How to Identify a Bad Air Filter in Your Car in Dallas

Posted on | 18 May 2019 By Anita Gaal

There can be times when owning a car can be a bit overwhelming. With a whole host of parts to keep tabs on, knowing when your vehicle is signaling an issue to you can be difficult to identify. This is partly the reason why regularly scheduled maintenance by a mechanic is important, as they have the necessary qualifications to identify thousands of potential issues a vehicle can face.

However, vehicle trouble rarely waits for scheduled maintenance checks, and as a driver it is essential to know some of the more major signs of a part failure with your vehicle. With that in mind, in this article we’ll be taking a closer look at your car’s air filter, exploring the signs and signals of a subpar performance.

What Does the Air Filter Do?

To successfully run, your engine requires both fuel and a steady air flow. However, as it passes through the car, the air supplied to the engine can often become laced with contaminants that could clog up or damage the engine if not intercepted. This interception is achieved via the car’s air filter, which traps undesirable particles, allowing only clean air to pass through to the engine.

What Will Happen if I Don’t Change a Faulty Air Filter?

If your air filter is no longer working because it is either too dirty or too clogged, then it will effectively block the correct amount of air from entering the engine. This will cause the ratio of air to fuel to misalign, and will result in a hard drive, as well as loss of power, and sometimes the illumination of the ‘check engine’ light. If kept this way long term, your engine could become severely and irrevocably damaged.

Signs of an Air Filter That Needs Replacing

There are many signs which may indicate your air filter is in need of replacement, and below are listed the most common. Even without any of these signs however, an air filter should be changed out every 15,000 to 30,000 miles, and maybe more frequently if you regularly drive on dirt roads or dusty roads. On the flipside, if you use your car more infrequently, you should replace your filter every 3 years, as with reduced use and time, it will become brittle.

1. Visual Dirt Build Up

When performing your regular under the hood maintenance, check the air filter under adequate light. If you can visibly see dust or dirt build up, then it may be time to seek a replacement.

2. Poor Miles per Gallon

If you notice your car displays a marked reduction in fuel economy, your air filter could be at fault. This is because when the level of oxygen in the engine is low, the car’s onboard computer will try to compensate by sending more fuel to the engine for it to burn through.

3. Low Horsepower

When an air filter is underperforming, it is common to notice a reduction in acceleration speed, or horsepower. This is because the amount of horsepower your car can achieve is a direct reflection upon the wellbeing of your engine. If your engine is underperforming due to oxygen deprivation, then so will your horsepower.

4. Check Engine Light is Illuminated

There are a whole host of reasons as to why your car’s onboard diagnostic system (OBD) will illuminate the check engine light. One of the main causes for this is poor engine performance caused by impurities having entered the engine through a faulty or worn out filter. If this is the cause of your light coming on, then you should respond to this issue immediately to prevent any more grime from clogging and potentially damaging your engine.

Seeking Diagnosis or Repair

There’s no need to worry if when you pop the hood you’re at a loss as to how to fix your air filter, as any qualified mechanic will be able to correctly diagnose your issue and remedy it for you. If you think your air filter may be at the root of your problems, and you live in the Dallas, Garland, Arlington, Fort Worth, or other surrounding areas of Texas, then there’s no better place to go than Euro Automotive. With over 70 years of experience, and a team of dedicated staff, you’re sure to be satisfied by the high maintenance and repair standards offered by Euro Automotive.

Fixing Your Mercedes’ Engine Stumbles in Dallas

Posted on | 1 May 2019 By Anita Gaal

When you’re driving in your Mercedes, there are a few things that you take for granted. First and foremost among those are likely that when you press on the gas pedal, the car will accelerate, and when you hit the brakes, it will slow and stop. However, there are some engine issues that can make acceleration a bit less reliable.

When your car doesn’t respond the way you expect it to on the road, it’s not only frustrating, it can also be dangerous. That makes it especially important to figure out what’s causing the problem and get it fixed as soon as possible. Below are a few possibilities for what could be causing your Mercedes’s engine to stumble as you’re accelerating.

Clogged Air or Fuel Filter

In order for your vehicle to have the power it needs to move when you tell it to, it requires a mix of air and fuel. If either part of that equation is lacking, you’re going to experience some problems. Air and fuel filters are important, as they keep impurities out of the combustion system, but if they become clogged, they can keep the vehicle from accelerating properly.

Sensor Problems

Inside the engine of your Mercedes is a whole host of sensors that help keep the engine operating the way it should. They monitor everything from temperature to air flow to exhaust levels. Some of these sensors can cause engine stumbles if they begin to malfunction. Some of the sensors you may want to check if your engine is stumbling include:

• Mass Airflow Sensor: The MAF sensor is what monitors how much air is coming into the engine, ensuring that the proper amount of fuel can be provided to combine with it for combustion.
• EGR Valve Position Sensor: This sensor monitors how much of the exhaust fumes are being sent back into the engine to be burnt as fuel. It can occasionally become caked with carbon deposits, causing faulty readings that lead to the engine stumbling.
• Throttle Position Sensor: This sensor’s job is simple: relay to the engine how much you’re pressing on the gas. Obviously if it begins to fail, accelerating will become more difficult.
• O2 Sensor: This sensor monitors how much oxygen is left in the exhaust after the fuel has been burnt, helping the engine adjust the fuel-to-air ratio to be most efficient. Problems with this sensor can lead to erroneous adjustments in the fuel consumption, causing stumbling.

Catalytic Converter

This part is very important for not only your car, but for the environment. The catalytic converter ensures that the exhaust coming out of your vehicle is converted into harmless byproducts, rather than dangerous fumes that can harm the environment. However, it can sometimes become clogged or otherwise damaged, causing your engine to stumble as you attempt to accelerate.

Fuel Injectors

As you might surmise from the part’s name, these pieces spray fuel into the cylinder where combustion occurs. If any of their tiny nozzles become clogged, your engine won’t get the amount of fuel it needs to operate at peak capacity.

Coil Pack

Newer vehicles make use of coil packs on their spark plugs, and the failure of one or more of these packs can cause your engine to stumble as you attempt to accelerate. These can fail due to how long they’ve been in use, mechanical damage, or damage due to poor fuel quality.

Finding the Problem

With so many possibilities, it can be difficult to narrow down where the problem is when your Mercedes begins experiencing engine stumbles. However, it is important to find the problem and take care of it as soon as possible, as many of these problems can compound, causing a domino-like effect in your engine as it begins affecting other parts. Some can even fail to the point of your engine stalling completely or refusing to start.

Thankfully, if you live in the Dallas area, Euro Automotive is here to help. Serving the areas of Dallas, Garland, Arlington, and Fort Worth, TX, our skilled mechanics are well-versed in the Mercedes, so we’ll be able to find the problem quickly and get you back out on the road in no time. Call or stop by today to get started!