How to Change Air Filter in Your Toyota

They say that you should change your car's air filter every 30,000 miles. Some even say that you should change it every 24,000! That is a lot of money that you are going to have to pay out to the mechanics every time you need that changed. The good news is that if you own a Toyota, then it is easy to do yourself. In fact, if you choose to change your Toyota's air filter yourself, you can change it more often. This is good if you live around things like road construction that goes on a lot. No matter what kind of Toyota you have, whether it's a Yaris or a Highlander, you can bet that you will be able to change the air filter yourself!

Getting Started

Whenever you are about to start changing your air filter, it's a good idea to turn off your car, and let it cold down if you have been driving it. To do this, park your car and pop your hood. This will allow the car to cool down a lot faster. Now, after you do that, you need to locate your air filter housing, and remove the cap. Depending on the type of Toyota you have, the housing could be located in different spots. Check your owner's manual if you find yourself having problems. After locating the housing, you are going to notice that the top of it is held in place with a metal clamp. This can be easily removed if you pry it off with a flat head screwdriver. If yours is held on by a screw, you, of course, want to unscrew it before trying to pry it off.

After getting it open, it will be time to remove the old air filter and discard it. This is something that you can do without having to do any kind of special discarding rules. After you take out the old filter, you may notice things like dirt and debris caught up in the filter housing. It is a good idea to clean this kind of stuff out. Of course, you cannot allow any kind of debris to enter into your throttle, nor can you allow it to get into your carburetor. After all, that is why the filter is there in the first place. After cleaning it, you will be able to install the new air filter into the filter housing in the same spot you took the old one out of. At this point, you are going to simply want to go back in reverse of what you did. You are going to want to close back up the housing, put the clamp back on, and put the screw back in it if there was one holding it in place.

Your New Car Filter

After that, you are done. It's a good idea to start up your car and make sure that everything sounds normal. Make sure that you return all screws to the right location and so on. The overall problem that a lot of people have doing this is that they allow dirt to get into the engine. This can cause very bad damage to your whole car. In fact, this can ruin your car. Thus, above all else, you have to make sure that you do not allow anything to get into your engine. Clean the area behind the filter good. As soon as the car is turned on, it is going to start sucking in air from that area. That means that if there is anything in the way, it is going to get sucked in there. That is why the air filter is a very vital part to your car. Overall, this is a very easy thing to do, and most people can do this even if they are not good at working on cars. Just make sure that if you are the one changing the filter, you are changing it every 30,000 miles or so.

Mantius Cazaubon is a successful author and publisher of Toyota Parts Buyers Guide. A resource which includes information on Toyota Car Parts and Do It Yourself Auto Repair.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mantius_Cazaubon

The Benefit of a Tune-Up

Many drivers are not informed about the necessary and preventative care that should come with vehicle ownership. Did you know that a regular tune up helps to prevent the vehicle from rusting, increase gas mileage and keep your family safe? Regardless of how busy your life gets, it is crucial that we maintain good technique when taking care of our vehicles. For this reason, it is crucial that we develop good habits like regular oil changes and regular tune-ups for our vehicles.

How often should you get a tune up? Most vehicle experts recommend that a tune up be completed at least once a year. Of course, other times when the vehicle is given attention can shed light on problems, such as, when the vehicle is in for an oil change every 5,000 kilometers but a tune-up gives the vehicle mechanic a chance to examine the engine, the overall working of the vehicle, and, flush any fluids that are required to make the vehicle ride smooth and like new.

What exactly does a tune up cover when you take your vehicle into the shop? What does the mechanic look for? When you take your vehicle into the mechanic, he or she will have a look at the following aspects:

1. Fluids. When you take your vehicle into the mechanic for a tune up it is a chance to flush any fluids from the vehicle that are old and require changing. Did you know that old fluids become harmful to your vehicle and can cause the vehicle to run poorly? Many fluids in the vehicle run through the entire engine, isn't it time that we made sure that these fluids were safe? Changing these fluids will mean that the engine will run at full capacity, increasing fuel mileage and reducing emissions.

