Air filters

Every vehicle has an element, such as an air filter, that indicates how dirty the car is and how often it is serviced at a garage. The appearance of the part must correspond to the actual mileage of the vehicle. 

Structure of the air filter

Modern versions of air cleaners use paper and synthetic materials with complex shapes and many layers that increase the surface area of the airflow.

The raw materials used in the product are:

- Polyester;

- polyurethane, polyester, polyester fibre;

- spandbond;

- polyblond, spandex; spandexblond; spandexblow.

- foam polyurethane and foam rubber.

Synthetic raw materials are perforated and dense fabrics with permeable pores that let air in and trap fine dirt particles. Paper filter cartridges are inferior to their synthetic counterparts because moisture seriously damages the structure of the device, even when saturated with an oil-containing liquid. 

Barrel or cylindrical filters are often used in trucks to maintain the performance of diesel engines because of the large amount of air that passes through them. Panel versions are often installed in passenger cars.

Zero impedance filters

Zero impedance air filters are considered as a separate filter type. They look as beautiful as looms or sponges and consist of a gauze impregnated with an oil-based compound.

Like any barrier, they create a certain resistance to airflow and trap dust in the fabric. The more powerful the motor, the greater the airflow. A zero resistance device does not effectively prevent air from entering the cylinders, but despite its efficiency, it cannot clean large air flows.

What a dirty air filter looks like

To fully understand what an air cleaner is, you only need to imagine a vacuum cleaner bag. The same processes take place under the bonnet of your car. When the whole structure is clean, it has a capacity of 1 km 2 per cubic metre. 

Signs of a badly clogged engine:

- Loss of power;

- Excessive noise;

- heating.

Noise, noise, noise, noise: noise, noise, noise, noise, noise. If the filter is dirty, the engine loses a lot of power. For balancing, the electronic system adjusts the operation of the various systems on the basis of information from sensors. Frequent repeated enrichment of the mixture always leads to damage to the spark plugs. Running the engine in this way immediately increases fuel consumption. The vehicle system can also be operated without purification parts, but this does not take long. 

The timing of filter replacement and whether it makes sense to clean the filter.

It's worth remembering that synthetic filters can trap dust in the deepest recesses, so an important rule of thumb during normal engine operation is to check periodically when it's time to replace the filter. Most drivers have an unspoken rule that the flushing system should be changed after 5-10,000 miles with an oil change.

You can clean the surfaces by blowing cleaner at the tyre shop with a powerful compressor. This method is well suited for filters made of special paper. Synthetic filters, on the other hand, absorb dust particles deeply embedded in the oil, and blowing on the fibres is not enough to remove them. The soil becomes deeply compacted and cementitious. 

If it is worth blowing, it should be done by a professional service provider for air. This will get the dust out. Under no circumstances should liquids be used for cleaning.

Filter replacement process

Replacing a filter is fairly simple. The only two requirements are attention and care. The element is placed in a plastic container. Remove the contaminated filter by opening the valves and removing the filter - this method is suitable for the panel filter type. To work with a cylindrical counterpart, remove part of the air duct by loosening the clamps.

The most common mistake when replacing filters is installing them the wrong way round (upside down). It is recommended to install it correctly by checking the fit. The rubber gasket must be flawless and must run around the filter to create a seal and prevent air from escaping. After installation, put all fasteners back in place. We offer a wide range of spare parts for filter system replacement, which can be found in the corresponding section of our website.