Just as our bodies need clean air to function properly, your SUV engine needs a clean air filter to operate efficiently. Let’s go egghead for a minute. For every gallon of gas we burn driving on WA interstates, twenty pounds of carbon dioxide comes out the tailpipe. Question: how can a gallon of gas that weighs a little over six pounds produce twenty pounds of carbon dioxide?
The answer is that the carbon comes from the gasoline, but the oxygen comes from the air. You see, it takes about twelve thousand gallons of air to burn a gallon of gas in your engine. Clearly, your SUV needs a lot of air to keep going. A lot of clean air is best.
You’ve seen the pictures of people in Japan wearing face masks. They want some kind of filter to keep unwanted pollution and germs out of their lungs. Well, your SUV also works better when its internals are clean. When your SUV air filter is dirty, it simply can’t trap any more dirt, so the pollutants just pass through into your air intake system. From there, it can clog your fuel injectors and even get into the motor itself. Not surprisingly, burning dust and pollen in your SUV engine does you no good.
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So, we’re talking potential damage for SUV drivers, but another big thing is wasted fuel. Your SUV engine management computer tries to mix the correct amount of air in with the fuel. If the filter’s clogged, there isn’t enough air for the optimal fuel to air mix, and that really messes with fuel efficiency.
In fact, replacing a dirty air filter at Central Avenue Automotive can improve your fuel economy by up to ten percent. At today’s fuel prices, you should be able to pay for a new air filter before your next oil change.
The verdict: When your SUV engine air filter needs to be replaced, it needs to be replaced. How often depends entirely on the level of air pollution where you drive. A simple visual inspection at Central Avenue Automotive will tell you when you need a new engine filter.
When you look at the filter on your furnace at home and see it’s all clogged up with dust and dirt, you don’t hesitate to replace it. When your Central Avenue Automotive service advisor shows you your nasty engine air filter, you now know why you should go ahead and replace it.