2. Battery. The mechanic will test the battery within the vehicle to ensure that it is running, and charging properly. Many vehicle experts take the time to examine the outside of the battery and clean the terminals in which the battery attaches to the vehicle. Cleaning and checking the battery can assist in creating a longer lifetime. If a new battery is required, this can be determined with proper testing. Most batteries are relatively cheap and can be easily changed at home, without the use of a mechanic. Having a battery that no longer holds its charge could mean becoming stranded on that cold winter day.

3. Wheels are an important part of the vehicle. Did you know that tires are an essential part of vehicle safety and the running of the vehicle? Tires range in price from low to high, depending on the type chosen for the vehicle.

4. Brakes are examined during routine vehicle tune-ups, as this component stops the vehicle from moving it is essential that they are in working order. Replacing parts of or the entire system is completed on an annual basis to ensure that the brakes are in good working order.

Now you are aware of all of the components which are checked when bringing the vehicle in for a tune up. Often, a report will be given about the state of the vehicle and what has been checked. Follow up on any concerns with the mechanic and ensure that a good check up of the vehicle has been completed.

Florida Auto Transport Transport New York Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brenda_Williams

More Insights About More Miles Per Gallon - Make Your Fuel Dollar Go Farther

Simple is often the best approach, and that includes when it comes time to stretch your fuel dollars. Here are simple and effective ways to increase the number of miles per gallon you get from your vehicle - no matter what kind of vehicle you drive. Practice these and others to improve your fuel economy in a meaningful way.

• Reduce sail and drag - stuff piled on and hanging off of your vehicle creates more wind resistance and you pay for it with fewer miles per gallon. Leave the stuff at home unless you need it. That includes the ski rack too.
• Travel in warmer weather - most of the time we don't have a choice, but you should know that cooler temperatures have a large adverse effect on fuel economy. If you normally get 38 miles per gallon in warm weather, expect something more like 33 when it's cold outside.
• Accelerate gradually - to get improved fuel economy. Fewer miles per gallon is the price you'll pay for the pleasure of quickly moving from one speed to another. Go easy on the gas pedal and you'll go easy on your wallet too.
• Drive out in front of your bumper - so you can anticipate the need to slow down, speed up, change lanes and so forth. No only is it safer, but you'll be better prepared to maintain fuel efficient driving techniques even when road and traffic conditions change.

Use these four practical ideas to get more miles per gallon. They can help you enhance the transportation value that you receive from a gallon of fuel.

Clair Schwan is an expert in frugal living, and has 38 ways to save gas, get better gas mileage and purchase cheaper fuel. See his gas saving ideas and more frugal living tips at http://www.frugal-living-freedom.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clair_Schwan

WHAT IS AN OIL FILTER?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An oil filter is a device used to decontaminate oil that contains suspended impurities. A major application is in forming part of the lubrication system of engines in which filters are typically detachable units due to the need for regular service or replacement. The filtration of oil in engines is essential for enhancing longevity and performance.

History in automobiles
Early automobile engines did not use any form of oil filtration. For this reason, along with the generally low standard of lubricating-oil refinement in the era, very frequent oil changes, of the order of every 500–1000 miles (800–1600 km) were often specified. The first oil filters were simple, generally consisting of a screen placed at the oil pump intake.
In 1923, Ernest Sweetland invented the original Purolator which is considered to be the first modern oil filter,[1] featuring a more elaborate design as well as placement between the pump and the lubrication galleries of the engine. Although oil filter technology progressed over the years, as much as 90% of the oil bypassed the filter. The first 'full-flow' oil filter, introduced in 1943, was able to filter all of the oil emerging from the pump.
In 1954, WIX created the easily detachable 'spin-on' filter design which subsequently became a standard design.[2] This type of filter is now used almost exclusively in modern passenger cars and in recent years, has gained use in heavy-duty vehicles. Oil quality and filtering capabilities have now advanced so far that some manufacturers such as Mobil sell engine oils and filters that claim to have up to a 15,000 mile change interval.

