Sunday, March 8, 2009

How To Change A Car Air Filter

The air filter in your car may not be something that you pay a massive amount of attention to, but it can quickly become so if you let it become blocked. A blocked air filter will greatly reduce the power that you get from your vehicle - good luck getting up a steep hill with what amounts to a vacuum cleaner with seats - and further to that it has the same effect on fuel efficiency that a volcano has on a remote island paradise. You could be paying out roughly the same per week in extra fuel costs that you would have to spend on just replacing the filter - something that only needs to be done once or twice a year at most. So let us think - an extra $20 twice a year, or the same amount 52 times?
You know it makes sense - and it takes very little time, Ten minutes if you are prepared to get your head down and your hands dirty. So now you have no excuse not to do it, OK? So let us get over to the car and pop that hood. You are looking for a black plastic case with metal bits on either side of it. It has a black tube going into it. There you go! Now, flip those clips open. Lift off the top of the filter casing, and if there are any small parts that you remove in doing so, keep them safe! The process will take longer than 10 minutes if you have to spend five of them asking "Did anyone see where I put those nuts?" Much longer, if you are immature enough to laugh everytime someone says "nuts".
Now, the old filter will just be sitting there, ready to be taken out. Take a few moments to look at it. Not because you are going to miss it, or anything, but because you want to get a good look at how the one you are fitting needs to sit. Incorrectly placed, a new filter will be more effective than no filter at all. Now lift that filter out carefully, ensuring that none of the larger bits of debris fall into the workings. Have a look at those larger bits of debris. That is what has been causing you to have to pull in every time you see a gas station.
Now, put the new filter in and make sure as mentioned above that it is sitting correctly in the casing. Push it down properly - not hard enough to break anything, but so that it pops in snugly and you can get the cover back on properly. And next comes the tricky bit. Waving goodbye to fuel wastage. It will be a difficult experience for you, of course, because you have been attached to having to remortgage your house every time you want to fill the tank. No, seriously, you are done. How easy was that? Real easy, plus you saved money, plus you did it all yourself. Well done!

By : Levi Quinn

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