Misunderstandings and identification Methods of air filters

The task of the air filter is to filter out suspended particles in the air entering the cylinder to reduce the wear of the cylinder, piston and piston rings. Among the three media required for an engine to operate, air has the largest volume and comes from the atmosphere. If the air filter fails to effectively filter out suspended particles in the air, it will accelerate the wear of the cylinder, piston and piston rings at the least, and cause cylinder scratches at the worst, shortening the service life of the engine.

I. Misunderstanding

Don't ask about the quality when buying
Because a few maintenance personnel failed to recognize the importance of the air filter, they only sought cheapness and not quality. As a result, the engine broke down very soon after it was installed. Especially when there are many counterfeit and shoddy products in the current market, it is necessary to compare prices among different sellers, make a careful choice, and always adhere to the principle of quality first.

1. Disassemble at will during use

The engine must use an air filter with scientific basis.
However, some drivers casually remove the air filter, allowing the engine to directly draw in unfiltered air to work. The disassembly experiment of the truck air filter shows that after the air filter is disassembled, the wear of the engine cylinder will increase by 8 times, the wear of the piston will increase by 3 times, and the wear of the piston ring will increase by 9 times.

1. Maintenance and replacement are not based on actual conditions

In the air filter user manual, although mileage or working time is specified as maintenance or replacement data. But in fact, the maintenance and replacement cycle of air filters is also related to environmental factors.
For cars that are frequently driven in dusty environments, the maintenance or replacement cycle of air filters should be shortened. For dusty cars, the maintenance or replacement cycle of the air filter is sufficient. Extend appropriately.
In actual work, many drivers and maintenance personnel mechanically follow the regulations, fail to flexibly grasp different factors such as the environment, and insist on waiting until the mileage meets the standard and the engine's working condition is obviously abnormal before carrying out maintenance. It should be noted that if maintenance is carried out at this time, not only will the losses already caused be irreparable, but it will also cause greater harm. What's more, some drivers don't even know that the air filter will fail and continue to use it as long as the appearance is not damaged.

1. Identification methods

The working condition of the air filter and when it needs maintenance or replacement can be determined by the following methods:
Theoretically, the service life and maintenance cycle of an air filter should be measured by the ratio of the gas flow rate passing through the filter element to the gas flow rate required by the engine. When the flow rate is greater than the flow rate, the filter works normally. When the flow rate is equal to the flow rate, the filter should be maintained. When the flow rate is less than the flow rate, the filter can no longer be used; otherwise, the working conditions of the engine will deteriorate. The situation is getting worse and worse. It's even impossible to work.
In actual operation, when the air filter element is clogged with suspended particles and fails to meet the airflow requirements of the engine, abnormal working conditions of the engine will occur, such as rumbling sounds, slow acceleration (insufficient intake air volume, insufficient cylinder pressure), weak power generation (incomplete combustion due to overly rich mixture), and a relatively higher water temperature (continuing combustion when entering the exhaust stroke). The smoke becomes thicker when the exhaust accelerates. When these symptoms occur, it can be determined that the air filter is clogged. The filter element should be removed in time for repair or replacement.
When maintaining the air filter element, pay attention to the color changes on the inner and outer surfaces of the filter element. After dust removal, the outer surface of the filter paper is clear and the inner surface is bright, and the filter element can continue to be used. If the outer surface of the filter paper loses its original color or the inner surface darkens, it must be replaced.