How to change an air filter

Changing an air filter regularly can have a significant impact on engine life and performance.

It's quick, easy and will save you money.

Changing a panel air filter is a 5 - 10 minute job and no special tools are needed.

This is a photo of a typical engine bay showing what the airbox looks like.

Inside the airbox is your panel air filter, it will look like this ;

If you have a Haynes Manual for your vehicle, then you can refer to that for more specific photos of your engine bay.

However, the above photo shows the typical layout for most cars with the airbox situated on either the left or the right.

The top of the airbox is usually held in place with clips or screws ;

This photo shows the clips that hold the top of the airbox in place.

You should just have to undo the clips around the lid to get to the airbox, revealing the air filter beneath.  It is then just a case of removing the old one, replacing it with the new one and then clipping the lid back down.

If the lid will not lift up far enough to reveal the air filter, then the 'air pipe' shown in the photo above will need to be loosened.

As you can see, along the 'air pipe' are a number of clamps (jubilee clips). These are flat metal rings that clamp the pipe all the way around.

If you loosen off one of these by unscrewing it with a screw-driver then the pipes should pull apart allowing you to take off the airbox lid.

Refitting of all these parts is just a reversal of what you have done so far,
i.e. put in the new air filter, refit the air pipe, screw the jubilee clip back on and then clip the airbox lid in place.

TIPS

1. When you fit the replacement air filter in place, make sure that it sits neatly inside the airbox.  Check that the lid has clamped down fully all the way around and that no part of the new filter is trapped in between the box and the lid.

2. If you have to loosen off the 'air pipe' using the jubilee clips, then be careful when tightening them back up. Because the pipe that you are clamping up is probably made of plastic, any overtightening of the clip may cause damage to the pipe.

So save yourself some serious money by performing your own car air filter change.