Cabin Air Filter Dirty

Problems a dirty ac air filter can cause.

Cabin air filter dirty.

The cabin air filter is the filter responsible for filtering the air that is fed into the vehicle s heating and air conditioning systems. Since they work in essentially the same fashion as a regular engine air filter cabin air filters get dirty and should be. And because of the sluggish airflow eventually you ll have to replace a burned out blower motor for 150 or more. Before entering the passenger compartment outside air is directed through this filter to trap the contaminants inside the filter and prevent them from entering the inside of your vehicle.

The filter traps dust pollen and other foreign particles preventing them from entering the vehicle and polluting the cabin. A clogged cabin air filter can also cause major window fogging problems and contribute to lower gas mileage. A cabin air filter that s dirty or clogged won t filter those contaminants causing problems for those who suffer from allergies or have breathing difficulties. Sure the air filter on an air conditioner is there to clean the air that comes into it but it s also actually an incredibly important part of the air conditioner.

A cabin air filter can look almost exactly like the air filter used by your car s engine. The easiest sign of a dirty cabin air filter is the scent of something outside of the car such as wildfire smoke cow pastures or skunks even when you have the hvac system on recirculate. Dirty cabin air filters can affect your breathing in the car posted by. A dirty cabin air filter should be replaced.

In many cases the paper element is white to help you determine when the filter is dirty. A good rule of thumb is to replace your cabin air filter every february before spring allergy season arrives especially if you live in an area with a lot of trees. As a rule of thumb if the filter looks dirty it is. Photo by li zhongfei istock when it comes to keeping up with general vehicle maintenance replacing the cabin air filter probably isn t at the top of your list.

United auto tech during the hot summer months contaminants such as pollen dust mold spores and smog can easily enter a vehicle s passenger compartment through the air conditioning heating and ventilation systems making the air in the car six times dirtier than the. The cabin air filter is a small pleated filter made of multi fiber paper cotton or other engineered material.