In the Tech Folder, Bismic wrote that the air filter did not changed till the filter minder showed that it needed to be changed. I took mine out, 30,000 miles on the filter and shook and knocked out the sand and dirt. I then used a blow gun, from the back side, and blew until there was no longer any dust being blown out. To me it seemed that the filter was really quite clean. I did get some dirt and sand, and I blew dust out for about 10 minutes.

Just woundering if blowing air can hurt this filter? I did a search and was not able to find any answers.

Thank-you for any information - Dale

 

Air can damage the filter and if you have any dirt or sand that got wedged in the inside of the filter it can dust your turbo. Take my word for it, the price of a filter is not worth a turbo or engine. With labor you are dealing with a $15,000 dollar engine easily.

 

These filters are supposed to be able to handle up to 3 lbs of dirt. I've got 64k on mine and the filter minder has barely moved. As far as reusing a filter you blew out, I'm with 69cj. I wouldn't risk it.

 

Thanks for your reply. So what you are saying is that by me blowing out the filter, it might cause some loose dirt, that could hurt the turbo? But then by blowing it out (from the back side), I don't see how this could allow anything to pass.

My filter minder had not moved at all, I just thought I would make it cleaner, but maybe I made a good thing worse.

 

Until the filter minder tells you to change it leave it alone. You have no way of telling if you damaged or compromised the old filter. Once again, a new filter is worth the possible consequences and for me the peace of mind. However it is your truck and in the words of my old buddy Clint;

"DO YOU FEEL LUCKY?"

 

More likely you could put small punctures in the filter from the high pressure air hose tip - causing problems down the line. For the cost of the new filter and a little time. Just replace with a new filter and be safe with your engine.

 

I'm going to throw some fuel on this fire and tell you guys that a carefully cleaned Donaldson filter is just fine. There are a few million cleaned filters running right now all over the planet in just about every conceivable piece of diesel powered equipment you can imagine, and they do just fine.

The operative word here is carefully (and always from the inside out).

Having said all that. I buy new ones !!!!

 

Bismic or another authority, correct me if I am wrong but you don't HAVE to change the air filter until you get the air filter icon on your instrument cluster. The air minder is there as a guide. I changed mine at 30k and 60k but may not have needed to.

 

Air flow does not begin to drop until you start developing a restriction in the filter as it fills with dirt. This generally takes a long time for the Donaldson Powercore synthetic media (blue) filter. By design, it holds 1200 grams of dirt (2.65 lbs). This is why Ford correctly states to not change the filter until the filter minder indicates the need (based on the vacuum generated by the pressure drop from air flowing through the filter). Clearly this does not apply if the filter is suspected of being torn and leaking through. This is generally between 3 and 4 years for most people. There has been much debate about the filter minder, but it does work (and is very reliable).

$50 every 4 years is a pretty good deal. Most of us are really into taking care of these high $ beasts. This air filter does a fantastic job at an amazingly low operating cost.

As far as the original question goes, many folks have appropriately answered the question. If you don't need to change it for so long - no need to clean it either.

If you have performance mods (specifically tuners, upgraded turbo's, upgraded injectors, etc) you should change it more often. However, even with the performance mods, the filter minder is a good indicator. Again - no developed vacuum, then no pressure drop. No pressure drop, then no reason to change the filter (again - unless it is torn and leaking through). HIGHLY modded trucks will need a different intake system, but at these hp levels, engine/truck longevity is clearly not the owner's main objective.

Before someone jumps in and accuses me of blindly following Ford's propaganda, I highly recommend
- aftermarket ball joints
- aftermarket fuel supply system
- aftermarket alternator (higher amps)
- aftermarket oil, windshield wipers, light bulbs
- etc.

 

So is the filter minder best to follow or wait for the dash light to come on? Which is the most reliable?

 

Watch the filter minder. You have some pretty good restriction built up by the time it triggers the dash light.

 

Do the filter minder. When the dash light comes on it is a reminder that you have already past the recommended efficiency of the filter. Until then don't fix something that isn't broken. JMHO

 

To put it in perspective, 1 micron is 0.00004 inches. Donaldson rates their filter's efficiency at 99.97% removal of all particles 1 micron and larger (Ford states 99.99%).

I would be willing to bet that almost all shop air systems are NOT filtered to anywhere near the micron level. Therefore if you blow air backwards through the filter, you are blowing small particles into the downstream side of the media. You also do not need to create much of an opening to let small (but potentially damaging) particles through.

The thing about it is - if you did blow backwards through the filter and then put it back in service, you probably wouldn't see the damage for quite awhile. But for such a cheap price, why do it?

 

Thanks for the info. These must be amazing filters, I see hardly any progression in the minder over many many miles on dusty, dirty Arizona roads.

 

Thanks for all the input. Today I replaced the air filter with a new one. I can't believe I did this first, then posted the question. This site has helped me so much, you would think one would ask before fixing something is not broke - but it may be broke now.