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!HELP!!!! Driving without an air filter!!!?
Your family mechanic is right on. If you ran it for a long time that way you might have a problem, but just a short time probably little or no damage. If you are still nervous, get an extra oil and filter change, and that will remove any of the dust that is in suspension in the oil (That is what a detergent oil does, it keeps all the tiny particles of dirt and dust in suspension. That's also why it turns dark right after you change it. It's doing it's job!)
It's also nice to know that you have an honest family mechanic. He could have reccomended a lot of different things for you to do (and pay for) but he obviously doesn't screw people. So you actually won 2 good things out of this. Your car will be happier, and you know you have a mechanic you can trust. Both good things!HELP!!!! Driving without an air filter!!!?
I agree whole heatedly with the above answer, it is a good answer.HELP!!!! Driving without an air filter!!!?
your mechanic is right about not having an air filter, any damage to the engine is already done and there is nothing you can do now to correct it, more than likely if it's running fine you will be OK down the road, if you notice it starting to use oil that is one of the effects of not running a air cleaner.
