Does my Hummer need an air filter?

[Ken Bowers]

I have a 2003 orange Hummer H2 with 104,000 miles.

My question is whether it really needs an air filter.

My father always threw his air filter away and drove without it. He claimed cars don't need air filters. The dust in the air ends up in the oil, which you replace anyway when it gets dark. You get better gas milage without an air filter. (says he)

I have never dared to follow his advice. Anyone have any input here?

[LoJac963]

I sincerely hope you're not being serious lol. Yes every vehicle needs an air filter. Same reason why the human body has mucous membranes, hair that lines the respiratory tract, etc.

[jsbihn]

Ken,
Lets put it this way...
Air filters are designed to keep as much of the outside particles out of your engine. So it filters down the amount that it can let through.
If particles get into the engine they can lodge themselves in various places and cause wear and tear. It shouldnt be the oil's job to filter the particles... since if you get enough particles trapped in the oil it could cause clogging, cylinder scarring, crank wear and so on. Not to mention it also breaks down the oil faster too. If your father believes in throwing the air filter away, then does he also do without an oil filter?
Basically, your father is making the taste of keeping the engine clean harder on the oil filter.

Remember that a car is like a body, and the oil is the life blood of your car. You have multiple filters in your body, but if one of them shuts down you would have all kinds of junk in your blood and feel horrible.... same with the engine

Anyways, to simply answer your question
Are they necessary... No
Should you have one... Yes.

[jsbihn]

Originally Posted by LoJac963

Yes every vehicle needs an air filter. Same reason why the human body has mucous membranes, hair that lines the respiratory tract, etc.

Originally Posted by jsbihn

Remember that a car is like a body, and the oil is the life blood of your car. You have multiple filters in your body, but if one of them shuts down you would have all kinds of junk in your blood and feel horrible.... same with the engine

Leave it to the medical professionals to compare it to the human body

[Ken Bowers]

My father (deceased) drove his cars for decades without air filters with no discernable ill effect.

I never knew him to remove the oil filter; probably because doing so would let all the oil drain out!

[jsbihn]

Ken,
I hope you didnt take offense to what I said.
It wasnt meant that way.

All I was pointing out is it is not the best for the vehicle.
Take it from someone who 1) builds high performance vehicles, 2) understands what can easily happy to a motor if something foreign gets in there, and 3) understands how easily things can get in the engine.

Air filters came from necessity not just because....
The first engines didnt have filters, but over time it was come to realize that they needed them.

This is the same for the oil filter.... and why I made that comment.

Yes you can gain power from the lack of a filter because there is nothing there to impede air flow, but without it there is nothing to stop what is coming in with the air. Dust, carbon, water, etc.... Doesnt take much for a engine to vapor lock if you get water in the intake.

In short, as I said before, does it need it.... no..... should you have one..... yes.
Anyways just trying to help

[H2Miami]

What car you da use to drive , most old cars (1950-1985) could live without an air filter , also without an oil change .. I know this cause long ago I drove old cars in my country where no oil or filters were available including a Rambler 59 which never in 3 years need a filter or oil change .
Of course those cars were Carburetor , no fuel inj , no sensors and engine was built as a tank

[LoJac963]

Originally Posted by jsbihn

Leave it to the medical professionals to compare it to the human body

LOL classic!

[jsbihn]

Originally Posted by H2Miami

What car you da use to drive , most old cars (1950-1985) could live without an air filter , also without an oil change .. I know this cause long ago I drove old cars in my country where no oil or filters were available including a Rambler 59 which never in 3 years need a filter or oil change .
Of course those cars were Carburetor , no fuel inj , no sensors and engine was built as a tank

Umm H2Miami,
No offense but it has nothing to do with older cars.
Any car out there can "live" without an air filter.... like it was said though, if there isnt one you run the risk of sucking in the dust, dirt, and other external crap that could cause harm to the engine. Even in the 50s cars came stock with air and oil filters, and they were meant to be changed. Remember that since the 50s the technology has gotten better not worse... which is why air and oil filters now last longer, but they still need to be changed.
The fact that you drove them without changing the oil or the air filter just means that poor engine must have been a wreck. You might not have known it, but if you would have torn it down, I guarantee there would have been so much sludge in there (and if you arent familar... imagine yourself walking through a deepy muddy boggy marsh, with your legs getting stuck and how slow you would be walking and the amount of work it would take for you to get through it..... same concept for a engine with sludge).
I have seen cars run for long periods of time on the oil in the engine (Ie. like you drove yours for 3 years without an oil change) but when the oil was drained it was so thick it was unreal. I have also seen engine run for long periods of time without oil too. Doesnt mean a you should run the engine without oil. And when those engines were opened up they were horrible... usually junk. The internals were shot with shavings of metal everywhere, the sludge build up, and the way everything has been worn and grooved. Basically the engine was usually only good for a full rebuild and milling (or in most cases it was just easier to junk it and buy a new crate engine)

There are reasons for filters and for the oil changes we do.
Do you want to see your rig run to about 100k or do you want to see your rig run to 300k.
I dont know if you remember the old commercial that stated "Take care of your engine, and it will take cre of you"... Personally I would rather do everything I can to make sure I am not stuck on the side of the road.

