Your car air filter acts as a barrier between the outside air and your engine. It traps dirt, dead bugs, and other debris and prevents them from entering your engine. This debris could cause damage to your engine, and it would interfere with the combustion process. As the filter collects this debris, it will get blocked. Your local Chrysler dealer can replace your filter, and these are a few signs that it needs to be replaced.
Signs You Need a New Car Air Filter from Your Chrysler Dealer
Sputtering Engine
Fresh air from the filter should mix with the fuel in the combustion chamber. Far more air than fuel is required for combustion, and the perfect ratio is 14 parts air to 1 part fuel. The spark plugs will ignite this flammable mixture, and your car will move. This process works perfectly when there’s sufficient clean air. A dirty filter will block most of the air that should enter the chamber, and this will create a fuel-rich environment.
When there is little air, combustion becomes more difficult. Spark plugs require air to ignite the mixture, and the dense, fuel-filled atmosphere will make combustion very inefficient. The sputtering sounds you’ll hear are caused by the plugs trying to ignite the mix. You may also experience stalling when you take your foot off the gas pedal. Once we replace the filter, these problems will clear up.
Reduced Power
When you speed up, more fuel is dumped into the combustion chamber. To balance this extra fuel, even more, clean air is needed. Without this air, the fast-moving pistons will begin to slow down as there isn’t enough air for correct compression. As compression reduces, your engine will start to struggle. There will always be air in your engine for compression, but the reduced airflow will mean a power reduction.
Your engine will use more fuel to compensate, but much of this fuel will be wasted. The unused fuel will be forced out through your exhaust. You’ll experience reduced engine power as your engine tries to provide power but is inhibited by the lack of air.
Black Smoke From the Exhaust
The excess fuel that cant be burnt in the combustion chamber is forced out of the exhaust. This unburnt fuel deposits carbon in the engine as it leaves. On the way through the exhaust, the fuel passes through the catalytic convertor. The converter’s job is to remove dangerous chemicals from fuel residue, but it’s not designed to deal with large amounts of unburnt fuel.
The convertor will clean some of the outgoing fuel, but most of the fuel will exit the exhaust as black smoke. This smoke is filled with dangerous carbon monoxide. Some of the unburnt fuel will create sparks and even small flames as it comes into contact with the hot exhaust.
Call us today at Ourisman Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Alexandria. Our service technicians will speedily fit a new air filter, and you’ll notice an immediate improvement in your engine.
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