Change Your Car's Filters
By Scott MemmerIt may seem silly, but changing your car's filters on a regular basis can have a significant impact on engine life and performance.
Here in Los Angeles, where we have our editorial offices, the locals have a saying: "Never breathe air you can't see." While we, the editors of Edmunds.com, walk daily through this morass of particulates and emissions, sucking in CO2 and nitrous oxide, our cars have the advantage of air filtration.
Isn't something wrong with this picture? Shouldn't we be the ones with masks on our faces and a regular maintenance schedule for changing the filter?
But nooooo. We're too busy driving press cars, taking notes, shooting photos, opening doors, slamming hoods, racing through the foothills, accepting come-hither looks from nubile young actresses who think we actually own these cars, taking more notes, running to the car wash, dashing across town to a late press conference, attending racing school...aaargh!
And that's not the half of it. There's the water too. We're supposed to actually drink this stuff? L.A. tap water has the consistency of Quaker State; it looks like swamp scum. Where's our water filter? Can't we get a cup of nature's finest without things floating in it? After all, our cars have fuel filters; they have a system in place to remove harmful particulates. Where's ours?
Well, as you can see, anything that takes in fluids or air from this
environment, whether man or machine, should have a way of separating the
good from the bad, of taking in only that which benefits the mechanism and
leaving the rest behind.
Our cars do. They're called filters -- specifically, air filters and fuel
filters. True, they require regular looking after, yet this is one of the
simplest and least expensive -- and most important -- maintenance
procedures you can perform for your car.
What we'd like to do in this month's How To column is walk you through a
basic filter change. It won't take long, saves you money, and sends your
car down the road refreshed and renewed. A clogged air or fuel filter can
cause poor performance, cost you at the fuel pump, and shorten engine
life. This simple procedure guards against that.
How often should you do this? A good rule of thumb is once or twice a
year, or roughly once every 10,000 miles.
Changing the Air Filter
If nothing else, learn how to change your own air filter. It's quick
and easy and saves you money.
How so? Well, think about it: When was the last time you went to the Quick
Lube-n-Tune place and had the mechanic hit you up with, "Hey Bud, you
need a new air filter." After which you nod and watch as he adds it
to the invoice. How much? $7.99? $9.99? $12.99? Heck, we've even seen
$14.99.
There's an old joke about the creation of the universe with the punch
line, "Well, somebody had to pay retail." Maybe so. But
not necessarily you.
One of our jobs here at Edmunds.com is to empower you. Don't let them
stick it to you. Learn to say no -- there's no law against it. Just say,
"I'll pass for now," or, "Thanks, I'll look into it,"
and go home after the oil change and perform this procedure yourself --
if, in fact, it really needs to be done.
First, park your car in the shade and pop the hood. Prop it up so it
doesn't bang you in the head, then let the engine cool for a few minutes.
While it's cooling, go get your tools. You'll need very few for this
procedure -- you can probably do it with a butter knife. If handy, though,
grab two medium-sized screwdrivers, one standard and one Phillips, and
head back to the car.
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How? Well, most of them are held together by a couple of large metal clips on the side. Slide the butter knife or flat-headed screwdriver between the casing and the clip and pry the casing open. Occasionally you'll find one held together with several long screws, in which case you'll have to unscrew it to get at the filter. (Many of the older cars use a cylinder air cleaner held inside a circular black case. It's like a giant doughnut that sits at the direct top-center of the engine.)
Anyway, crack it open. You'll find the air filter inside. It's usually bright yellow or orange or red, the better to see the collected dirt.
Pull it out. It's typically flat, elongated, usually about a foot long by six inches wide by two inches high. It's made of paper filament, with rubber edges along the bottom to seal it against the casing.
Now, let's check it for cleanliness. Hold it up. Bend it back, so the paper ridges of the filter flutter like the pages of a book, and look inside the crevices. Do you see a lot of accumulated dirt and grime? Now hold it at arms length and look at it straight on. Is the orange or yellow paper mostly dirty in the center? If so, let's replace it. No big deal -- the replacement only costs about five bucks. Remember that $14.99 price at the Quik-Lube place? Here's where you get even.
Close up the casing. Then put the old air filter in a plastic grocery bag. You're going to want to bring it with you, to compare old with new and make sure you get the right replacement, so toss it in the car and go clean up.
By the way, it's okay to drive a car short distances without an air filter (something you can't do with a missing fuel filter).
Here's what you need to buy at the auto parts store:
- new air filter
- new fuel filter
- new gasket(s) for the fuel filter -- they normally come with, but ask
Fuel Filter Replacement
This is a little more problematic procedure, since finding the thing can be half the battle. It's typically located near the top-center of the engine, close to the air filter, although sometimes, with more modern cars, it's actually built into the fuel tank and is a job more suited to your mechanic.
First, if you value your life, extinguish any smoking materials while doing this procedure.
Second, for better access, remove any oversized, plastic coverings from the top of the engine. They usually come off with a large, flat-head screwdriver.
Now search for the fuel line, which comes from the rear of the car. It's about the same diameter as a thick finger, and will be soft and pliant, not a hard metal shaft. It will come into the fuel filter from the rear of the vehicle.
Find it? Okay, now grab a couple of # 2 pencils. You'll also need several different sized screwdrivers, both flat-head and Phillips, and a small ratchet set.
Here's what you're going to do. When you work the fuel line free of the filter, you're going to jam the pencil into the free end to keep gasoline from spilling all over the engine (and yourself).
The fuel line will normally be secured to the fuel filter with a little clamp. Work it off with a screwdriver -- usually a Phillips -- and stop-gap it with the pencil. (Sometimes you'll need a larger diameter object than a pencil. You'll have to be resourceful here, since we don't know what you have lying around in your junk drawer at home. One of those first-grader primer pencils is perfect.)
After you've plugged the fuel line, you can set to work removing the fuel filter. It's normally secured to the engine with a couple small bolts. Find the right-sized socket and remove the filter. It will have a hose coming off the other end (this goes to the engine), so remove this one the same way you did the other ones, and plug it with the other pencil.
Compare the new filter with the old filter, and make sure you position it in the same way, so that the fuel is flowing in the right way. Sometimes there's an arrow on the filter showing you which direction the fuel flows.
Put the assembly together in reverse of the way you took it apart. Before you do, though, take a quick look at the new filter.
You'll note that there two metal (or plastic) shafts coming off the filter where the hoses attach. They have little nubs or ridges near the ends. Make sure to slide the rubberized lines onto the filter as far past the nubs as you can get them.
Also, pay special attention to the clamps on either end of the filter. Position them between the nubs and the body of the filter. Then get them snugged down good and tight (but not so tight as to strip the screw), to prevent leakage.
One last thing. If the hoses are getting brittle and frayed, make a mental note to buy some new hoses next time you change your filter. If they're really bad, replace them now.
After you have everything reassembled and secure, run the engine for a few minutes. Inspect the hoses and connections to make sure no fuel is leaking.
That's it.
Remember, next to changing your oil and oil filter, replacing your air and fuel filters on a regular basis is the single most important act of maintenance you can perform for your engine. Do it, and your engine will thank you by giving you many thousands of trouble-free miles.