Since first discovering the reverse flow air filter (in through the end, out through the side with vacuator valve on the clean air side) on our U240, I have wanted to replace it with something better. I ended up getting a Donaldson Powercore PCD100146 and with a little modification and fab work, have it mounted and working.
My other related project was to move the air intake from the dusty backside. The original 5" intake pipe begins near the 2 screens on either side of the rear camera. It was routed through two 45° elbows to a water separating box on the drivers side. From the box, another 5" pipe continues to the air cleaner.
I purchased a hood side vent for a Freightliner Cascadia and reluctantly cut a hole in the coach where I wanted to install it. I removed the 45° elbow that was above the taillight and used a 90° 5" to 6" adapt or elbow from the original air cleaner along with a horn shaped piece I cut out of the side of the original air cleaner housing. I cut and bent some galvanized tin to fill in part of the hole and used heavy foil tape to make and seal the transition. I used PL40 to seal up any gaps and painted it with flat black before installing the vent with SS screws.
I am much more confident in the filtering abilities of this new style air cleaner and better location for the intake.
Looks good,is the belt tensioner in the background bouncing around any,it looks like the original?
Yes, I think it is original and has lost some of its tension.
Check the pulley/belt alignment and oil the tensioner bearings a little if it is bouncing. Ours has gone over 100K. Bounced like crazy until the pulleys were aligned right after we bought ours. Unless a tensioner spring is broken or a bearing has gone dry and catches, I don't replace them.
Pierce
I should check the alignmment, but I think it runs pretty smoothly.
I seem to recall greasing the pulley bearing with a needle.
Dave,what do you get to replace when dirty,just the inside parts?
Someone should approach one of the shops in NAC about getting kits going and installing these.Looks like a better filter.
Here's a link to the Donaldson website:
PowerCore® PCD Air Cleaner│Donaldson Engine & Vehicle (https://www.donaldson.com/en-us/engine/filters/products/air-intake/cleaners/pcd)
The replacement filter is a P608666. It also has a safety filter which is a P601560. All of my farm machinery including my lawn mower has safety filters.
Just pull the belt off and spin it with your hands. Easy to tell if the bearings are dry. Makes a whirring sound and you can feel/hear if a bearing is bad. It should take a fair effort with a breaker bar or ratchet to move it to max tension. Bearings are at both sides. New ones are about $100 or a tiny bit more.
Pierce
Those Powercore filters are so much better than pleated paper. Awesome install!
Actually, the bearings are easily pressed out/in with a vice and most auto parts houses stock them.
BUT (big BUT) check that the belt movement is SMOOTH. If not, the dampening part of the tensioner has failed. Replace it. Much better than taking out the bearings on the other accessories from loading/unloading/loading.....
Just replaced one of mine last month,was bouncing a little,you could look at the rubber dampening and see it had some cracks.
Interesting filter system... according to Donalson, the largest model of that style air filter system can flow up to 974CFM, which according to a Donaldson chart (https://www3.donaldson.com/en/catalogs/engine/033611.pdf) that I came across (assuming that I read it correctly :o ), would support even an ISM based on the CFM requirement and have a margin of error for a 350HP ISC of a couple hundred CFM. I may have to do some research on this for a possible future project...
Don
And only available from one vendor, Donaldson, replacement price may reflect that fact $$$. As always be careful about who you sleep with and what their miracle performance claims are based on. Give the product away now, reap the benefits later is the new world order, if in doubt call Ben Dover.
In this case Ben Dover might be better then Ben Suck your wet filter into your engine.Found some Powercore stuff on Amazon.
It won't take a miracle to be better than the original bass-ackwards style.
I was using a blue Donaldson Endurance EAF5025 filter in the old air cleaner. The Powercore filter doesn't require any additional bending. :)
Just a clarification. "Backwards"/in center and out outside of filter IS JUST FINE-- AN ACCEPTED ARRANGEMENT.
But, only with filter elements designed for that configuration.
I realize that it is "ACCEPTED" with the correct filter, I just don't think it is the best idea for an RV. However, the Vacuator valve on the clean air side of the air cleaner is a terrible idea that is almost guaranteed to allow dust to get sucked in. I removed it and sealed the hole with foil tape as soon as I saw it.
Here is a crude drawing of the intake on our 240 in case anyone is interested.
Think part of the engineering of the so called bacwards style is that the air goes in on the end and comes out on the side and 90
degrees from the intake.
I had one member who purchased a coach with a small K&N automotive filter connected to the intake of a 6V-92 IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. He must have called 3 or 4 times trying to get me to say it was OK.
All operators should have a air cleaner restriction gauge easily visible when they check the oil. The maximum restriction is at wide open throttle and full load for all turbo engines. Easy to reset when you install a few filter. Each engine manufacturer will have a different maximum restriction. The 2-cycles use twice as much air so the maximum restriction is less.
Restriction gauges will use both inches of H2O and kPa
Pierce