Post by metromustang on May 19, 2004 23:11:12 GMT -5
I usually disregard advisories that air filters should changed often, kept clean, or replaced with K&N in order to get better fuel mileage and more power. After all, on gas engines, a dirty filter only has these adverse effects at operating conditions approaching full throttle.
However, as diesels are throttle-less, they are effectively at full throttle all the time. So I would think that the air cleaner is crucial.
The book indicates that a dirty filter would cause an excessive black smoke condition, poor acceleration, and excessive fuel consumption.
In the interest of science, for a couple of months I drove with the air cleaner lid flipped over. My hypothesis was that the intake track upstream of the filter was too tortuous the way that it snakes behind the headlight to the center of the truck and has a mouth that points back towards the radiator. My findings over this period (which included one 8-hour interstate trip) was that the only difference was in loudness. The MPG was the same and the smoke was the same. But it was LOUD as unmuffled full throttle engines tend to be. It sounded kinda cool, but the droning noise coming from in front of the cab got annoying after a month.
Perhaps my next experiment should be the old trick of a couple of layers of stocking hose. I could just take off the air cleaner lid and filter element and lockwire sheets of the stuff over the open canister. But I don't have a source for old stockings.
What do y'all do?
The book page 4B:20 says to clean filter element by blowing backwards through it.
The book page 21:20 (for gas engines) says don't blow it out but rather replace.
The book page 21:28 says the diesel engine air filter should be replaced at 30,000 mile intervals.
However, as diesels are throttle-less, they are effectively at full throttle all the time. So I would think that the air cleaner is crucial.
The book indicates that a dirty filter would cause an excessive black smoke condition, poor acceleration, and excessive fuel consumption.
In the interest of science, for a couple of months I drove with the air cleaner lid flipped over. My hypothesis was that the intake track upstream of the filter was too tortuous the way that it snakes behind the headlight to the center of the truck and has a mouth that points back towards the radiator. My findings over this period (which included one 8-hour interstate trip) was that the only difference was in loudness. The MPG was the same and the smoke was the same. But it was LOUD as unmuffled full throttle engines tend to be. It sounded kinda cool, but the droning noise coming from in front of the cab got annoying after a month.
Perhaps my next experiment should be the old trick of a couple of layers of stocking hose. I could just take off the air cleaner lid and filter element and lockwire sheets of the stuff over the open canister. But I don't have a source for old stockings.
What do y'all do?
The book page 4B:20 says to clean filter element by blowing backwards through it.
The book page 21:20 (for gas engines) says don't blow it out but rather replace.
The book page 21:28 says the diesel engine air filter should be replaced at 30,000 mile intervals.