Both terms share their roots in the Classical Latin centenarius, meaning hundredlike, but the quintal has a convoluted etymology: It became Late Latin centenarium pondus, then in succession, Byzantine Greek ÎºÎµÎ½ÏÎ·Î½Î¬ÏÎ¹Î¿Î½ (kentenarion) and Arabic qintar ÙÙØ·Ø§Ø±.
If your air filter gets too dirty or clogged, your engine won't be able to suck enough air into the combustion chambers. The engine will then run rich (i.e., too much gas and not enough air). When this happens, your car will lose power and run roughly. Your Check Engine light also may come on. If you really neglect the air filter for a long time, your car may stop running altogether. While permanent damage is unlikely, it is possible. If an air filter were sufficiently dirty and damaged, it could allow harmful, abrasive contaminants into the combustion chamber.
Typically this is caused by an obstruction or restriction in the gas system. The gas can seep to the engine's carburetor but not enough to keep it running. After being off a while the carb fills up with enough to run it for about a minute and then runs out again. One thing to check before you get into the system too far is to make sure the vent in the gas cap is clear.