Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/23755
BIG RIG BASICS JOHN BAXTER Fresh Air Maintaining your air cleaner is critical for long engine life our air cleaner is just as im- portant for keeping destruc- tive particles out of your engine as your oil filter. Timely filter changes, along with inspection of the air in- take system to make sure dust is not leaking in, will help your engine last as long as possible. Keeping an eye on your restriction indi- cator and changing air filter car- tridges as indicated will help keep your air cleaner performing at its best while eliminating unnecessary maintenance. Most indicators have a clear red zone. Once the indicated vacuum is at or near the dividing line at the beginning of this zone, change the air cleaner. Y 2 the engine down and remove the keys. The engine must not be started until service is com- plete. Open the hood. Take care throughout the process to clean parts prior to disassembly to keep dust out of the system. 2 There are two kinds of air clean- ers, the large external designs used on classically styled vehicles and the compact underhood designs used on late-model aerodynamic trucks. TO CHANGE YOUR UNDERHOOD AIR CLEANER: 1 Park the truck in a level spot, apply parking brakes, shut 3 The air cleaner typically sits horizontally with a cap on the outboard end. Locate the cap, cleaning it thoroughly with a clean rag. Unfasten the three attaching clips by pulling their finger tabs away from the air cleaner body and then moving them out of the way of the cap. Remove the cap. Pull the air cleaner out of the housing. Keep it in its pres- ent orientation until you note which end has a larger diameter BIG RIG BASICS TIP “AS AN AIR FILTER GETS DIRTIER, IT FILTERS A LITTLE BETTER. CHANGING THE FILTER TOO OFTEN MEANS MORE WEAR IN THE ENGINE. ASK ANY SERVICE MANAGER.” — OWNER-OPERATOR AND KENWORTH DRIVER EARL EVANS, CANFIELD, OHIO 26 TRUCKERS NEWS FEBRUARY 2011 3