This Is a Practical Way to Clean a Car Air Filter

Not many understand about the air filter in the car, especially how to clean the component. The air filter is one of the most important components in a vehicle. The main task of this component is to filter air from the air intake to the combustion chamber, therefore you should not underestimate this one component. The reason is, the buildup of dirt in the car's filter will have an impact on the pull of the car becoming weak and unresponsive, especially when driving on an uphill road.

Not only that, fuel consumption will also be more wasteful and the engine sound becomes rough due to incomplete combustion in the engine room. If allowed to continue, of course, it will be fatal because it will damage the engine as a whole. Therefore, this time automotive tips will provide education about air filters, especially how to clean car air filters, so that your car engine remains in top condition.

What Is a Car Air Filter?

For the definition of the car air filter itself is a component that can be found at the top of the car engine and is usually covered with a filter housing that will circulate air into the combustion chamber of the car.

The filter housing is lined and protected with a valve which aims to prevent the filter from leaking. The quality and cleanliness of the air filter is also considered to affect the overall performance of the car.

Car Air Filter Function

Sementara itu, fungsi filter udara mobil saat ini tentunya sangat penting sekali. Salah satu fungsinya sebagai filterisasi hingga sirkulasi udara dalam mobil sangat penting, terutama untuk menangkal udara-udara kotor masuk ke mobil. Agar kesehatan paru-parumu yang sering sekali menggunakan mobil sehari-harinya tetap terjamin aman.

Tidak dapat dimungkiri, kondisi jalanan sudah pasti kotor dan berdebu. Kamu tidak akan merasakan hal tersebut karena berada di dalam mobil.

Lantas, bagaimana dengan kebersihan mesin? Ini dia mengapa filter udara harus berada dalam kondisi terbaik. Udara yang kotor akan disaring dengan maksimal agar tidak masuk ke dalam sistem injeksi. Sehingga, kondisi mesin mobil bisa tetap bersih. Untuk mengetahui fungsi filter udara mobil lebih dalam, berikut penjelasannya.

1. Meningkatkan Performa Ruang Mesin Mobil

Fungsi pertama adalah untuk meningkatkan performa ruang mesin. Ruang mesin adalah kendali utama mobil sehingga harus dijaga dan dirawat dengan sebaik mungkin. Jika ruang mesin kendaraanmu bersih, ketika mobil digunakan akan terasa nyaman.

Di sini filter udara memang berperan penting dalam proses peningkatan performa tersebut. Komponen yang satu ini akan menyaring debu, kotoran dan udara yang masuk, sehingga tidak bisa menyentuh ruang mesin.

Mengingat fungsinya tersebut, jika komponen ini tidak ada atau mengalami kerusakan, tentu performa dari ruang mesin juga mengalami penurunan. Hal ini karena air dari penyaring udara sudah kotor. Hal itu juga akan mempengaruhi performa kendaraan.

Mesin juga tidak akan menghasilkan tenaga yang maksimal karena komponen pentingnya kotor. Oleh karena itu, kamu harus meluangkan waktu untuk melakukan pengecekan. Kamu juga bisa membawanya ke bengkel terdekat jika tidak ahli di bidang ini. Jika komponen ini sudah rusak parah, alangkah baiknya jika langsung diganti dengan yang baru.

2. Menjaga Agar Proses Pembakaran Mobil Tidak Terganggu

Fungsi filter udara mobil berikutnya adalah untuk menjaga proses pembakaran pada mobil agar tidak mengalami gangguan. Filter yang satu ini akan menyaring semua debu dan kotoran sehingga tidak akan mengganggu proses pembakaran kendaraan.

Apabila terganggu, maka mobilmu tidak akan bisa digunakan. Hal ini juga disebabkan oleh debu dan kotoran yang mudah masuk ke dalam ruang mesin.

Sebelumnya, debu akan masuk ke dalam sistem Injeksi dan kemudian ke dalam ruang mesin. Dari debu yang menumpuk itulah kinerja ruang mesin akan terganggu, sehingga mobil tidak bisa digunakan.

Sebenarnya efek yang akan terjadi tidak langsung membuat kendaraan mati total. Biasanya ini dimulai dari bahan bakar mobil yang jadi cepat habis dan kendaraan menjadi lebih lambat ketika digunakan. Jika bahan bakar cepat terkuras habis, tentu saja akan membuatmu harus mengisinya lebih banyak dari sebelumnya.

Agar hal tersebut tidak terjadi, maka yang harus dilakukan pada filter udara mobil adalah rutin dicek. Kamu bisa mulai mengecek apakah ada debu atau kotoran yang menumpuk dan bisa langsung dibersihkan. Pengecekan ini bisa dilakukan sendiri maupun di bengkel.

3. Sebagai Penyaringan Udara Di Dalam Mobil

Fungsi filter udara yang paling penting adalah untuk menyaring udara di dalam mobil. Seperti yang diketahui bahwa ketika ada udara masuk ke mesin, maka akan langsung disaring terlebih dahulu sebelum diteruskan ke ruang bakar. Adapun yang membantu proses penyaringannya adalah air intake.

Oleh sebab itu bagian yang satu ini harus selalu bersih dan jangan sampai kotor atau rusak karena fungsinya sangat penting. Jika bagian ini bermasalah, maka proses tersebut tidak akan bisa sempurna.

Penyaring udara ini terletak di bagian paling atas mesin dan dilindungi oleh rumah filter. Komponen inilah yang menjadi pengantar udara bersih ke dalam kendaraan. Oleh sebab itu, peranannya memang tidak bisa diabaikan begitu saja karena komponen ini bukan hanya sekedar pelengkap.

Because of its very important role, the filter housing is also protected by a valve to prevent air leakage from leaving the vehicle. The way it works is that this component will suck the dust that appears so it doesn't enter the engine room.

4. Useful for Filtering Dirt in the Car

In addition, important components in this car can also be used as a filter for dirt or dust. If the dust or dirty particles enter and accumulate in the car, the vehicle will experience problems and may not be usable.

Therefore, the existence of this air filter functions as a filter for dust that enters the car engine so that it does not hit other important components. Usually the engine compartment is a component that easily gets dust, so this filter will block dust from entering the chamber.

Then what will happen if this component is damaged? Of course, it is certain that the engine room on the vehicle will get dust because there is no one to filter it.

If this is left for a long time, your car engine may break. If the machine breaks down, then you can come up short because it costs a lot of money to fix it.

So keep in mind, you also have to pay attention to the cleanliness of this air filter because if it is dirty, then the pores in it will be narrowed. The efficiency of this one component will also be reduced. In addition, your car's fuel can run out quickly.

5. It Is Useful to Keep Other Components from Being Damaged

The next function is to keep other vehicle components from being damaged. If this filter works optimally to filter dirt and dust from entering other components, then all parts of the car will be protected so that it remains durable.

You only need to clean this air filter by spraying a compressor into it if the components are not too dirty. However, if the dirt has accumulated and you are worried about damaging other components, it would be better to replace it with a new one.

This needs to be done because it is feared that it will affect the performance of other components, because the air filter has a very important function for the car.

One component that can be affected is the combustion chamber. There will be a lot of crust and become dirtier. Then what about the water in the air filter? You can clean it regularly too.

Every time you use the vehicle for 10,000 km, you have to replace it with new water. In addition, you can also change the air filter every 40,000 km of travel.

6. Maintaining Car Quality to Stay Prime

The next function of the air filter is to maintain the quality of the vehicle so that it is more durable and remains in good condition when used. Moreover, if you carry out routine maintenance, the condition of these components will also remain clean and good.

Hal ini juga akan berpengaruh ke kualitas kendaraanmu sebab komponen lainnya juga akan tetap dalam kondisi baik. Komponen ini bisa menyaring partikel hingga yang sangat kecil, sehingga tidak akan masuk ke bagian kendaraan lainnya.

Jika kamu bisa menjaga filter udara ini maka proses pengeringannya juga akan berjalan dengan lancar. Hal itu juga berkaitan dengan kualitas udara yang masuk ke dalam kendaraan. Jika udara yang masuk bersih, maka proses pembakaran tidak akan mengalami gangguan dan kualitas kendaraan tetap terjaga.

Waktu untuk melakukan pembersihan sebenarnya bisa kapan saja, akan tetapi alangkah baiknya jika dilakukan saat musim kemarau. Hal ini karena saat musim kemarau lebih banyak debu dan kotoran yang masuk ke dalam kendaraan dan dapat mengganggu kinerjanya.

Jangan sepelekan jadwal servis filter udara pada mobil. Melalui perawatan berkala maka efisiensi penggunaan filter udara jadi lebih lama. Apalagi filter udara juga memiliki masa penggunaan. Ketika komponen ini tidak memenuhi fungsinya, maka perlu segera diganti.

Jenis Filter Udara Mobil

Saat ini ada tiga jenis filter udara mobil yang beredar di pasaran dengan karakteristik yang berbeda sesuai dengan bahan dasarnya.

1. Filter Udara Berbahan Kertas

Filter udara yang pertama terbuat dari dasar kertas sebagai elemen saring utamanya. Bahan kertas sendiri merupakan bahan yang paling umum dan sering digunakan oleh beberapa pabrik karena daya saringnya yang sangat baik.

Filter udara berbahan kertas mampu untuk menyaring partikel debu yang berukuran sangat kecil sekalipun. Tak heran begitu banyak pabrikan yang memilih untuk menggunakan filter udara berbahan dasar kertas.

2. Filter Udara Berbahan Busa

Jenis filter udara selanjutnya berbahan dasar busa sebagai elemen saring utamanya. Filter udara dari busa juga biasa disebut dengan wet foam filter. Meskipun umur penggunaannya yang cenderung pendek atau singkat, filter ini dapat menangkap kotoran yang berukuran sangat kecil apabila digunakan bersama dengan oli.

