Maintenance procedure · Written to ASD-STE100 Issue 9 · Formatted to ANSI Z535

Replace an Engine Air Filter

Passenger cars and light trucks with a serviceable air cleaner housing — engine cold, wheels on the ground, and the part number read off the old filter instead of guessed
ApplicabilityPassenger cars and light trucks with an accessible engine air cleaner housing
Task time17 min to 1 hr 16 min editorial estimate, not a measurement
PersonnelOne
Revisionv1 · 2026-07-29
BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Before you begin. This procedure is general reference information, not professional advice. Equipment varies by manufacturer, model, and year. Always follow the documentation supplied with your equipment — where it differs from this page, follow the manufacturer. Verify that you have the tools, the working conditions, and the ability to do this task safely. If anything is unclear, if the equipment is damaged, or if the task exceeds your experience, stop and use a qualified professional. You are responsible for your own safety and for the outcome. This site accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or injury arising from the use of this information.

Specifications marked unverified could not be traced to a manufacturer source. Do not rely on them — obtain the value from your equipment documentation.

Summary

The engine air filter is a paper or fabric panel in a plastic box near the top of the engine, and on most cars it is held in by clips or a few screws. Swapping it is one of the few jobs on a car that needs no tools you do not already own, no lifting equipment, and no part of you underneath the vehicle. The work that matters is not the swapping. It is getting the right part, putting it in the same way round as the one you took out, and closing the box so that the seal is actually made.

What this page will not print is the part number for your car, the replacement interval for your car, or a torque for the cover fasteners. Those are per-vehicle and the only reliable places to get them are your own maintenance schedule and the frame of the filter you remove. There is also a live disagreement between manufacturers about whether a used element may be blown out with compressed air and refitted: Hyundai and Kia allow it, Nissan tells you the element should not be cleaned and reused. This page publishes both instructions and does not pick one for you.

Necessary equipment

ItemNote
New engine air filterThe new filter must be the part that the vehicle manufacturer specifies.
Screwdriver or nut driver optionalSome covers have screws. Other covers have only clips.
Damp clothNissan and Kia tell owners to clean the inside of the housing.
Flashlight optionalThe light in the engine compartment is often low.
Camera optionalA photograph of the used filter keeps a record of its position.
Vehicle documentationThe documentation gives the interval and the part for this engine.

Prepare the vehicle

Estimated 4 min to 41 min

NOTEDo this task only when the engine is cool.
Interval between engine air filter replacements
Unverified — do not rely on this value
CONSULT THE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE FOR THE VEHICLE

No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.

WARNING

STOP THE VEHICLE ON A LEVEL SURFACE AWAY FROM TRAFFIC.
Traffic can kill you.

  1. Stop the vehicle on a level surface away from traffic.
    <1m
  2. Set the parking brake.
    <1m
WARNING

SET THE IGNITION TO OFF BEFORE YOU OPEN THE HOOD.
The cooling fan can start with no warning. The fan can injure your hand.

  1. Set the ignition to off.
    • Remove the key, or put the electronic key away from the vehicle.
    <1m
WARNING

LET THE ENGINE BECOME COOL BEFORE YOU TOUCH A PART IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.
A hot part can burn your skin.

  1. If the engine is hot, wait until the engine is cool.
    • The best time for this task is before the first start of the day.
    • Ford tells owners that an open air cleaner and a running engine can cause a burn.
    1m
  2. Read the interval that the maintenance schedule for your vehicle gives.
    • Hyundai, Kia and Nissan all send the owner to this schedule for the interval.
    • The interval on the box of a new filter is not the interval for your vehicle.
    • Kia tells owners to replace the element more often in very dusty or sandy areas.
    2m

Find the air cleaner housing

Estimated 2 min to 7 min

  1. Pull the hood release inside the vehicle.
    • The release is usually below the instrument panel on the driver side.
    <1m
  2. Release the second latch below the front edge of the hood.
    <1m
  3. Lift the hood.
    <1m
  4. If the hood has a support rod, put the rod in its hole.
    <1m
  5. Find the air cleaner housing.
    • The housing is a large box of plastic. It is near the top of the engine.
    • A wide tube goes from the housing to the engine.
    • The vehicle documentation shows the position of the housing for your engine.
    1m

Open the cover

Estimated 2 min to 7 min

WARNING

DO NOT START THE ENGINE WHEN THE COVER IS OPEN.
Ford warns that this can cause a burn injury.

