Air filter question (1 Viewer)

[FarmerFox]

That pillow is wild and, since it has white fiber inside, looks to be a simple large particulate filter. The engine air cleaner IPL shows 1770170180 connects directly to the air intake pipes before the replaceable air filter. This "pillow" will need cleaning, collect debris under it, and/or need replacement. Why didn't Toyota use simple push pins that allow the pillow to be popped out and debris vacuumed out?

 

[Bret_T]

These are in the intakes to the engine, NOT the cabin air intake so what you say makes little sense. Would CO from nearby cars be any issue going into the engine? Into cabin I understand.

I am also completely confused about why these black pillow filters are in place. I've literally never seen them before on a car. Are they supposed to be replaced? If so, when?

 

[champ306]

just remove them. garbage. drill out the rivets, toss.

 

[cmfhsu]

I am also completely confused about why these black pillow filters are in place. I've literally never seen them before on a car. Are they supposed to be replaced? If so, when?

These are activated charcoal filters to capture fuel vapors escaping from the intake after you shut off the vehicle (leftover from the port injectors). They last for the lifetime of the vehicle. I believe they are necessary for Toyota to achieve the emissions standards they are targeting.

I can't think of any problems you would cause by removing them, but I also can't see any benefit from removing them. I didn't remove them from my vehicle, nor did I remove them from the BMW I owned previously.

If you're worried about airflow, remember - this vehicle is almost certainly tuned for torque targets, not air mass like older engines. That means this car doesn't care how much air it can get; if you run no air filter at all, it will make exactly the same amount of power because it's constantly adjusting the throttle body to only intake as much air as it needs to achieve the target torque.