Ford Air Filter Maintenance: Keep Your Engine Breathing Easy

Replace Your Air Filter Once a Year 

Your engine’s air filter primarily catches dust and dirt before it enters the engine. If you drive frequently in heavy traffic, your filter will also fill up with airborne contaminants from exhaust fumes. On top of that, filters have to contend with insects and occasional leaves, and other larger debris. 

In typical driving conditions, the air filter will be fine for a year before it starts to clog up enough to limit the inflow of air. A yearly replacement schedule is therefore usually sufficient to ensure a clean inflow of air. 

Check Your Filter Before Each Oil Change

It’s a good idea to check your air filter before each oil change, just in case it’s deteriorating more rapidly than expected. Then, if the filter seems the worse for wear, you can have a new one installed while visiting our dealership. 

The air filter is located inside the filter housing under the hood. You’ll need to raise the housing cover to remove the filter and inspect it. Check between the filter’s pleats and hold it up to the light. If there are large patches of clogged grime or the light barely passes through the filter, you probably need a new one.

Notice Symptoms of a Clogged Air Filter

If your filter is too dirty, you’ll notice various issues relating to the engine. Your car is likely to lose power, and the spark plugs may misfire, causing the engine to sputter and shudder. Misfiring can lead to engine stalls when you slow down, and idling will become louder and less smooth. 

You may also see black smoke emerging from the tailpipe behind you as fuel leaks back into the exhaust pipes. This is sometimes accompanied by backfiring as fuel ignites outside of the cylinders. If you don’t fix misfiring spark plugs quickly, the catalytic converter can become damaged or even destroyed. All these warning signs should prompt you to check your air filter at once.  

Allow our technicians to install a fresh filter in your engine compartment. Come to Coughlin Ford of Circleville in Circleville, OH. We can quickly return your engine to peak performance and keep it that way with regular automotive services. 

Tags: Air Filter, Auto Repair, Circleville Ohio, Maintenance
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