So will a car continue to run if you ignore all these? Sure.
Is it right? No. Will it shorten the engine life? Yes

I say spend the few bucks now, so you dont spend thousands later

[Ken Bowers]

I would not dream of failing to do oil changes. I believe oil becomes acid with age, and this hardens rubber valve stem seals so they do not seal anymore. The dust in the oil is not really a problem because the oil is changed occasionally and the oil filter also helps.

The question is the need for an air filter.

[jsbihn]

The answer is (as stated before) is No
You dont need one, it will not prevent the engine from doing its job.
But you should have it, this way the engine can do its job well.

[H2Miami]

@jsbihn ... NOP I wasnt trying to say the oil and filter change is unnecessary ..
If we drove the cars without it was cause there were no way to get oil or a filter for an old car in my country .
However yes old american engines were built much stronger than new ones , weight , pollution , size , fuel economy wasn't an issue , no need for those many sensors , computer etc .. well to the point>

@Ken Bowers Why would you run a 20k truck without a filter , if you damage the engine this would cost 20 times whatever you save in Gas plus lots of headaches

Easy equation :

With filter : 250 miles a week .... @ 10 MPG burns 25 GL @3.5 x Gl = $87.50
Without filter you save maybe at much 2 MPG = $58.33 saving a month

Any engine easy repair $1000 ... You burn 17 months of savings ...

Yes you may run it without the filter but make sure to save the money for the engine later ... Or you may just get lucky and run it for 20 years without problems

[PaHumBug]

This thread is ridiculous.

[LoJac963]

Originally Posted by PaHumBug

This thread is ridiculous.

Agreed, for someone to think they can run without an air filter boggles my mind....and we're still trying to convince them lol

[jsbihn]

Originally Posted by LoJac963

Agreed, for someone to think they can run without an air filter boggles my mind....and we're still trying to convince them lol

I think you mean "Bottles your mind"

- Blades of Glory reference

[hmer]

Originally Posted by H2Miami

What car you da use to drive , most old cars (1950-1985) could live without an air filter , also without an oil change .. I know this cause long ago I drove old cars in my country where no oil or filters were available including a Rambler 59 which never in 3 years need a filter or oil change .
Of course those cars were Carburetor , no fuel inj , no sensors and engine was built as a tank

my father used to drive a LADA among other cars that never saw an oil chance for years its amazing how long older cars last in cuba without oil changes and the like .....

[jsbihn]

In response to those who mentioned the older cars lasting longer under extensive stress... let me say this

1) There is no baseline you are comparing against. I am sure you didnt have one car with a filter and one without, and then waited to see which one has issues first.

2) Again I mention that it isnt so much that the lack of an air filter will destroy an engine, it will just allow alot more garbage into the engine which will decrease performance and life

and lastly
3) You are comparing older technology with new, and you cant really do that. You are talking about iron blocks versus aluminum, aluminum components versus steel, etc.... Yeah your dad's vehicle might have been able to take more, but it also worked harder to produce less. Todays engines are able to work easier and produce more.

Given, I understand that if you dont have the money or the supplies, that you have to make do sometimes... but I definitely wouldnt want to buy a car that was treated like that nor would I be the owner treating mine like that.

Just saying...

[hmer]

JSB i understand what you are saying i was just making a coment and not comparing with newer vehicles at all

[H2Miami]

[quote=hmer]my father used to drive a LADA among other cars that never saw an oil chance for years its amazing how long older cars last in cuba without oil changes and the like

Now you know what I'm talking about. .. Good to see another Cuban here...
Btw I agree the this thread is ridiculous ... convincing someone to run a air filter .. wow I felt dumb .. No offense

[KTM640Dakar]

You will scar the cylinder walls of your pistons with out an air filter. Eventually the scored cylinder walls will allow oil to seep past the oil rings of the cylinders and your motor will use oil and smoke then seize up.

Sorry but your Dad was not very smart. The poor guy who bought your Dads car next was even less smart.