Types of oil filter

Mechanical
Mechanical designs employ a filtration element made up of layers of media, such as paper, to arrest various types of suspended contaminants. As material builds up on the filtration media, the efficiency of the filter is reduced and oil-flow is restricted. This requires the periodic replacement, or cleaning, of the filter or its media.
Bypass filters only act upon a portion of the engine oil flow, typically less than 10%, whereas those that filter the whole stream are known as full-flow filters. In some engine designs, a primary full-flow filter is accompanied by a secondary bypass filter, with the latter filtering particles too small for the primary. This dual-filter design can increase the time between subsequent servicing of the lubrication system.[3]
Many full-flow mechanical filters incorporate an integrated pressure relief valve to allow a bypass mode. If the filtration element becomes completely clogged, this valve allows oil to bypass the filter, protecting the engine from oil starvation. The valve may also open in very cold conditions if a high viscosity oil is used.
There are two main designs for road-vehicle engines:
Cartridge filters have a housing that is bolted to the engine and a removable cartridge contains the filtration element. The advantage of only having to remove the filtration element is that the seal between the engine block and filter is not disturbed.
Spin-on filters attach directly to the side of the engine block by a threaded fitting. The main advantage is that used filters are easily removed and the whole filter is usually disposed of, but care must be taken not to over-tighten the new filter.
Cartridge filters are seen in several European and Asian car designs, whereas North American engine manufacturers generally favor the spin-on filter. Current examples of engine manufacturers that use cartridge filters include Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volvo, Toyota (V6), Volkswagen, and Hyundai (V6). Ford's North American-market diesel V8 uses cartridge filters also. GM switched to using spin-on filters exclusively in 1960 for the North American market. However, GM has moved some of its engine designs such as the Ecotec family of 4 cylinder engines back to the cartridge type. Ease of recycling, minimization of waste, [4]and reduction in trapped motor oil inside a disposed filter are often given as the reason for companies reverting to cartridge designs instead of spin-on filters.
Many vehicle manufacturers recommend replacing the filter each and every time the oil is changed while others such as Honda generally recommend changing the oil filter every other oil change.

Magnetic
These use a permanent magnet, or an electromagnet, to capture particles, however only ferromagnetic contaminants can be filtered by this method. An advantage of magnetic filtration is that maintaining the filter simply requires one to wipe the magnet clean.[5] High-performance engines and jet engines often have one or many 'mag plugs' which insert into the oil lines, however these are not specifically filters, but are inspected to test the wear of the engine.

Sedimentation
A sedimentation, or gravity bed, filter allows the heavier-than-oil contaminants to sink to the bottom of a container under the influence of gravity, filtering the oil in the process.

Centrifugal Oil Filter
The operation of this filter is a simple process that uses the oil pressure from the main oil pump. Pressurized oil enters the centre of the filter housing and passes into a "drum rotor". The drum rotor is free to turn about, as it rests on a bearing and seal assembly. The rotor also has two jet nozzles that are arranged to direct a stream of the pressurised oil at the inner housing in a manner that will make the drum rotate. The stream of oil will then slide to the bottom of the housing wall and in the process leave small particles struck to the inner walls. This particle build-up will eventually need to be cleaned. If left too long the particle thickness will be enough to stop the rotation of the drum thus forcing un-filtered oil to be re-circulated. Under usual circumstances, the clean oil will collect in the base of the filter lubricating the bearing, before draining to a convenient location for general lubrication of the engine. When maintaining this filter the engine must be switched off and a period of time allowed (see manufacturer's instructions) to make sure that the rotor is stationary before dismantling. After disassembly, the particles are cleaned off and the whole unit reassembled using a little clean engine oil to pre-lubricate the unit if necessary.

