Your engine needs to breathe just as much as we do. Without an uninterrupted flow of clean oxygen, the fuel-air mixture inside combustion chambers becomes unbalanced, leading to all kinds of engine issues. If your air filter gets clogged up, inhibiting the airflow, you’ll notice the following five problems emerge. And it’s time to visit your local Chevy dealer for a new car air filter.
Diminished Acceleration
When airflow is restricted by an aging air filter, all four combustion chambers struggle to combust as effectively as before. The engine rapidly loses power, which causes a loss of acceleration.
This can be rather perilous when you’re trying to overtake another car or cross a busy intersection. If you notice you’re not speeding up with as much gusto, pull over and check your air filter for excessive dirt or clogging.
Sputtering While Idling
An unbalanced mixture of fuel and air means not all the fuel is being burned away. This leftover unburned fuel begins to cake the spark plugs in a dirty residue, further inhibiting their ability to fire the cylinders.
This downward spiral of misfiring chambers will cause your engine to jolt and sputter while idling. As the problem worsens, an oxygen-starved engine can stall and have trouble starting up again.
Falling Fuel Efficiency
Misfiring inevitably leads to dropping fuel efficiency. Your car will no longer be taking you quite so far for each gallon of gas. So if you find yourself stopping at gas stations more often, your air filters might be to blame.
Black Smoke From Tailpipe
With a clogged filter, a lot of the unburned fuel in the chambers will escape through the exhaust system. You might see this in your mirror as thick black smoke emerges from your tailpipe. Occasionally, the excess fuel will ignite, and you’ll see flames in the smoke.
Check Engine Light Blinking
All these engine problems resulting from a clogged-up filter will soon trigger the check engine light on your instrument panel. This check engine light should never be ignored. It often helps drivers catch problems early before they cause serious trouble.
Have Your Onboard Monitors Checked at a Chevy Dealer
While the check engine light is a very useful tool for alerting drivers to developing problems, it doesn’t specifically tell you what the problem is. If you see the light turn on, you can visually check your air filter yourself. You might also need a technician at your local auto repair shop in Sterling to interface with your onboard computers and diagnose the problem.
Visit Ted Britt Chevrolet today to have your filter inspected or replaced. We have highly experienced technicians ready to help, and a broad range of over 500 new and used vehicles.
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