DETROIT DIESEL
Engine Systems
Tighten the wing bolt until the air cleaner is securely
mounted.
Service the heavy-duty oil bath air cleaner as follows:
1. Loosen the wing nuts and detach the lower portion
of the air cleaner assembly.
2. Remove the detachable screen by loosening the
wing nuts and rotating the screen one-quarter turn.
One of the most important steps in properly cleaning
the tray type oil bath air cleaner is a step that is most
overlooked. Unless the filter tray is thoroughly
cleaned. satisfactory performance of the engine 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 10 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 it satisfactorily. It must be blown out with
Fig. 8 - Light-Duty Oil Bath Air Cleaner
high pressure air or steam to remove the material that
accumulates between the layers of screening. When a
1. Loosen the wing bolt and remove the air cleaner
assembly from the air inlet housing. The cleaner may
then be separated into two sections; the upper section
or body assembly contains the filter element, the lower
section consists of the oil cup. removable inner cup or
baffle and the center tube.
2. Soak the body assembly and element in fuel oil to
loosen the dirt; then flush the element with clean fuel
oil and allow it to drain thoroughly.
3. Pour out the oil, separate the inner cup or baffle
from the oil cup. remove the sludge and wipe the
baffle and outer cup clean.
4. Push a lint-free cloth through the center tube to
remove dirt or oil.
5. Clean and check all of the gaskets and sealing
surfaces to ensure air tight seals.
6. Refill the oil cup to the oil level mark only, install
the baffle, and reassemble the air cleaner.
7. Check the air inlet housing before installing the air
cleaner assembly on the engine. The inlet will be dirty
if air cleaner servicing has been neglected or if dust-
laden air has been leaking past the air cleaner or air
inlet housing seals.
8. Make sure that the air cleaner is seated properly on
the inlet housing and the seal is installed correctly.
Fig. 9 - Heavy-Duty Oil Bath Air Cleaner
Page 18
