Symptoms of dirty air filters: How to determine if it's time to replace them

The air filter prevents dust and debris from entering the engine. Ultimately, residues accumulate and prevent the proper airflow. Then the air filter needs to be replaced.

What are the symptoms when the air filter of a car is dirty? This could manifest in many ways, such as poorer fuel economy, signs of engine difficulties, or checking the engine lights.

After reading this article, you will know what to look for and when to replace the air filter of your vehicle.

Symptoms of a dirty air filter

The purpose of the air filter is to prevent harmful substances from being sucked into the engine. If there is no such filter or it is contaminated, your engine may suffer serious damage.
What are the symptoms when the air filter of a car is dirty? They include such things:

A dirty air filter

Poor fuel economy

Slow acceleration

· Smell of gasoline

Increase the strain of the engine

· Abnormal engine noise

Engine fire

· Exhaust black smoke

Check the engine lights

If you find any of these problems, your air filter may be very dirty and needs to be replaced. But this is not the only reason for these problems.

Many of them may indicate other serious problems related to spark plugs or electric heating plugs, fuel systems and sensors. When you notice these things happening, it is crucial to have a professional diagnostic problem, especially for diesel engines.

Diesel engines have different air fuel injection systems. Gasoline engines combine air with fuel before compression, while in diesel engines, the air is compressed before fuel is injected, which makes the role of the air filter even more important.