Did you know that there are four main filters in your car? They’re all throughout the car and they each serve very specific tasks. Here’s information from Professional Automotive Services to help you to understand exactly what they do.
Air Filter
Your car’s air filter sits under the hood and grabs anything big out of the air that is destined for the engine. You might think that not much can get under the hood, but there’s a lot that gets sucked under there and that could potentially get into the engine. That would be disastrous, so the air filter keeps all of that from getting anywhere near the combustion chamber. You may want to periodically check your air filter yourself, just to make sure it doesn’t look too full of gunk to work properly.
Oil Filter
The oil filter gets changed out every time that your car gets an oil change. That’s really important, because your oil collects a lot of stuff that has to get filtered right back out of it. The engine oil is constantly picking up debris from the engine and it’s also getting thicker as it gets older. The oil filter helps to keep as much of that stuff from getting back into the engine as possible.
Fuel Filter
The fuel filter does a lot of the same stuff as the oil filter, except it doesn’t recirculate the fuel. The fuel filter’s big job is to keep sediment and any other solid materials that are in the gas tank from making it into your car’s engine. That can potentially cause misfires, which leads to engine damage. The fuel filter doesn’t need changing as often as other filters in the car do, so check the owner’s manual for the exact mileage.
Cabin Air Filter
Finally, there’s the cabin air filter. This is basically a backup air filter that sits between the passenger cabin and the primary air filter. It’s a much finer air filter that helps to keep the air that you and your passengers breathe as free of debris and allergens as possible. If you’re noticing more dust in your car or you smell a moldy smell, it’s possible that you need to change the cabin air filter. They’re usually good for around a year or so.
Want to make sure all of your car’s filters are doing what they’re supposed to be doing? Professional Automotive Services in Greenwood, SC can help. Give us a call today and we’ll inspect all of your filters and let you know what’s going on with each one.