Once In the Truck's Life Air Filter Replacement

[George7941]

Restriction gauges are "peak reading". Once the indicator moves, it cannot go back to zero on its own, there is a one way mechanism built in. You have to manually reset the gauge. The gauge shows the maximum restriction it has encountered since the last time it was reset.

 

[ecotourist]

Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Ecotourist, please analyze what you say.

Your lungs may be filled with the air downstream of the cabin filter. So, if you get a [censored] one, then there may be a possibility it was mishandled, made with toxic glue, etc, etc

Thanks for your thoughtful comment.

A principal of toxicolgy is that "the dose makes the poison". Toxic materials are only toxic at an identifiable dose. Parts per million and especially parts per billion are not usually a concern. Some people say there's no safe dose of asbestos but let's leave that contentious matter aside for the moment.

The solvents in glues do have the potential to be toxic (they could contain n-Hexane or Methyl n-Butyl Ketone for example). [Though not glues sold in the first world.] Even if there happened to be a toxic solvent in the glue, by the time a filter is sold, the glue would be thoroughly dry - ie no significant remaining VOCs. And a few minutes of the usual massive airflow (normal for any auto) would deal with any last tiny bit. So no, I'm not worried about solvents.

A risk with an air filter is improper fit. One major brand didn't fit as well as I would have liked on my BMW engine for example - so I returned it. But the after market cabin filters I've used in both my vehicles fit quite well - and the designs are quite good - a fold of filter overlaps the plastic carrier in my Honda for example.

All vehicles up to some point and even some fairly recent vehicles (some 2007 Accords I'm told) didn't have any cabin filter at all. So a less than ideal cabin filter would be a big improvement.

I drive around with my car windows open from time to time. I have a sunroof in both my vehicles that admits unfiltered air. I open my windows at night to cool the house. I'm sitting by an open window as I write. I walk about freely in the streets. And I don't worry about the air.

A good functioning respiratory tree is quite capable of dealing with small amounts of most particulate. Though asbestos may be the exception.

But I'm less comfortable with getting debris in my engine. I think I had an early engine failure due to leakage around an engine air filter - a Ford 289 V8 burning oil by 80,000 miles, and when I got it, a misplaced gasket kept the air filter from sealing properly. There was actually visible dust inside the filtered area.

 

[hattaresguy]

I don't get the over maintaining mentality. Even if you bought the most expensive filter you could find for this truck and change it every lets say 5k miless since we are pulling numbers out of the sky. Its still an old WT and it will still run the same mileage and head to the scrap yard in 8-10 years with the same motor in it.

So other than a little mental [censored] what has been gained?

Unless a vehicle is a rare classic it is simply a depreciating capital asset. No mater what fancy stuff is done to it, it will get used up and disposed of in due course. Fleets and professional operators understand this.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: George7941
OLM systems have contributed greatly to reducing unnecessary oil changes and the resultant waste of resources. If only manufacturers equipped all cars with restriction gauges and educated drivers on their accuracy and trustworthiness, we could easily halve the number of air filter replacements.

I believe restriction gauge is working properly even I don't have any in my cars.

The one I am concern about is the foam seal around the air filter, after some years under the hood it gets hard and doesn't seal well.

I use discarded pantyhose as pre-filter, either clean or replace once a year without disturbing the air box, I extended filter change interval to 5-6 years 50-60k miles. At that time the filter is barely dirty but the seal is fairly hard, when I removed the filter from the air box the seal broke in several places.

With pantyhose as pre-filter I double the life of the filter, also I think as filter aged it filters better.

 

[George7941]

I did not notice any deterioration in the rubber seal of the eight year old filter. The rubber was still very pliable. I never opened the air box in the eight years. And since no one else has ever opened the hood of my truck since it left the dealership nine years ago when I bought it, I am sure no one else has been into the air box.

 

[wtd]

The factory air filter gauges on both of my 98 chevy trucks have never moved. I bought the k1500 new and have changed the filter periodically and the K3500 I bought in 2007 and changed the filter when I got it and not since as it still looks good.