Air Filter Maintainace
First, what is an air filter? Air filter is defined as a device that reduces the concentration of solid particles in an airstream to a level that can be tolerated in a process or space occupancy; a component of most systems in which air is used for industrial processes, ventilation, or comfort air conditioning.
It is a must to clean and replace the air filter occasionally for the safety and efficiency of the engines performance. Ideally, replacing the air filter should be done every time you change your engine oil, but as manual per say, air filter must be replace every 5,000kms.
Air filters are usually made of paper materials, like OEM and other brands; but other aftermarket air filters are made of cotton which is reusable and washable. The price of OEM air filter are very cheap, but aftermarket brands are quite expensive because they are reusable and claims to add more horse power.
There are many kinds of air filter system, but the most common and proven dyno test to add more horse power is setup called “cold air system”. Cold air system is a combination of aftermarket air filters that are connected to intake tubes or power flow tubes which is installed or located on cooler area of the vehicle.
On the other hand you can also install an aftermarket filter that has the same size of the OEM filter size, they are called drop in filters. Drop in filters are made of cotton materials that can filter 5 times compared to conventional air filters. Other tuners prefer this set up because it is much cheaper and easier to install compared to cold air system plus no modification is needed. In fact, you can still use your stock air filter box.
It is very easy to change the air filter; here are some steps on how to do it.
1. Open the hood and find the air-filter housing. It’s either a square on fuel-injected engines or round on older carbureted engines.
2. With a use of a Phillips screwdriver, remove the screws or clamps that hold on the top of the housing.
3. Remove the old air filter and clean any dirt and debris from the housing with a clean rag.
4. Install the new air filter.
5. Reassemble the air filter box.
6. Make sure that it’s sealed and there is no air leak.
7. You can now start your engine.
We hope that this article will help you on how to maintain and clean your air filter.
