Damages done by accidentally driving car without air filter?

Question

Yesterday I came back from a three hour trip and just as I got back, I noticed the engine was idling rough. I looked under the hood, and sure enough, the air filter cover had unscrewed itself and had fallen off. To fix the rough idle, i know I'm going to have to take the carburetor apart and clean it. However, I'm wondering what sort of long term damages i may have done to the engine. Will changing the oil remove the extra contaminants that may have been sucked in?

Answer 1

it really depends on air quality where you were driving.  if there is alot of particulate matter you could have done serious and permanent damage to the cylinder walls.  if not, change the oil, put on a new airfilter, perhaps run a carb cleaner through and see what happens.

Answer 2

forget removing the carb to clean it...anything that got in just went strait through the carb to the engine...the rough idle will just be a vacume hose/pipe come adrift....

no long term damage will have occured....