3 Reasons to Clean Your ATV's Air Filter 

If you own an ATV, you already know that you should change the air filter on your machine as part of its maintenance. However, sometimes foam and fabric air filters don't need to be replaced, just cleaned. 

Because of the conditions you subject your ATV's engine to with each ride, you should clean your ATV's reusable air filter regularly. Here are 3 good reasons why you should keep your quad's air filter cleaned and oiled. 

Reason #1: More Horsepower

Fresh air can't pass easily through a clogged air filter, and less air entering an ATV's engine means less horsepower. You paid good money for your ATV, so you deserve to get all the HP it's capable of producing. Make sure your ATV's air filter is clean so the engine can gulp in as much air as it needs, and provide it with as much horsepower as you expect it to deliver.

Reason #2: Fewer Oil Changes

The more dirt and debris in an ATV's air filter, the more likely it'll pass through to the engine. Some of those contaminants work their way into the engine's oil, which means you'll need to change it more frequently. Dirty engine oil doesn't lubricate or cool your ATV's engine as effectively as clean oil, which leads to increased engine wear. By cleaning the air filter regularly, dirt is less likely to quickly contaminate the oil, which means fewer oil changes would be needed.

Reason #3: Longer Engine Life

Most of the dust and debris from a dirty air filter goes straight into your ATV engine's combustion chamber, where it scratches and scars the walls of the cylinders, piston heads and piston rings. When that happens, we're talking very expensive top-end rebuilds and cylinder head replacements. A clean air filter prevents dirt from entering your ATV's engine, and thus helps extend the life of the motor. 

How Often Should You Clean Your ATV's Air Filter?

At the bare minimum, you should inspect and clean your ATV's air filter with every motor oil change, or approximately after every 50 hours of use. However, if you ride in dusty or sandy conditions often, you should clean the air filter more frequently than that. 

A good rule of thumb is to check and clean the air filter on your ATV after every ride. It may seem like a lot of work, but remember this: a clean air filter means you get more horsepower, longer engine life and less frequent oil changes. That sounds like a pretty good trade-off for the work you put into it, don't you think?

Now that you know 3 great reasons to change your ATV's air filter, how about learning how to do it by watching an expert mechanic on the job? Watch the video above to see how to clean and oil an ATV air filter.