Mekanik Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 It seems like I get a lot of 99ish 7.3l's that come in and the filter minder hasn't moved at all but the filter looks filthy dirty. I realize that there is some sticky stuff on the filter to trap dirt which may make it look dirtier than it really is. I have had 2 situations where I get done with the truck and the customer pulls out the air filter and it is completley black. Even inside the folds. It just makes me look bad. I was wondering wether everyone else disregards the filter minder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 The filter minder cannot replace visual inspection... even when they do "work, the time between when the plunger starts to move and the filter is plugged solid is too short.... When they have moved is "too late" for my money... I really hate to step on any toes.... but it isn't the filter that is making you look bad.... failing to physically inspect it, however.... Anything and everything that we leave to "chance" is going to come back and haunt us.... Do I look at the filter minder???? Yep.... Do I take it as the "last word"??? Nope.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekanik Posted July 4, 2007 Author Share Posted July 4, 2007 Your right. I have seen them were the plunger hasn't moved at all, and I have seen them totally plugged, the plunger all the way out, filter lamp on, and lacking power. No in beetween. What about a 6.0l filter? How would you possibly "inspect" that thing? I've only seen 1 air filter plugged on a 6.0l so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Amacker Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 Your right. I have seen them were the plunger hasn't moved at all, and I have seen them totally plugged, the plunger all the way out, filter lamp on, and lacking power. No in between. What about a 6.0l filter? How would you possibly "inspect" that thing? I've only seen 1 air filter plugged on a 6.0l so far. Due to the air cleaner fit problems on all of the PSD engines, I strongly suggest in class that an annual maintenance takes place of removing not only the filter, but also the rubber ductwork and checking it for dust. During this procedure the turbo inlet impeller should also be inspected for abrasion wear. This is an important step at my shop because we get a lot of hand-me-down broken trucks from other shops with lots of new parts that don't run right. If there is dirt in the inlet and abrasion wear on the impeller, dusting of the engine to some degree is guaranteed. The 6.0 also suffers from the fit problem due to the lack of a third clip on the passenger side, and the high underhood temperatures which allow the MAF housing to warp. It is common to be able to take a business card and slide it into the gap between the filter gasket and the MAF housing, showing there is no contact there. I have good pics of a filthy 6.0 MAF from this problem. I suggest changing the 6.0 filter at 30-35K, even though it shows no restriction at this point. I have had drivers tell me the engine seemed to have better low end torque after a filter change where the restriction indicator showed no problem. Ford's method of checking for a dirty 6.0 filter is to weigh it and compare the difference with a new one. When it reaches 1600 grams (3.5 lbs!) of dirt they say it's time for replacement. I think it's long before that. Tech tip: What's the first complaint when the filter clogs? "My tranny's slipping." Happy Fourth! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cheers.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 We have a preponderance of red clay in our region... In the dry months, traffic can pound this stuff into a dust as fine as any flour you have ever seen. It can hang in still air for what seems like hours and can spell the death of a 6.0 air filter element in as little as 10,000 kms. Some of our techs simply slip the clips on the front housing and look inside with a penlight - deciding then if further disassembly is warranted... My preference is to just dig right in.... It is possible to R&I the element in less than 4 or 5 minutes... looks a little brutal (but it is harmless if we don't get "rammy" at the wrong time) and always holds the promise of spilling a little blood... On re-assembly I give a quick, light spray of glass cleaner on the inner housing flange to let is slip into the gasket easier... and the glass cleaner is benign to rubber and evaporates leaving things dry. I have come across filters where inattention has left the bottom tabs on the clean side free of the slots - even with my meathooks, I can still just slip my hand around the bottom to reaffirm that I have things clipped together properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Amacker Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Jim: What 'choo doing on the 'net? I thought you were at the lake on vacation.......? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneGorniak Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 I know this is about diesels, but how about those focus filtered for life air breathers with filter minders hugh? What a freakin joke that is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 For Bruce... I cheat - my camping spot is about 10 minutes from home.... May sound odd to some but I come home and use a full size shower... and I can sit outside quaffing an ale without having to look at all the things I should be doing.... For Dwayne... the important distinction between the filterminder on a gaspot and the filterminder on a diesel is AIR... Without a throttle plate, cylinder fill at idle on a diesel is going to be 100%.... no intake manifold vacuum = no intake induced restrictions on volumetric efficiency = no real reduction in airflow at idle... For the Focus... throttle plate closed, IAC modulating at some low duty cycle = very low intake air flow at idle... as we can witness by actually seeing intake manifold vacuum. If we take two identically sized engines - one compression ignition and one gas, the compression ignition engine will see the passage of much more air through it's bowels than the gas engine ever will.... This is not some stroke of genius... but it is one of those little factoids that we can overlook as we research "suck/squeeze/bang/blow"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneGorniak Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 Ah, how right you are Jim. But don't forget that I originally come from Saskatchewan where running boards, bug deflectors and mudfalps are permanent fixtures on Focuses and Tauruses and most cars. Where there are hardly any paved roads at all. And where the pot holes are actually bigger than cars on the handfull of paved highways that run through the whole province. Where wide open throttle is the the only way you can fly over the potholes without sinking into a black hole that will take you into another galaxy. Where you have to watch out for the intoxicated sleeping on the middle of the roads after a long hard party on the reserve because the mosquitos in the grass are the size of small sparows. Anyway, my real point is simply that nothing is serviced for life. Jim if you ever want to exchange stories about where we are from we can start a new post. It's all true you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 A Saskahoovian??? Well.... that explains a lot of it then /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/poke.gif Dang flatlanders, anyhow.... /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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