  1. Examine the fasteners on the cover of the housing.
    • Kia shows clips on the cover.
    • Ford shows screws on the cover.
    • Some vehicles have clips and screws together.
    <1m
  2. Release the clips on the cover.
    <1m
  3. If the cover has screws, loosen the screws with the correct driver.
    • Keep the screws in a container. A screw in the engine compartment is easy to lose.
    <1m
  4. Lift the cover.
    • A tube or a wire can hold the cover. Do not pull the cover against it.
    <1m

Remove the used filter

Estimated 4 min to 10 min

NOTERecord the position of the used filter before you remove it.
Engine air filter part number
Unverified — do not rely on this value
READ THE PART NUMBER FROM THE FRAME OF THE USED FILTER, THEN CONFIRM IT AGAINST THE VEHICLE DOCUMENTATION

No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.

Whether the used element may be cleaned and installed again
Unverified — do not rely on this value
CONSULT THE VEHICLE DOCUMENTATION. MANUFACTURERS DO NOT GIVE THE SAME INSTRUCTION.

No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.

Two tier-1 manufacturer manuals answer the same question in opposite directions, and this page publishes the disagreement rather than choosing between them. Hyundai's 2025 Tucson owner's manual states that the air cleaner filter can be cleaned for inspection using compressed air, and that it must not be washed or rinsed because water will damage it (hyundai-2025-tucson-air-cleaner-filter-replacement). Kia's owner's manual is more permissive still and instructs the owner to clean the filter by using compressed air, while also saying the filter must be replaced when necessary and should not be washed (kia-owners-manual-replacing-air-cleaner-filter). Nissan's 2024 Juke owner's manual states plainly that the viscous paper filter element should not be cleaned and reused (nissan-2024-juke-viscous-paper-air-cleaner-filter). Nissan draws the line by element type, and an owner cannot reliably tell a viscous paper element from a dry paper one by looking at it, so there is no safe general rule to publish here. Averaging these into 'you can usually blow it out' would put unfiltered air into an engine whose maker forbids exactly that. The documentation for the reader's own vehicle governs.
Position of the filter in the housing
Unverified — do not rely on this value
READ THE POSITION FROM THE USED FILTER AND FROM THE HOUSING BEFORE YOU REMOVE THE FILTER

No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.

  1. Examine the position of the used filter in the housing.
    • Find the face of the filter that is up.
    • Find where the seal of the filter touches the housing.
    • An engine air filter usually has no arrow. Its shape and the housing give the position.
    <1m
  2. Make a photograph of the used filter in the housing.
    • The photograph is your record of the correct position.
    <1m
NOTICE

PREVENT THE ENTRY OF DIRT INTO THE AIR INTAKE WHEN YOU REMOVE THE FILTER.
Hyundai and Kia say that dirt can cause damage.

  1. Remove the used filter from the housing.
    <1m
  2. Read the part number from the frame of the used filter.
    • Write the part number down before you discard the used filter.
    1m
  3. Clean the inside of the housing and the cover with a damp cloth.
    • Nissan tells owners to do this at each replacement.
    • Ford tells owners to remove the dirt to make a good seal.
    1m

Install the new filter

Estimated 2 min to 6 min

NOTICE

DO NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE WHEN THE FILTER IS OUT OF THE HOUSING.
Hyundai says that this increases the wear of the engine.

  1. Compare the new filter with the used filter.
    • The two filters must have the same shape, the same depth and the same seal.
    • If the two filters are different, stop. Get the correct part first.
    <1m
NOTICE

USE ONLY THE FILTER THAT THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER SPECIFIES.
Ford says that a different element can cause severe damage to the engine.

  1. Put the new filter into the housing in the position of the used filter.
    • Use your photograph to compare the two positions.
    <1m
NOTICE

PUT THE EDGE OF THE FILTER FULLY INTO THE HOUSING.
Ford says that a trapped edge lets dirt into the engine.

  1. Examine the edge of the filter around the full housing.
    • The edge must be below the line of the cover at all points.
    • Ford tells owners that a trapped edge can cause damage to the filter.
    <1m

Close the vehicle

Estimated 3 min to 6 min

Torque for the fasteners on the cover of the air cleaner housing
Unverified — do not rely on this value
CONSULT THE VEHICLE DOCUMENTATION

No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.