3. Filter Udara Berbahan Kain

The latter air filter is made with cloth as the main filter element. The cloth material is known to be able to filter dirt very well and is easy to clean. One of the main advantages of a cloth air filter is that it has a long service life because it can be used repeatedly.

How to Clean Car Air Filter

As a car owner, you also have to check the air filter on your car regularly and periodically. If the air filter has started to get dirty but is still within a reasonable age of use, then you can clean it independently at home. Simply by following these steps you will know how to clean the car air filter effectively:

1. Open the hood of the car.
2. Open the filter housing component.
3. Remove the air filter.
4. For paper based air filters, use high pressure air to clean them.
5. For foam and cloth based air filters, use a mixture of water and laundry soap to clean them.
6. Dry the air filter after cleaning.
7. Don't forget to clean the filter housing.
8. Reinstall the air filter along with the filter housing.
9. Make sure all components have been reassembled correctly as before so that air leaks do not occur later.

So that's 9 steps on how to clean a car air filter. Don't forget to try it!

Signs of a Broken Car Air Filter and Need to Be Replaced

Like a word, we need air to breathe, so the car engine needs air as an important substance in burning fuel in the engine room. The car engine is a combination of various technologies that essentially convert heat energy from burning fuel into kinetic energy that drives the wheels. Therefore, various intakes and processes are needed to produce complete combustion in the engine room so that the right energy is produced to drive the car.

One of the important intakes is air, namely oxygen gas which is an absolute requirement for combustion to take place. The air that is entered into the combustion chamber must be clean air, so the air needs to be filtered with an air filter.

Although the filter is a small part under the hood and is made of inexpensive materials, the air filter plays a large role in engine performance, including engine life. So the health of the air filter should not be underestimated.

Delaying changing the filter can be bad for the engine. An air filter that is saturated because it is filled with dust can reduce the intake of air into the engine, so the engine becomes heavy due to low compression and incomplete combustion.

An air filter that is too dirty will also cause dirt from the outside air environment such as dust and water content to enter the combustion chamber, then become crust which not only reduces fuel efficiency, but also damages and shortens the life of the engine. The following are the characteristics or signs of a damaged car air filter and need to be replaced.

• Car Mileage

How far the car has traveled is of course an indicator of the use of the air filter. The farther the distance that has been traveled, meaning that the air filter has worked harder to accommodate all the particles it filters.

Air filter manufacturers usually recommend replacing after 20,000 – 25,000 miles (32,186 – 40,233 km). However, to be on the safe side, it is advisable to replace the air filter after a distance of 10,000 – 15,000 miles (16,090 – 24,140 km) only.

Actually it also depends on how dirty the air is on the roads that are often passed, the instructions above may only be suitable for vehicles in urban areas with relatively clean air. In cars that frequently drive on dusty roads, the air filter may need to be replaced after traveling a shorter distance.

For the time interval, you should replace the air filter once a year, because in a car that is used on a normal day-to-day basis, the mileage usually ranges from 10,000 to 20,000 km per year.

• Reduced Speed ​​and Power

If you feel the car's power becomes weak when you want to accelerate, it can be a sign of a very dirty filter. You should immediately check the car's air filter, check with a trusted technician, of course it's better to diagnose the problem.

If there are no problems with other components and the filter looks very dirty, we recommend replacing the filter with a new one.

• Smoke Out of Car Exhaust

An air filter that is saturated and very dirty will make a lot of particles enter the combustion chamber and cause incomplete combustion which is marked by the release of smoke from the exhaust, it can even be in the form of thick black smoke.

If you find a lot of smoke coming from the exhaust, it may be a sign that your car's air filter has asked to be replaced with a new one.

• Fuel is Wasteful

A dirty air filter causes less air intake to enter the combustion chamber, so combustion is not as complete as it should be. As a result, fuel consumption will be more wasteful.

If the car's fuel consumption becomes more than usual, it may also be a sign to replace the air filter immediately.

• Changed Filter Physical Condition

Check the condition of the filter regularly, if you get a filter that is damp or looks very black, even though all the previous characteristics have not been found, you should replace the filter. There is a possibility that it can cause serious problems with the machine.

Some cars have filter problems that get damp easily and need to be replaced in a short time. This could be due to poor filter quality or an error in the design of the air-intake system on the car.

Car Air Filter Price

Generally, the price of a car air filter varies depending on the material. In general, the price of a filter with good quality paper material is between Rp. 100,000 to Rp. 200,000, while an air filter with a good quality foam material is in the range of Rp. 200,000 to Rp. 350,000. Meanwhile, cloth air filters are slightly more expensive due to their longer service life compared to the two.

Air filters with cloth material for cars with good quality are in the range of Rp. 300,000 to Rp. 450,000. The price is more expensive because it provides much better quality compared to paper and foam materials. But what you have to pay attention to is the quality, don't be fooled by the low price but the quality is disappointing. The role of the air filter is very important for car performance.

As is known, the cost of repairing and maintaining a car is certainly not cheap, as is car fogging. Don't let the cost of repairing your favorite car actually burden your expenses.

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