AIR filter replacement in dusty conditions

So i lived in seattle and with all the rain there is little dust. I could go 15K miles and it would still be fine.

Here in MX i live 15 miles away from Popocatépetl which over the past 2 months has been erupting and dusting everything with ash (like cement) about twice a week. plus its dusty here this time of the year. I replaced about 3k ago and i pulled it off today to check it and it was way past due with my secondary filter all dusted up. That got removed.

Granted these conditions are extreme but what is everyone who lives in dusty contitions doing. I did the local filters and bumped it up to toyota which seems marginally better. Ill go with an aftermarket as soon as i get back to the US for a trip i need to do but was just wondering -- what every 1k miles?????. or is a little ultra fine dust past the filter ok and normal in conditions

 

When my filter looks dirty I change it, no matter what the milage is. Check it regulary.

 

yeah -- ill be checking way more frequently but as a general rule is what i was looking is a worst case senarios change interval.

Ive never lived in these conditions for an exteneded period of time.

 

I would generally change an oem filter yearly. Its cheap insurance. For your situation? I would at least check your air filters monthly.

 

Honestly the general rule is change it when it gets dirty, especially for worst case scenarios...I know guys who clean off their filters with compressed air after really dusty trail runs to save money though. Volcanic ash is really abrasive stuff, I would be concerned about any noticeable amount of it getting past your air filter--honestly I wonder if there are any tricks out there like installing an oiled secondary filter that won't choke the engine. Even a clean Toyota paper filter will let some stuff through. If the ash is really that bad you might want to limit how much you drive until it clears up...

 

been erupting of and on for the last two months -- cant really limit esposure. it fals and floats around everywhere. its like cement. only after it rains does it get better.

The following weekend we are looking into moving to Xalapa, Its a good excuse to get closer to this. I am getting sick of this ash -- phisically sick. Volcanic ash is some all around bad stuff



http://youtu.be/13XYfjhpcEo

 

I changed a lot of air filters at a DE plant on the fleet of fork lifts. It's worse than ash and absolutely everywhere. We'd often blow them out. Just shake it out as often as you need and replace it every other month. That's just my opinion.

 

If the area is extremely dusty you should blow the filter with compressed air at least weekly and change it every few months.

My father drives his 95 T100 on our farm and the thing is driven through mud and dust 100% of its use. I blow the air filter with compressed air whenever I have the chance and the thing is already dirty a week after I clean it. Sucks though, since the condition of the engine isn't so great anymore because of the dirty oil (should have changed oil more frequently also)

 

how many miles? Condition of th engine -- what is off on it. How often does he change the oil.

If i move this wont be an issue because Xalapa is a tropical environment.

 

does it get past the air filters? How long do the engines last?

I am not a big proponent of blowing filters out with compressed air. it kindof disrupts the layers of the filter which IMO allows for dust to eventually get past into the engine.

 

Paper filters are the most efficient as far as filtration. Routinely blowing them out with compressed air can cause damage to the filter media which allows more particulates to get through. I used to be an equipment operator at a cement plant. We would tap the filter out on the concrete every other day or so. Once it was so clogged that tapping the filter out didn't help, it was time to replace.

 

I agree about the paper filters being one of the best options available. Especially when compared to a K&N which is the only other technology i am familiar with. Ive run up and down Baja on motorcycles wit groups of other bikes twice and have seen many K&N pass dust while my OEM filters did fine.

I sell lubricants to cement plants and I can tell you I feel like i live in a friggen cement plant.

 

Stock for the win

 

Anyone thinking of buying any type of non-stock air filter should read this post:
http://www.dieselbombers.com/chevro...rticles/16611-duramax-air-filter-testing.html

 

^^^This. Blowing out the filter can put holes in the media which lets more through. Removing your secondary filter might have been a bad idea if there were particles getting through your primary filter, now they are tearing up your cylinder walls. If I were driving in your conditions I would be using paper filters and changing them when knocking them out stops working. Volcanic dust can be bad stuff, as you know, and very abrasive. Do everything you can to keep it out of your engine!

 

Probably, it's very fine and very abrasive. We ran those fork lifts 24/7 for thousands of hours no problem. I blew out filters all the time and those fuckers got run hard, non-stop, and lasted and lasted, in some of the worst conditions imaginable . Just my .02. Do what you will.

edit: I'll add some but not all had secondary filters

 

No worries -- based on that info id say its not that much of an issue "IF" you do it correctly and are carefull not to damage the padding that is attached to the fiber paper.

I used to be a service engineer for komatsu many years ago and I was always told that blowing the dust out was a bad thing. Probably due to the high possibility of causing problems if not done correctly. That is the onlything I have -- the rest is purely anecdotal evidence.