GM 4106 - Oil Bath Air Filter Alternatives?

[eagle19952]

do I hear an echo in here....

[chessie4905]

Nah, great posts just need repeated.

[RJ]

Consider a truck boneyard for a replacement air filter unit; take along a measuring tape.

Chris -

Chessie just mentioned the same thing Scott did in his thread!

Since you've got Pixel, maybe the guys at Interstate can direct you to a yard nearby where you could poke around to find something that will fit. 

Great idea!

FWIW & HTH. . .

[Gordie Allen]

From the photo you posted, I think you could do something very similar to what I did.  You get the ABS canister and filter matched to your CFM in one online purchase.
Gordie

[technomadia]

From the photo you posted, I think you could do something very similar to what I did.  You get the ABS canister and filter matched to your CFM in one online purchase.

Gordie - do you have any pictures of your setup?

  - Chris

[chessie4905]

  The problem I see is that getting the right diameter that will fit up in the hole won't be too difficult, but length might be to allow enough room for the elbows or connections. I would try to get the largest that would physically fit without major amount of labor to change filter in future. No matter what you use, it will probably take at least 20 min to do it, as it will need to be dropped out of the overhead hole, and then pulled apart, unless you use a throwaway unit, which may be more practical, but several more dollars at service time. I still would try and find a truck bone yard with a measuring tape in your pocket or a heavy duty truck supply house that might let you try some. Also consider a large truck stop/ service plaza that may carry , at least throw away assemblies that you could either measure or try and return if fitment isn't practical. Make sure you don't find a filter canister that is an oddball and finding a cartridge ends up being a special order every time it needs serviced.

[Gordie Allen]

Chris,
I posted some pix on first page of this thread.  If you need other shots, let me know.
Gordie

[Gordie Allen]

Chris, here's the setup before it was taped and Dynamat was added.  Previous photos show how I enclosed the canister.
Gordie

[Miss Scarlett]

If my bus had an oil bath setup I might be looking at changing just because of the ease of buying a new filter element once in a while. I worked in a limestone quarry from 1980-1985 and as you might imagine the dust was always thick in the air. The trucks we used to haul from the crusher plant out to the stockpiles all had 71 series Detroits. We had about 7 trucks that we used in extreme dust every day. These were old trucks the owner picked here and there and no one knew the history of any of them. All but one had oil bath filters.

We worked 10 hour shifts 5 days a week and ran those trucks as hard as humanly possible. The plant had to run at a pretty good volume to make a profit and whatever it produced we HAD to haul away and get back quickly enough to get the next load before the bins ran over. Needless to say, driving it like you were mad at it was just part of the job.

Detroit 2-strokes are tough! In the 5 years I was there we only had to rebuild one engine. The truck with the paper filter developed a split in the rubber boot between the filter and the blower and the dust did its damage quickly. Of course that was not the fault of the filter.
Looking back at all the abuse we put those engines through and the dusty conditions I remember that I cleaned the oil bath on my truck once every 4-5 weeks. I'm sure there is research that proves paper is better but the old oil bath ain't bad.

[Uglydog56]

Okay I have to ask. What is the problem with the oil bath air cleaner? Is it restrictive?  I still run the oil bath on my bug and my 56 Chevy. I love them. Why change if you aren't bumping up the horsepower?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[RJ]

Okay I have to ask. What is the problem with the oil bath air cleaner?

Rick -

In Chris & Cherie's case, the OEM oil bath air filter assemblies are long-gone, thus his search.

Unless you, or anyone else, happens to know of somebody scrapping a 4106 with the OEM set-up?

FWIW & HTH. . .

[technomadia]

Chris, here's the setup before it was taped and Dynamat was added.  Previous photos show how I enclosed the canister.

That is a great setup Gordie - nicely done!

I need to stay within the confines of the engine bay - I don't want to cut apart our bedroom closet for the air filter if I can help it.

I think I should have space for a sizable filter mounted above the transmission. But it would be great to see some more examples of how others have handled this.

I think I may need to go pour over my photo albums for engine bay photos from bus rallies.  :-)

  - Chris

[Purplewillie]

I'm a little late to the party,
My 4905a has had a dry air cleaner added.There is a sticker on the air cleaner "fa1591-2.  Replacement ca1591" I think Fram numbers, air cleaner from GMC Titan . It is mounted above the 8v71, drawing air from the boxed in area above the v730, that is open to louvers on the passenger side of the body. It's long almost 30" , draws air from the side of the filter. Found info indicating some where's around 1500 cfm for the fram filter, I found a crossover to a Napa gold number, not sure of the cfm for it

[Purplewillie]

[Roger4106]

   Go to KN filters, They have filters that fit close to the old original. 2 of them will be more than enough cfm and should be space for 4 of them. Maybe a little price up front but you can clean them  your self.                 Roger 4106