Sidestream/kidney loop/offline filters
Sidestream/kidney loop/offline filters, works with maintenance of the oil/fluid with an oil filter with pressure either from an external pump or from the system pressure and return to the oil reservoir. Side stream filter are available in particle removal range from 0.1 to 25 microns. Inline / fullflow oilfilters can not filtrate this fine due to the high flow though the oilfilter. Full flow filter are desigend to guard system components from emidiate or catastrophic failure while a side stream filter works like a kidney on a machine, cleaning up leftovers in the machines "blood", the oil or hydraulic fluid. It is wise to have both full- and side stream oilfilters installed to maintain maximum protection of the macine and lubricant properties. "Sidestream filter" may also be called "offline filter", "Kidney loop filter", "Bypass filtration". The "offline filter" term describes a situation where the filter is driven by the existing system pressure creating a differential pressure over the filter media, with a return to a lower pressure or to the oil tank or reservoir. The "Sidestream filter" or "Kidney loop filtration" term or description is a totally independent filter unit with its own pump, filtrating from the oilreservoir, with return to the oilreservoir. The Sidestream/kidney loop/offline filters can and are made of many different materials depending of the tasks to perform. The Sidestream/kidney loop/offline may still be divided into 2 main categories that acctually describe the fluid direction through the filter. The main categories are Radial- or Axial- filtration. In general about all filtration, high filtration speed yields poor filtration and vice vercus, low filtration speed yields at least better filtration. To maintain t.e.x. a lubricant property during use it is nesseceary to remove the catalytic material in the lubricant such as water, metals, oil resedue, varnish. This is possible with some few filter- and electrostatic cleaners systems in the market.

Uses

A chief use of the oil filter is in the reciprocating engine, typically found in automobiles and light aircraft and various naval vessels. Vehicles may have automatic transmission or demanding gearboxes that benefit from an oil filter. Additionally turbine engines, such as those on jet aircraft, require the use of oil filters. A multitude of industrial applications, such as mining equipment, generators, metalworking machinery, make use of oil filtration in some form. Of course the oil-production, oil-transmission and oil-recycling industries themselves employ filters.
Power generating stations use upwards of 40,000 gallons of turbine lube oil to lubricate large bearings. Hydraulic lines are used in industry for many purposes. All of this oil needs to be filtered and the level of filtration is much more stringent than that of standard automobile filtration. Industrial applications do not "change their oil" frequently as changing tens of thousands of gallons of oil at $10 a gallon quickly adds up. This is why much higher quality filters are usually used. Subsequently the cost for an industrial grade oil filter can be anywhere from $50 to $1000 (depending on size). You can not purchase an industrial grade filter and expect it to fit on your car, as these filters are sometimes 6" in diameter and upwards of 60" long. Nor would you want to, as in automobile filtration problems often result from the additives package breaking down, more so than particle contamination. Major players in industrial oil filtration are Pall, Donaldson, Parker, Kaydon, HYDAC and Vickers. The industrial oil filtration market is full of retrofitted or will-fit filter elements. Every major manufacturer has a filter element that will fit in another manufacturers housing. Some manufacturers specialize in only retro-fitting other manufacturers filters elements, usually for 1/4 to 1/2 the cost.

Manufacturers
Major brands of automotive oil filters available in the U.S. include FRAM (a Honeywell brand), WIX (an Affinia Group brand), Purolator (a joint venture of MANN+HUMMEL and Bosch), AC Delco (a General Motors brand) and Motorcraft (a Ford Motor Company brand). Some brands, such as Ford's Motorcraft and GM's AC-Delco, are manufactured by other companies (i.e. Purolator for Motorcraft) but are generally designed and quality tested by the brand selling them. Many of the brands manufacture filters for a wide variety of makes and models of vehicles. For instance, Motorcraft sells oil filters that fit GM, Chrysler, Honda, and Toyota vehicles, in addition to Fords. The manufacturer usually provides a list of what makes and models they supply filters for.
Denso is also a major global manufacturer of oil filters as are UFI FILTERS, MANN+HUMMEL, Mahle, Millard Filters and HYDAC who are well known for their industrial grade filters.

Comparisons
Some have argued that there is a major difference in quality of various oil filter brands, and some studies have proven it [1]. Generally speaking, those branded by automotive manufacturers (such as Motorcraft and AC Delco as listed above) usually meet higher standards without costing significantly more than cheaper-made (and poorer performing) brands such as FRAM or Pennzoil brand.
Many major auto parts stores (such as AutoZone, which sells the Valucraft brand and NAPA, which sells NAPA Select and NAPA Gold) offer their own brands of oil filters, but these are also made by other major oil filter makers.
Perhaps the largest original design manufacturer of filters in the U.S. is Champion Laboratories, which manufactures at least some of the SuperTech, AC Delco, Valucraft, and many other filters. STP (licensed from Clorox) and Champ are their own brands. Champion was also a major supplier to Bosch USA until Bosch bought an interest in the Purolator company.

