To increase the service life of the Mondeo, the intake air passes through a special filter element before it is involved in the combustion process together with the fuel. It cleans the intake air from pollutants and dust and is located in a housing (intake noise muffler) under the engine bonnet to the left relative to the direction of travel behind the battery. This muffler is not only a "randomly found box" that protects the filter element, it also performs another important function in the intake tract: it "disciplines" the intake air as it approaches the gas column and at the same time minimises intake noise. In the Mondeo, the intake noise muffler consists of a plastic housing and a fine-pored, accordion-folding paper filter cartridge.
Regular maintenance of the air filter cartridge is required
The intake air from the outside enters the air filter housing. The filter cartridge (filter element) is pressed against the intake tract by two plastic rings inside. Therefore, the entire flow of fresh air on its way to the engine passes through the filter cartridge and the pollutants that cause engine wear are "captured" by the filter paper. Large foreign objects, such as insects or dust raised from the road, remain in the filter housing. The air filter and filter element, of course, perform their job properly if they are checked regularly. A dirty filter cartridge "chokes" the engine, blocking the air supply. And as a result: the fuel-air mixture loses its "balance", engine power drops and fuel consumption increases.