  1. Install the cover on the housing.
    <1m
  2. If the cover has clips, close the clips.
    • If the cover has screws, tighten the screws.
    • Do not apply high force to a screw in a cover of plastic.
    <1m
  3. Push the cover at each fastener to make sure that the cover holds.
    • Hyundai tells owners to make sure that the cover is tight.
    <1m
  4. Remove your hands, your tools and the cloth from the engine compartment.
    <1m
  5. Close the hood.
    <1m
  6. Record the date, the distance and the part number.
    • This record gives the interval for the next replacement.
    1m

Terminology

This page uses one term for each item and holds it throughout, as ASD-STE100 requires. Equipment sellers and other guides use the names below for the same parts.

engine air filter
Also called: air filter, car air filter, air cleaner element, engine air cleaner filter, motor air filter, intake filter
air cleaner housing
Also called: airbox, air box, filter box, the black plastic box on top of the engine, air cleaner assembly
cabin air filter
Also called: pollen filter, AC filter, the filter behind the glovebox, the other air filter
maintenance schedule
Also called: service schedule, service interval, when is my car due for a service, scheduled maintenance record
hood
Also called: bonnet, the front lid, engine cover

When to use a professional

Stop if you cannot find the air cleaner housing. Speak to a dealer for your make.

Stop if the new filter is not the same shape as the used filter. Do not force a filter into a housing.

Stop if the housing has a crack, or if the cover does not close. Speak to a vehicle repair shop.

Stop if the wide tube between the housing and the engine is loose, or if it has a crack. Speak to a vehicle repair shop.

Stop if the used filter has engine oil on it. This is a fault. Speak to a vehicle repair shop.

This page does not give a part number, an interval or a torque for your vehicle. Only the vehicle manufacturer gives these.

Common questions

How often should I change my engine air filter?

On the schedule that came with your own car, and on nothing else. Hyundai, Kia and Nissan all decline to print a universal figure in the replacement instructions themselves and send the owner to the maintenance schedule for the specific vehicle, which is a fair signal that no universal figure exists. Two other numbers will be quoted at you and neither one wins: the interval on the box of the replacement filter is written by a filter maker who does not know what you drive, and the interval a quick service counter quotes is a sales figure attached to a part they have in stock. Both can be right for some cars and wrong for yours. Kia adds the one adjustment that is genuinely general — if you drive in very dusty or sandy conditions, replace it more often than the usual recommendation. Your schedule sets the number; dust shortens it.

Does changing the air filter improve gas mileage?

Almost certainly not, and this is the claim most often used to sell you one. The joint Department of Energy and EPA guidance is specific: replacing a clogged air filter on a computer-controlled gasoline engine — which means essentially every car built from the early 1980s onward — or on a diesel does not improve gas mileage, though it can improve acceleration. The exception is genuinely old: on a vehicle with a carbureted engine, replacing a clogged filter can improve both mileage and acceleration by a few percent. That guidance is footnoted to three technical papers rather than asserted. So change the filter because the engine should breathe clean air and because your schedule says to, not because someone promised you cheaper journeys.

Can I just blow the filter out with compressed air and put it back?

That depends on who built your car, and the manufacturers genuinely disagree. Hyundai's manual says the filter can be cleaned for inspection with compressed air, and Kia's goes further and tells you to clean the filter using compressed air. Nissan's manual says the viscous paper element should not be cleaned and reused, full stop. Nissan draws the line by element type, and you cannot reliably tell a viscous paper element from a dry paper one by looking at it. Both camps agree on one thing: never wash or rinse the filter, because water wrecks it. Read your own manual before you reach for an air line.

Which way round does the engine air filter go in?

The same way round the old one came out, and that is why the first thing this page asks you to do is look before you pull. Unlike a cabin filter, an engine air filter usually carries no airflow arrow — the orientation is set by the shape of the panel and the moulding of the box, so it is obvious once you have seen the old one seated and easy to get wrong once it is in the bin. Photograph it in place. If the filter is a rectangle with a rubber lip, note which face the lip is on and which way the pleats run. Fitted upside down, the lip will not seal and dirty air walks straight past the media into the engine.

What air filter does my car take?

Read the part number off the frame of the one you take out, then confirm it against your own documentation before you buy. This page will not print a number, because the correct element is a property of your specific engine and not of the model name on the back of the car. Manufacturers are unusually direct about the consequences here: Ford's manual warns that failing to use the correct element may result in severe engine damage and may void your warranty for that damage, and Kia warns that a non-genuine part could damage the sensor that measures incoming air. A parts-counter lookup that asks only for the year and model can miss an engine option. If the new one does not match the old one in shape, depth and seal, it is the wrong part.

Do I need any tools?

Often none at all. Kia's own instructions describe a cover held by clips that you simply unclip and lift, and many cars are built this way. Ford's are the other common pattern: a few retaining screws around the cover that need a screwdriver or a nut driver. Look at your cover before you buy anything. You do not need to raise the car, remove a wheel, or get underneath it — if a set of instructions is telling you to do any of that for an engine air filter, you are reading instructions for a different job.

The quick service place says mine is filthy and needs doing now. Should I believe them?

Maybe — a filter held up to the light really can be visibly clogged, and that is a legitimate observation. What is not legitimate is the reasoning usually attached to it. If they tell you a new filter will improve your mileage, the DOE and EPA guidance says otherwise for any car built since roughly 1980. The honest test is your own maintenance schedule and your own eyes: pull the filter yourself, look at it, and compare where you are against the interval your car actually specifies. A visibly dirty filter that is due is worth changing, and it is a ten-minute job you can do in a car park.

Is this the same as the cabin air filter?

No, and the two get confused constantly. The engine air filter cleans the air the engine draws in, and it lives in a plastic box in the engine compartment. The cabin air filter cleans the air you breathe inside the car, and it usually lives behind the glovebox or under the dashboard. They are different parts with different part numbers and usually different intervals, and changing one does nothing for the other. If your complaint is a musty smell from the vents or weak airflow from the fan, the cabin filter is the one you want.

Sources

Every specification on this page is traced to one of these sources. Tier 1 is a manufacturer document, a published standard, or a government safety authority. See Standards for the full tiering rule.

  1. Tier 1Air Cleaner Filter replacement — 2025 Hyundai Tucson Owner's ManualHyundai Motor America · accessed 2026-07-29 · re-verification due 2027-01-25
  2. Tier 1Replacing air cleaner filter — Kia Owner's Manual, MaintenanceKia America · accessed 2026-07-29 · re-verification due 2027-01-25
  3. Tier 1Viscous Paper Type Air Cleaner Filter — 2024 Nissan Juke Owner's ManualNissan Motor (GB) Ltd · accessed 2026-07-29 · re-verification due 2027-01-25
  4. Tier 1Maintenance — Changing the Engine Air Filter, 2016 Ford Fiesta Owner's ManualFord Motor Company · accessed 2026-07-29 · re-verification due 2027-01-25
  5. Tier 1Gas Mileage Tips — Keeping Your Vehicle in ShapeU.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (site administered by Oak Ridge National Laboratory) · accessed 2026-07-29 · re-verification due 2027-01-25

Revision history

Current version 1 · updated 2026-07-29 · next review due 2027-07-29

  1. v1 · 2026-07-29First draft. Every per-vehicle value publishes as an instruction rather than a number: the part number, the replacement interval, the cover fastener torque and the filter's position in the housing. The procedure rests on four manufacturer owner's manuals (Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Ford). Hyundai and Kia permit cleaning the used element with compressed air and Nissan forbids cleaning and reusing it, so that disagreement publishes as a conflict_note naming all three rather than being reconciled. The mileage claim commonly attached to this job is corrected against joint DOE and EPA guidance. Scope is deliberately held to wheels on the ground and a cool engine; nothing in the record raises the vehicle or works on it while it runs.

Corrections to this page are listed in the public corrections log. Reports that are credible and not yet verified are listed in the public errata register, and an open one renders above the step it concerns.

Comments and corrections

Found an error? A correction with a manufacturer source is applied and logged publicly. You can also write to corrections@fixchecklist.com.

Every step above carries its own report control, which tags the report with that step so a correction reaches the right place. For anything about the procedure as a whole — the order of the sections, a step that is missing, something that did not match your equipment — use this: report something about this whole procedure.

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