Cleaning of Air Filters?

[Sayjac]

After the responses I could assume that too but as @Sayjac mentioned perhaps we can get a better description and I should've held my response until then. But still It does look & sound like an automotive type filter though......

I Googled Suzuki UK to see if I could get a look at their current vehicle offerings. I don't see anything out of the ordinary that would cause me to change my opinion. In my observation, illustration does appear to be a standard air filter being blown by a nozzle attached to a compressed air source.

 

[Faawrenchbndr]

After the responses I could assume that too but as @Sayjac mentioned perhaps we can get a better description and I should've held my response until then. But still It does look & sound like an automotive type filter though. Still if it's an air gun being recommended that's a bit on the cheap side instead of replacement for an automotive app. Would you agree?

Well, it’s certainly only common sense. For one compressed air being used on a paper filter it’s pretty much been widely known for the last 40+ years to do damage to a paper filter.

 

[Kira]

I addition to the genericized sketch and oddly worded mention of air cleaner maintenance in post #1, is there a schedule table for maintenance in the manual as well?
Sometimes there are two schedules, one for normal duty, the other for heavy duty.
Is air filter element replacement on this schedule?

If so, then I'd regard the initial drawing as a relic from an earlier time.
I doubt you'd find that drawing used in recently preceding years' manuals.
I'd bet that meager depiction was resurrected by a rookie editor.
Perhaps such an instruction (blowing off the element) was more to inspire the novice into caring for a vehicle.

 

[jtay2024]

Be helpful if the OP came back and gave more information on the specific Suzuki vehicle and use. That said, based on the information provided in the OP, stand by my previous post. I wouldn't take compressed air to clean an AF as standard practice.

Hi Sayjac,

It's a Suzuki Ignis. It's a little 4x4 vehicle. It just seemed odd to me that anyone would recommend / even hint at blowing a filter clean rather than replacing the element. Specially in today's day & age when warranties are critical etc. It just seemed an odd choice of picture / advice for a brand new normal road vehicle to include in it's manual.

 

[jtay2024]

I addition to the genericized sketch and oddly worded mention of air cleaner maintenance in post #1, is there a schedule table for maintenance in the manual as well?
Sometimes there are two schedules, one for normal duty, the other for heavy duty.
Is air filter element replacement on this schedule?

If so, then I'd regard the initial drawing as a relic from an earlier time.
I doubt you'd find that drawing used in recently preceding years' manuals.
I'd bet that meager depiction was resurrected by a rookie editor.
Perhaps such an instruction (blowing off the element) was more to inspire the novice into caring for a vehicle.

Yeah I agree. I was thinking it was probably a detail that has lingered in their documents for years and no one has ever removed it. Filters are readily available for the vehicle so it's not like they are hard to come by.

 

[rszappa1]

I guess I look at this like using a oil filter twice....They are both cheap....Just install a new one...same with a cabin air filter too...

 

[Sayjac]

Hi Sayjac,

It's a Suzuki Ignis. It's a little 4x4 vehicle. It just seemed odd to me that anyone would recommend / even hint at blowing a filter clean rather than replacing the element. Specially in today's day & age when warranties are critical etc. It just seemed an odd choice of picture / advice for a brand new normal road vehicle to include in it's manual.

Thank you for returning with follow up info. Fwiw, I completely agree with your thoughts. Again, not something I would do. As noted, I 'might' tap an AF to remove very loose particulates, but that is all. If the AF appears loaded enough that one might think about blowing compressed air on it, time to replace the AF. Congrats to your mom on the new ride, hope she enjoys it.

 

[jtay2024]

Thank you for returning with follow up info. Fwiw, I completely agree with your thoughts. Again, not something I would do. As noted, I 'might' tap an AF to remove very loose particulates, but that is all. If the AF appears loaded enough that one might think about blowing compressed air on it, time to replace the AF. Congrats to your mom on the new ride, hope she enjoys it.

Thanks! I'm looking forward to it being another car to look after.

 

[oil pan 4]

Yeah I air gun and shopvac my trucks air filter every oil change.
Blow it from the back side and vacuum it from the front and then the last step is vacuum from the back as if it were in-service.
I just changed the oil Sunday but they were calling for dust storms Monday and today so I held off and oh man did it blow Monday. Less than 30ft visibility a few times while driving. I'll dedust the filter next day the weather is nice.

 

[Samurai1225]

The Spoon drop in air filter for the Type R specially references using forced air to clean their filters. ( along with mild laundry detergent)

 

[Vexorg]

I sell a lot of Filter Blasters (you can google yourself if interested) here at work. The combines and tractors here almost always have a dual filter setup, and the inner NEVER gets cleaned, but the outers that are sometimes in the $500 range and plug off daily with dust and chaff the one time purchase of a filter cleaner is well worth the cost. On a single panel filter I personally would not clean one just for my peace of mind.

 

[TC]

I’ve used a shop vac to quickly remove pine needles, mouse nests, loose debris etc. But always replaced the filter in short order after.

Bingo. I'd MUCH rather use negative pressure -- a vacuum -- to gently tidy up a filter surface with a vacuum's upholstery brush than to blow on it and deal with the dust cloud. Under vacuum most everything dislodged will be pulled into the vacuum cleaner with no dust to breathe and no dust potentially deposited on the "clean" side, and you're not banging the filter against a surface to clean it either, which probably doesn't accomplish much.

That said, I never clean, only replace. As others have mentioned, perhaps an intended scenario here is someone going nuts in the desert one day and figuratively shoveling dirt into the intake, a "catastrophic" soiling. Instead of replacing the filter, give it a vacuum or air gun tune-up. Kinda makes sense. But for for normal long-term use, just replace it rather than "fix" it.

 

[50yr Street Mech]

Just pop a new one in. Their so cheap. I do clean my foam air filters on my generator and a few other lawn toys, with soap and water. What a stupid manual !

 

[Durdude]

As someone mentioned before I think the Suzuki filter pic is being rinsed with a hose perhaps. Looks like a generic garden nozzle and hose. Not a air gun and line. I check and tap my filters every so often. Light dust is left behind when I tap.....but filter still looks good. I think i have abouy 25k on mine now.

 

[Bailes1992]

This same diagram was in the owners manual of my Mothers old Suzuki Jimny. The air filter in that was a plastic frame with a paper insert, a bit like a cabin filter I guess.

 

[nomas]

Sometimes you are just not able to change your air filter at that exact moment in time . There's nothing wrong with using some COMMON SENSE and blowing the dirt out of your filter at a reduced pressure . Just because your compressor cut off is 150 psi doesn't mean you can't dial back the output , or just hold the nozzle further away .

 

[kschachn]

My Toyota (or is the Honda?) have the same picture in the manual somewhere. On the other hand I think it was my BMW that had a similar picture with a big "X" over it.

 

[50yr Street Mech]

Always have a stash of air filters and CAF filters. Fortunately, never stuck in a " jam",,,just replace with new. Guess I'm just you're typical BITOGER ,,,,stashing stuff when you catch a sale.