Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Been driving WITHOUT an air filter!!!?

So, here is the story.



I love my '92 Benz. I'm the guy that's constantly washing and waxing his car, checking the fluids, and knows every small detail. The only thing I hated about the car was it's poor gas mileage. I was getting like 10 mpg. I figured...it's a Benz, so...its normal, right? Anyway, one day, I told my dad, %26quot;it's time for a tune-up I think%26quot;. So I call up our family mechanic (who always does maintenance on our cars and we trust) to change the spark plugs, change the oil, and change the air filter. When he turns the car back to me, he tells me there WAS no air filter and that he just put one in.



This would make a lot of sense and it would explain the poor gas mileage and my cars small inability to accelerate and take off like a racer. I did have my car broken into once, but nothing was stolen or broken (at least I don't think so...would someone break into my car to steal just the air filter??), and this other mechanic MAY have not replaced it just to screw me over, but that's old business and I can't blame him anymore.



The point is...how screwed is my engine?



I asked my family mechanic and he said that although its very bad to drive without one and the engine's cylinders may clog with dust...he said the engine runs perfectly fine and since I haven't driven much (I'm a college student so I drive from school to home like twice monthly and just go out to nearby dining spots with friends every so often, but most of the time my car is parked in a garage at my apt.) the car should be fine.



Now when I drive the car...I can go very fast and not hear the engine. It's really quiet. Also, the mpg meter never goes under 15mpg (it used to go down to 0 when i would accelerate to 80 mph). It's the smoothest ride ever. So, how much damage should I expect to the engine? Is there anything I can do to remedy the situation that isn't costly or too difficult? Will the dust somehow magically filter out over time now that I have an air filter installed? please help!Been driving WITHOUT an air filter!!!?
It's definitely not good to run with out an air filter although I doubt you've done any permanent damage. What amazes me is your fuel consumption improved.



There was a time in the 50's it was thought cool to remove the filter element thinking it would provide more air and hence engine power. However in these days of computer sensing of all engine parameters it must have messed up something like the vacuum reading which is a major input to the fuel control unit.



Based on your results I would say keeping the air filter in good form is essential. Thanks for the input!Been driving WITHOUT an air filter!!!?
...How in the world can dust clog up your cylinders? that is insane! you have a gasoline induced explosion in there multiple times a second, how can a little bit of dust/dirt do anything but just get blown out the exhaust?? Your mechanic doesn't have a clue about cars...Been driving WITHOUT an air filter!!!?
listen to your mechanic , on the next to last paragraph,...it should be fine. as long as it is running good don't worry about it. Relax, enjoy lifeBeen driving WITHOUT an air filter!!!?
All this long story just to ask if driving without an air filter would do a permanent damage to a motor?

I'll tell you, but I need to start from when I was a college student 40 years ago and work my way to the answer...

OK, OK, your car is fine. Relax and go back to be the most boring person in your school.
  • take advice fron me
  • hair show
  •