Car purchase and maintenance guide: How to maintain the Air Intake System of cars

Part 2: Car Air Intake System: How it works and how to clean an air filter

Read Part1 Here:   Part 1: Main Systems of a Car

                

How does a car air intake system work?

All Internal Combustion Engines require two basic items to function – oxygen and fuel. Automobiles with internal combustion engines include motor cycles, scooters cars, trucks etc. All these machines use free oxygen provided by nature and fuel like diesel, petrol, gasoil, alcohol to function. Tubes and valves guide oxygen and fuel into the cylinder, where a piston compresses the mixture to be ignited. The explosive force pushes the piston down, forcing the crankshaft to rotate, giving the user mechanical force to move the vehicles.

 

The air intake system air intake system is critical to the function of the engine, collecting air and directing it to individual cylinders, but that’s not all. The cold-air intake tube is usually located where it can pull air from outside the engine bay, such as a fender, the grille, or hood scoop. The cold-air intake tube marks the beginning of air’s passage through the air intake system, the only opening through which air can enter. 

Engine Air Filter

The air then passes through the engine air filter, usually located in an “air box.” Pure “air” is a A screen usually keeps out most larger particles, such as insects and leaves, while the air filter catches finer particles, such a dust, dirt, and pollen.

Mass Air Flow Meter

To properly gauge how much fuel to inject at any given moment, the engine control module (ECM) needs to know how much air is coming into the air intake system. Most vehicles use a mass air flow meter (MAF) for this purpose, while others use a manifold absolute pressure (MAP) sensor, usually located on the intake manifold.
Other parts of modern air intake systems include: Air Intake Tube, Throttle body, Idle Air Control, Intake Manifold, Intake Valves and so on.

Okay, enough of the technical stuff, this is a car maintenance guide Car Maintenance Guide and we focus on  how to how to do things!  Not on scientific principles and calculations. So if you are a scientist or researcher and you are interested in digging into the details of the air intake system, then visit ThoughtCo. Knowing the function of each part of the air intake system can make diagnosis and repair easier, as well.

How to Clean a Car (vehicle) Air Filter

Having a dirty air filter is the same as Not having an air filter at all. Always consult your car owner's manual for information on how to replace your air filter. Remember to always wear protective eyewear and gloves when repairing a vehicle.

A. How to clean and maintain a petrol (gasoil) Air Filter

First, locate the air filter housing. The air filter housing can be identified by looking for the air intake tube at the engine. The air filter housing typically has retainer clips or screws. Remove the clips or screws and then the air filter housing top. Replace the old filter with a new filter and reassemble.

Washing vs. Vacuuming

There are a couple of schools of thought on cleaning your air filter. Some people recommend using a cleaning solution. Others swear by vacuuming. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. The soap approach might get the filter cleaner. The problem, though, is that it takes a lot more time (you need to make sure the filter is completely dry before replacing it) and has a higher risk level (putting the filter back in wet can damage your engine). Vacuuming might not get as many contaminants, but it is a fast process and you won't do any harm.

Locate and Remove Your Air Filter

If you have the manual for your vehicle, take a look to locate your filter. If not you can check the Internet or ask your mechanic the next time your car is serviced. The filter will usually be fairly easy to access and is in a little canister. Most open either with a wing nut or a couple of clamps that can be easily removed. The filter usually just sits in there and you can simply pull it out.

Clean the Filter

If you choose to use soap, place the filter in a bucket with a soapy water solution. Swish it around and pull it out. Shake the filter to get as much liquid out as you can. Set it down on a towel to dry. Be sure to allow plenty of time to be sure it is completely dry.
For those who prefer the vacuum cleaner approach, run the vacuum over the filter for a minute or so on each side. Look it over again and remove anything that is left on the outside.

Clean the Canister

Whichever method you use to clean the filter, be sure to clean out the canister as well. A soft cloth or paper towel will do a good job. Just be sure not to leave any pieces behind. If you use any thing wet, make sure the canister is completely dry before putting the filter back in. Once again, moisture left behind can cause engine damage.

Replace Your Filter

Put the filter back in. Reverse the process you used to open it. You are done. Remember that rather than paying to have a new filter put in you can save some money by doing it yourself. It's completely the same process - minus cleaning the filter. Click here to read more.

B. Procedure used to service Air Filter of Diesel Engine Automobile like tractors: (Wet Air Filter)

  The Air Intake system of the Tractor was first serviced followed by that of the cultivator. The main component of the Air Intake system is the Air Filter. Figure 1 shows the functioning of
the diesel engine air filter.

a) Servicing Tractor Air Intake system (Air filter)

- The Red casing of the Trunk of the tractor was unscrewed and removed with the help of screw
drivers and spanners with diameter of 10 mm. As shown in Figure 2.
- The Oil Pan of the Air Filter was then detached from below with the help of a screw driver. The
dirty, used oil was then removed and poured into a container. 
- The pan was then thoroughly cleaned with  petrol and a brush and rinsed twice.
- After which, the Upper part of the Air filter was detached from the tractor engine and the
sponge (metallic air filtering element of filter) of the air filter was removed and washed and
rinsed with petrol and “Diluant” in a bowl.
- The washed sponge was then blown with compressed air to remove any loose dirt particles. The
air was directed in the direction opposite to the entry of air when tractor is on and running.
- The Sponge was then fitted back into the air filter case. The oil in the oil pan was replaced with
clean fresh oil and the filter was reassembled and attached back to tractor engine using screw
drivers and spanners. Figure two and three shows trunk of tractor components of air filter. 

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