salisbury Toyota Service, Toyota Parts | No Comments »