See also
Air filter
Oil-filter wrench

References
^ AMSOIL - The History of Oil Filtration
^ WIX Filters : Oil Filters
^ Coming Clean with Filters
^ Oil filter retrofit kits introduced - Filtration - by Racor - Brief Article Diesel Progress North American Edition Find Articles at BNET.com
^ Oil analysis and lubrication learning cennter

Purolator filters

references from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An air filters remove solid particulates such as dust, pollen, mold, and bacteria from air. Air filters are used in applications where air quality is important, such as in internal combustion engines, gas compressors, diving air compressors, gas turbines and others. The air intakes of internal combustion engines and compressors tend to use either paper, foam, or cotton media.
Automotive cabin air filters
The cabin filters are a pleated-paper filter that is located in the outside-air intake for the vehicle's passenger compartment. Some filters are rectangular. Others are shaped to fit the available space of the vehicles' outside-air intake. This filter is often overlooked by owners. Clogged or dirty cabin air filters can reduce airflow from the cabin vents, as well as introduce allergens into the cabin air.
Internal combustion air filters
The air filter prevents abrasive like dirt from entering the engine's cylinders that would cause engine wear and oil contamination. Most fuel injected cars use a pleated paper filter that looks like a flat panel. This filter is placed inside a plastic box connected to the throttle body between the intake tube. Older vehicles use carburetors or throttle body fuel injection sometimes use a round air filter, usually a few inches high and between 6 and 16 inches round. It is usually located directly over the carburetor or throttle body and secured with a metal or plastic lid.
Paper
Pleated paper filters are the preferred choice for automobile engine air filters, because they are efficient, easy to service, and inexpensive. The "paper" , as the filter media are considerably different from other papers.
FoamOil-wetted
foam filters are used in some replacement air filters. Foam was used in air cleaners on small engines and other power equipment, but cars paper filter media has since replaced oil-wetted foam filters. An oil-wetted foam filter can offer minimal airflow restriction or high dirt capture, which makes this type the choice in off-road vehicles and other motorsport that encounter high dust levels.
Cotton
Oiled cotton gauze is employed in a small number of aftermarket automotive air filters marketed as high-performance items. In the past, cotton gauze saw limited use in original-equipment automotive air filters.
Oil Bath
An oil bath air cleaner is a round base bowl containing a pool of oil, and a round insert which is filled with fibre, mesh, foam, or another coarse filter media. When the cleaner is assembled, the media-containing body of the insert sits a short distance above the surface of the oil pool. The rim of the insert overlaps the rim of the base bowl. This arrangement forms a labyrinthine path through which the air must travel in a series of U-turns: up through the gap between the rims of the insert and the base bowl, down through the gap between the outer wall of the insert and the inner wall of the base bowl, and up through the filter media in the body of the insert. This U-turn takes the air at high velocity across the surface of the oil pool. Larger and heavier dust and dirt particles in the air cannot make the turn due to their inertia, so they fall into the oil and settle to the bottom of the base bowl. Lighter and smaller particles are trapped by the filtration barrier in the insert, which is wetted by oil drops aspirated by normal airflow.Oil bath air cleaners were very widely used in automotive and small-engine applications until the widespread industry adoption of the paper filter in the early 1960s. Such cleaners are still used in off-road equipment where very high levels of dust are encountered, for oil bath air cleaners can sequester a great deal of dirt relative to their overall size, without loss of filtration efficacy or airflow. However, the liquid oil makes cleaning and servicing such air cleaners messy and inconvenient, they must be relatively large to avoid excessive restriction at high airflow rates, and they tend to increase exhaust emissions of unburned hydrocarbons due to oil aspiration when used on spark-ignition engines. For more information try using the following labels when surfing the web: purolator filters,purolator oil filter,purolator,purolator canada,purolator oil,purolator pure one,purolator products,purolator fuel filter,purolator pureone,purolator fuel pump,purolator auto,purolator automotive,purolator cabin air filter,purolator cabin filter,purolator auto air filters,purolator auto air filter,purolator auto parts,purolator automotive air filter,purolator pure one oil filter,purolator com,purolator filter,purolator air,purolator air filter