Does Your Kia Need a New Car Air Filter?

For such a seemingly simple component of your car, a faulty air filter can cause a surprising amount of damage. When a car air filter gets clogged up, your engine becomes starved of oxygen. This leads to an imbalance of fuel and air inside your combustion chambers with all sorts of ensuing problems. So if you notice any of the following signs of trouble, check your filter and consider visiting your local Kia dealer to have it replaced right away.

Does Your Kia Need a New Car Air Filter?

Rough Idling

Resting your Kia in idle is usually a smooth experience with your engine chugging quietly away at a consistent 800 or so RPMs. If your air filter is clogged and causing your engine to struggle, then your idling will no longer feel smooth. The RPMs will start jumping up and down.

This happens because the fuel-air mixture inside your combustion chambers should be consistent. With less air coming in, the fuel isn’t combusting as efficiently. You’ll first begin to notice this when sitting in idle.

Ask Your Kia Dealer to Diagnose the Problem

Apart from a clogged air filter, there are various other possible causes for rough idling. It might be due to faulty spark plugs, dirty fuel injectors, a clogged catalytic converter, or something else.

You can easily inspect your air filter, which will be white when new and brown or black when aging and deteriorating. But air filters naturally darken in color as they age and it’s not always easy to tell if it’s clogged or not. It’s best to ask a trusted technician at your local dealership for their diagnosis.

Misfiring Engine

As the problem worsens, an excess of unburned fuel will begin to build up inside the chambers. This excess fuel causes various problems. It can deal corrosive damage to your cylinders. It also dirties the spark plugs, coating them in a sooty residue that inhibits the spark plug’s ability to ignite the fuel.

This leads to misfiring, which you’ll experience as juddering, shaking, and coughing from your engine. You might even have brief moments when your engine falls completely quiet. If a misfiring engine goes unchecked for a long time, it will only exacerbate the engine problems.

Stalling Engine

Eventually, an oxygen-starved engine will start to stall. This is where the spark plugs are so dirtied and the fuel-air mixture is so unbalanced that the combustion process fails altogether.

You’re most likely to stall when resting in idle, such as when you stop at traffic lights. You could even have difficulty starting the engine again. If you ever stall or can’t start your car, your air filter might be to blame.

Have your engine and air filter checked today at Crain Kia of Fayetteville. We’re a trusted local dealership offering great service and a wide range of vehicles.

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