Ithacarsahare,
Welcome to the place and enjoy your stay.

To the filter question: I would listen to a mechanic before a director on this topic and given the information above I would be leaving things as they are.

Pete.

I agree with most of the others -- changing out your air filter won't have a significant (if any) affect on your FE.

One more thing -- do NOT use a K&N (or knockoff) filter on ANY of your cars! They have terrible filtration properties, and have been the direct cause of many a blown engine.

An air filter doesn't need to be changed if you can hold it up toward the sun and look through and still see the light passing through it. I sometimes go 50K miles or more between air filter changes. I don't recall ever seeing a difference in FE after changing one. It would have to be stopped up to the point hardly any air was passing through it acting as a choke to do much damage to the FE.

Your director is an ignorant desk jockey who need not stick his head out of his office and interfere in things he knows nothing about.

Fuel Economy
 

Hello,

I went and got a K&N filter today for my Ford Taurus and tossed out the Motorcraft one.
I installed the rubber gasket, locked the filter in and thought I was done.
The instructions kind of confused me as well as the guy at the parts store.
He said bring it back for "recharge maintenance" but all I had to do today was install "as is".
The instructions mentions doing something with an air throttle while installing.
Is there more I need to do?
I'm not good under the hood beyond replacing basic filters and wiper blades.

I haven't touched a K&N filter in over a decade, but I don't remember anything about "doing something with an air throttle while installing". Can you post specifically what it says?

The filter comes ready to use, just install it. When it's ready to be serviced (which I remember as being 50,000 miles), you "recharge" it, which means you clean it and re-oil it. You can buy a kit that contains a can of the cleaner and a can of the oil or it sounds like the parts store will do the job for you for a fee.

The whole thing a waste of money anyway and almost certainly won't provide any benefit to you, except under certain uncommon conditions.

I've got a K&N in my '97 Escort wagon. I didn't do anything but install the filter when I installed it. I don't remember seeing anything about doing anything else.

Just to the left is the ad for K&N products. Interesting the way the software picks up the theme and directs the advertising.

In any parts store is a doo-dad to compare air filters. There ought to be some kind of clue there.

There are spirited arguments about the subject but I find that submitting different products to a standardized test is the best way to base a decision.

Air filters remove dirt from the air flow into the engine.
Well, DUH!

So you need to find which removes the smallest particles.

The air filter has to allow the most possible air flow while removing the dirt and do it for the longest time.

I believe, from the test results and my experience, that the Amsoil Ea filters, for air and oil, surpass all others.

Investigate here: https://www.amsoil.com/

I have read that the oil 'mist' off an oiled filter can screw up the mass air flow sensor.

I sure wouldn't do a comparative "investigation" of amsoil filters at an amsoil site.

The guy a few posts up made a big boo-boo by throwing a motorcraft and replacing it with a k&n. He had the good and actually spent a premium to replace it with the bad. :rolleyes: