BAC Forum
General Boards => Technical Support => Topic started by: Andy Clark on March 14, 2013, 03:38:51 AM
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I have the sealed Ecolite air filter canister that many of you also have. About what reading on the Filter Minder should I be seeing with a clean filter? My Filter Minder stays on the bottom of its cavity. I checked its operation and it's OK. I also checked the hose connecting it to the intake piping and that's OK too. Do I need to worry about a collapsed filter element, or is "no reading" on the Filter Minder normal when using a new/clean filter? Problem is, my filter is not new.
Thanks
Andy
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Hello Andy,
I'd love to hear some thoughts of others who know something more about this, as I've often wondered about mine. After last filter change, the filter minder always goes up a little, and it was my understanding that it should only go up when it's dirty.
Bryan
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The filter minder should go up a few notches on the meter just after resetting. I would not let it go much further than the notch before the red zone (22). If the minder is not moving up after resetting, then you should check for a problem with the filter, hose or line from the minder. If the filter has more than 20k miles on it or a couple of years of service, I would change it...
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Thanks, Karl, for the info!
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The filter minder should go up a few notches on the meter just after resetting. I would not let it go much further than the notch before the red zone (22). If the minder is not moving up after resetting, then you should check for a problem with the filter, hose or line from the minder. If the filter has more than 20k miles on it or a couple of years of service, I would change it...
Thanks, Karl. the Minder and the line to the intake are both working properly. I'm suspecting the filter element has failed in some way (collapsed?). I can find no records from the PO that it was ever changed (now 60K miles), and also my latest oil sample came back indicating a small level of dirt contamination. I'm going to change the filter ASAP, because, being a Type A, I shall worry about it if I don't. <G>
Andy
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Hi Andy,
I just changed the filter on my C13 . I think the coach was still using the original. It was at about 23 (about 50,000 miles now) when I changed it and the new filter shows close to the bottom but still registers a bit of restriction which I think is likley normal. If it isn't registering at all I would suspect air is bypassing the filter somewhere. Hope this is helpful.
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If you have a 2005 Patriot Thunder with the C13 and have not done something to improve the air intake, I guarantee you will be reading a high vacuum gauge pressure. The air restrictions from the inlet to the filter to where the vacuum guage is located will cause this high reading. Only after considerable rearranging of the air filter and changing the air intake hoses have I been able to get decent readings and then I can see the increases as the filter begins to get dirty. I always have some reading on my guage when I put in a new filter. By the way, I had a lot of work done in warranty to get improvement in the air flow and they made a lot of changes on the 2006 which has much better air flow.
Roy
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Hi Roy: I recently bought the unit so don't know if the air intake has been upgraded or not. I do have an airbox manifold assembly on the intake end of the filter with two large diameter (6" + flex tubing) heading to the driver's side intake. I do wonder why the intake is on the drivers side when the air filter sits along the passenger side though, Seems to me that it would be more efficient on the passenger side, where the filter is located? I did note a significant drop in the filter guage reading with the new filter. Thoughts?
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Hi Andy,
I just changed the filter on my C13 . I think the coach was still using the original. It was at about 23 (about 50,000 miles now) when I changed it and the new filter shows close to the bottom but still registers a bit of restriction which I think is likley normal. If it isn't registering at all I would suspect air is bypassing the filter somewhere. Hope this is helpful.
Very helpgul, Dwight. Thanks. I'm going to the coach tomorrow to look for.... A. a plugged filter minder fitting at the intake, or B. a torn/collapsed filter. Even though I'm doing to change the filter next week anyway, I just gotta know...!!
Andy
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Dwight,
I enlarged the hole at the intake in the fiberglass inside the mesh screen. Placed a smooth pipe into it which would fit into the flex tubing then changed the location of the filter so it paralleled the back of the coach. I also cut the door frame a little so the flex tube would not be squashed down to go between it and the filter input. Connected the back of the filter to the original hose which cut out one 90 degree turn. If you have a manifold leading into the filter with two intakes, one on each side of the coach, that is one of the first attempts done by Monaco to get more air.
Bill McGimpsey enclosed the whole area above the engine door to give him plenty of air from which to draw into the filter. He really reduced the vacuum.
Hope this helps.
Roy
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Hello Dwight Wilson I am in Alberta as weiil I just bought a 2005 Beaver Patroit Thunder as well from the sounds of your unit you have the updated air intake system where they run another air intake opening on the pass side of your coach then feeding into a air collector box joining the left hand intake then going into the air cleaner
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Very helpgul, Dwight. Thanks. I'm going to the coach tomorrow to look for.... A. a plugged filter minder fitting at the intake, or B. a torn/collapsed filter. Even though I'm doing to change the filter next week anyway, I just gotta know...!!
Andy
Well, the Filter Minder appears to be working correctly and the hose connecting it to the intake is clear. I must have a hole in the filter somewhere, because there's absolutely NO reading on the Filter Minder after a short freeway trip.
Andy
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Andy,
Please describe how you determined the Filter Minder was functioning, and how you determined the hose was clear.
Larry
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Andy,
Please describe how you determined the Filter Minder was functioning, and how you determined the hose was clear.
Larry
Well, I disconnected the hose at the intake end, sucked on it and it held the vacuum. So, no holes in the hose. Also the Filter Minder went up and stayed there until I reset it. I reconnected that end of the hose and disconnected it at the Filter Minder. I blew through that end and it was clear. Still trying to get the taste out of my mouth!!!
Andy
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Hello Dwight Wilson I am in Alberta as weiil I just bought a 2005 Beaver Patroit Thunder as well from the sounds of your unit you have the updated air intake system where they run another air intake opening on the pass side of your coach then feeding into a air collector box joining the left hand intake then going into the air cleaner
Nice to "meet?" you Michael. It does look like it may have been upgraded but both intake ducts go all the way over to the drivers side which seems in my mind to be inefficient. Do you have another grill installed on the passenger side to accommodate the added duct? I haven't put enough miles on yet to determine where my mileage sits so will probably just stand by to see how it goes. Thanks for the advice, hope to see you all on the road sometime. Determined to "get out of winter" next year!
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Andy,
Did you check for leaks at all the joints connecting the air tubing from the filter output through the air cooler to the engine intake? Any leak along the way could cause the indicator not to rise. It appears you are due for an air filter change anyway. After you change the filter, the indicator should be up the scale a bit. If it is still at zero, look for those connections for leaks.
Larry
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Andy,
Did you check for leaks at all the joints connecting the air tubing from the filter output through the air cooler to the engine intake? Any leak along the way could cause the indicator not to rise. It appears you are due for an air filter change anyway. After you change the filter, the indicator should be up the scale a bit. If it is still at zero, look for those connections for leaks.
Larry
All the joints LOOK good, Larry. There are no obvious signs of a split boot or bad connection. I'll know more when I change the filter this coming week.
Andy
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Andy,
Did you check for leaks at all the joints connecting the air tubing from the filter output through the air cooler to the engine intake? Any leak along the way could cause the indicator not to rise. It appears you are due for an air filter change anyway. After you change the filter, the indicator should be up the scale a bit. If it is still at zero, look for those connections for leaks.
Larry
BTW, Larry, the output from the filter goes directly to the turbo intake. After the turbo and through the cooler, the air is pressurized, so any leak there would result in a hissing noise and loss of boost (power). No such noise.
There are a couple of joints between the filter and the turbo, however. I did look at those and they appear to be sound. Thanks for the suggestion, though.
Andy
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Andy,
The 95 Patriot with the 8.3 Cummins had a very generous air intake system, and probably will not register any vacuum on the Filter Minder with a clean filter, but since you do not know when the last filter was changed, it will be prudent to replace the filter to prevent the possibility of engine damage if you have a defective one.
Gerald
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Hello Dwight,
Nice to meet you as well. We come to Calgary and camp at the site by the old Olympic ski hill. Coming there this Sept to get a sat system installed. Anyways, if I give you my email, and I can send you some pictures of my system. I have a opening low in the pass side, as well as the factory one high on the drives side, both join behind the air filter in collecter box. My email is as follows: mar02@hotmail.ca