DETROIT DIESEL 53
Air Cleaner 3.1
cannot be realized. The presence of fibrous material
found in the air is often underestimated and is the main
cause of the malfunctioning of heavy-duty air cleaners.
This material comes from plants and trees during their
budding season and later from airborne seed from the
same sources. Figure 3 illustrates the severity of
plugging in a tray that is 50% plugged. The solid black
areas in the mesh are accumulations of this fibrous
material. When a tray is plugged in this manner,
washing in a solvent or similar washing solution will not
clean the tray satisfactorily. It must also be blown out
with high velocity compressed air or steam to remove
the material that accumulates between the layers of
screening. When a clean tray is held up to the light, an
even pattern of light should be visible. It may be
Fig. 4. - Air Cleaner Tray (Clean)
necessary, only as a last resort, to burn off the lint.
Extreme care must be taken not to melt the galvanized
through the center tube to remove dirt or oil from the
coating in the tray screens. Some trays have equally
walls.
spaced holes in the retaining baffle.
4. The fixed element should be serviced as operating
Check to make sure that they are clean and open. A
conditions warrant. Remove the entire cleaner from the
thoroughly cleaned tray is illustrated in Fig. 4. The dark
engine, soak the unit in fuel oil to loosen the dirt, then
spots in the mesh indicate the close overlapping of the
flush with clean fuel oil and allow to drain thoroughly.
mesh and emphasize the need for using compressed air
or steam. It is suggested that users of heavy-duty air
5. Clean and check all gaskets and sealing surfaces to
cleaners have a spare tray on hand to replace the tray
insure air tight seals.
that requires cleaning. Having an extra tray available
makes for better service and the dirty tray can be
6. Refill the oil cup to the oil level mark ONLY. Use oil
cleaned thoroughly as recommended. Spare trays are
of same grade as used in the engine crankcase.
well worth their investment.
7. Install the removable screen in the housing and
3. Remove the hood and clean it by brushing or by
reinstall the housing.
blowing out with compressed air. Push a lint-free cloth
8. Install the oil cup and the hood.
9. Check all of the joints and tubes and make sure they
are air tight.
All oil bath air cleaners should be serviced as operating
conditions warrant. At no time should more than 1/2 of
"sludge" be allowed to form in the oil cup or the area
used for sludge deposit, nor should the oil cup be filled
above the oil level mark.
Fig. 3. - Air Cleaner Tray (50%Plugged)
1970 General Motors Corp.
October, 1970
SEC. 3.1 Page 3
