Jean K Asks: What Damage Can A Dirty Air Filter Do To Your Engine?

Well Jean on newer fuel injected engines you will notice a decrease in power with a dirty air filter. With an older vehicle that had a  carburetor you would notice poor fuel mileage. The biggest problem with a dirty air filter is that when the  filter gets overwhelmed with dirt, small abrasive particulates get past the filter. When this happens  it gets into the engine oil.  Then if you combine this with lack of oil changes it is a recipe for disaster as the engines oil filter basically stops filtering the oil at 5000 miles. As you can see the damage here with the vertical score marks that were made in the cylinder walls of this engine below.

Notice vertical scoring in cylinder walls between 4 red arrows caused by dirt in oil.

Notice vertical scoring in cylinder walls between 4 red arrows caused by dirt in the oil.

In turn it also has worn out the piston rings in this engine causing the engine to use 1 quart of oil every 500 miles! Unfortunately this engine you are looking at should be replaced, and is not worthy of an overhaul.  Your air filter should be inspected at every single oil and filter change service. If you have to remove screws to inspect your air filter and you go to a quick lube service center you may not be getting your air filter checked. Some air filters are even more difficult to remove and inspect. Lets face it if you were given 20 minutes to complete an oil change would you spend 10 minutes trying remove an air filter? I think not.  Some air filter covers are secured by clips that are easily removed to gain access to the air filter for inspection. With this design it is more likely that you will actually get your air filter inspected. Make sure that wherever you go for service “ask” to have your engines air filter checked, and if dirty replace it. If you have a filter that is a little more difficult to remove and inspect, you may want to offer your mechanic a little “tip”for the extra effort. The small amount of money it costs to replace your air filter today will save you a big amount of money down the road! Thanks for your question Jean!

Notice oil deposits between two red arrows on valve.

Notice oil deposits between two red arrows on valve.

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