Donaldson Air Filter Replacement

[wagwar]

I have an '81 MCI MC9 w/ 6v92t and a Donaldson air filter.  The paper filter element goes inside a large and heavy metal canister. The canister is held up with two large band clamps. Replacing the element is very difficult and I'm never sure that I have it pushed up high enough to seal against the intake hole. The canister has the openings for intake (on top) and output (on side). I read on this forum that the Donaldson ECO filters are the best for a DD 2 stroke. Does anyone know if there is a direct bolt-on replacement ECO filter for my setup?  Will I be just as well off to simply replace the filter element? I was trying to come up with something that is lighter and easier to change - that heavy metal canister is in a very difficult spot to remove and replace!

[Iceni John]

Is yours an ECO-BC filter?   A year ago I replaced my old and beginning-to-crack filter with a Racor ECO-BC, model 094973002 (the biggest one made), that I bought from Harbor Diesel in Long Beach CA for about $150-ish.   The actual filter element inside is not replaceable, so the whole shebang has to be changed out.   You probably won't find any of these filters in stock anywhere now, so Racor made mine for me to order which means that it's new and not already dried out from sitting on a shelf for umpteen years.   The Racor website seems to be kaput, but here's Maesco's webpage for the ECO-BC filters: http://www.maesco.com/products/racor/r_ecoseries_intro/r_ecoseries_eco-bc/r_ecoseries_eco-bc.html

I still have the old filter, so I want to see if I can deconstruct it enough that I can get the paper element out of it.   If I can, I think I may be able to find a separate element that will fit inside the canister, and that should be a lot less expensive than buying the whole thing each time.   Obviously I have to make sure that it seals inside perfectly, but it's worth a try.   However, the top to the old canister is probably glued on  -  it won't come off without a fight.   Aaaargh.

Don't worry too much about sealing the inlet side completely airtight.   It's the outlet side that has to be 100% sealed, otherwise unfiltered air could get sucked in.   I rejigged my inlet pipework and used a 7" adjustable HVAC duct that can fit weird angles, so now it's a lot easier to get the whole filter canister in or out of its space.

John

[bevans6]

My Donaldson Eco filter is a huge metal can around 14" in diameter and 20" long with a 7" inlet and a 7" outlet.  It's all one piece, and when I got it I was amazed at getting so much filter for such a reasonable price.  I mean, it wasn't free but it was better value than I expected.  I think I could run it for 20 years before it would need replacing...

Brian

[luvrbus]

Check your Napa store parts books they sell the Wix brand ECO filters Donaldson is not the only manufacture of those filters they are made by different companies under Parker licensing

[TomC]

I replaced my Donaldson 6" in and out air filter with a 7" in and out. It is horizontally mounted with an side door access. The bottom of the filter has 4 nuts to take off to access the filter. The actual filter element is a conical filter that there is no mistake which end goes in (big end in first). Min is in on the side, out in the center. I once change out the filter element for a Wix, and the Wix rubber gasket was slightly bigger to the point that it was really a fight to get the base back on. Then changed back to the Donalson filter element, and no problems. Suggestion-to always use the original filter element the can was designed for.
I highly recommend you use the air filter that has a replacable filter element. Much cheaper then the entire throw away air filter can. Those sealed units were made for dummy truck drivers that didn't know which way to put the element into the can. I'm quite confident that us bus people are smarter then that. Then you can also check the filter periodically-whereas on the sealed cans, you can't. Good Luck, TomC

[Boomer]

Wagwar I can relate to your frustration as I have changed many MC8 and 9 filter elements in my day and every time I did so I swore that it was going to be replaced with an ECO filter.  Do some research in the Wix and Donaldson catalogs to see if one will fit for you, I'm sure there is.  By the way, the trick I used was to put a long handled shovel between the filter housing and the muffler shroud and pry it up into place after the clamp bolts were started.  ECO's are the way to go.

[Sam 4106]

I have the same air filter arrangement on my MC8. The first two times I had the canister off I removed the bolts from the band clamps. I thought there has to be a better way. Now I remove the four bolts that hold the band brackets to the frame of the bus. I find that to be much easier. When reinstalling the canister I put a piece of 2X6 flat on top of the muffler shroud and a 2X3, on edge between the canister and the 2X6. I use a jack under the outer end of the 2X3 to push the canister up into place. I almost always work alone so I have to adapt to free at least one hand to start the bolts. I took me a few trial and errors to develop my system. I also learned to insert the top of the canister into the opening in the side of the bus first, then the bottom. It's still a hassle to R&R the canister but, for me, not as bad as removing the band clamps. I wish the engineers had learned to place the air filter canister horizontal, like the 102 models, sooner, and access from the back of the bus. That way you don't have to remove the canister at all.

With the few miles we put on our bus I shouldn't have to do that job too soon again. Unless I have to access that area to replace alternator bearings, belts, manifold gaskets, adjust the valves, injectors, jakes, or the multitude of other things. AH, the fun of bus ownership!

Good luck, Sam