Fairburn Auto Repair

Your engine pulls in a large volume of outside air every time you drive. Before that air reaches the intake, it passes through the engine air filter, which traps dust, sand, leaves, and other debris that should never enter the cylinders. As the filter fills with dirt, airflow through it becomes harder. A slightly dirty filter is normal and does not mean the engine is being starved for air. The question is whether the filter has become restricted enough to affect engine performance or whether it simply looks dirty from doing its job. A Dirty-Looking Filter Is Not Always Restricted Engine air filters rarely stay bright and clean for long. Dust collects between the pleats, and the material can darken after thousands of miles. Appearance gives us useful information, but color alone does not tell the whole story. When we check a filter, we look between the pleats for heavy buildup, leaves, insects, oil contamination, moisture, and sections where the filter material has ... read more