How do I test a filter minder?

[belfert]

I have a Donaldson Servisignal filter minder on my air filter housing.  How do I verify it is working?

I tried covering the air intake with a sheet of cardboard while the engine was idling, but the indicator did not move.  I'm thinking I need to replace the Servisignal and it is cheap enough, but it would be nice to be able to come up with a better way to test it.

[thomasinnv]

I am thinking at idle it wouldn't suck much air so that may not be an accurate test? Did you block the entire intake? If so I would think you may have a leak somewhere. Diesels usually don't like to run without air.

[Ed Hackenbruch]

I have seen construction equipment that has lost power/stopped running because of clogged air filters even thought the filter minders said they were good. I don't trust them, i am old school, i watch the exhaust for any changes and if it starts running rich it is time to look at the filters. I think a lot of fuel is wasted by relying on the minders. I don't have them on my bus and would not bother putting them on. Doing it my way.

[lostagain]

The filter minder on my air filter doesn't read like it used to. Next time I change filter, I won't bother using one anymore. I have gotten used to knowing how clogged the filter is by looking at how much smoke I'm putting out.

JC

[luvrbus]

I never used one people buy those things off ebay and they never match their engine and waste money buying new filters to me that is the purpose of one selling filters

good luck

[belfert]

I thought I got the whole intake blocked, but I don't really know for sure.  I might pull the rubber elbow going into the intake to see if blocking the air there trips the filter minder.  I know the original filter minder worked as I had a partially plugged intake when I bought the bus.  The original cracked somehow and I replaced it.

My Series 60 runs so clean as far as exhaust I don't know that I could tell the difference.  It does smoke some as the white enclosed trailer we towed through the Rockies last year was absolutely black from soot.  The smaller charcoal gray enclosed trailer we towed the year before didn't get dirty, but it also was 3 feet narrower so it may have been out of the exhaust stream.

[belfert]

My bus came with a filter minder as manufactured.  The filter housing is Donaldson so they included one of their Servisignal filter minders.

I am getting mixed messages on when to change the filter.  I've asked before and they are supposed to last 100,000 miles.  Others said to wait until the filter minder indicates a need to change the filter.

[luvrbus]

Just take the filter out and blow it out with air use 20lbs so not to tear the filter I know people say don't blow with air but all the heavy equipment manufacture say it is ok to do, we did it 2 times a day in certain conditions and 100,000 miles sounds about right for a highway vehicle
You should change it every 3 years regardless of mileage those are treated with a chemical and the chemical dissolves and disappears over time that is why you don't wash one unless you have access to the treatment chemical

good luck

[artvonne]

  Ive read several articles/threads, saying that closing the emergency air door on a Detroit would suck the seals out of the blower. I read one discussion that in a run away, someone tried stopping the engine by covering the intake with a piece of plywood, and it sucked the plywood in, so I cant imagine a piece of cardboard not getting sucked in. The volume of air going into that huge engine is far greater in volume than any old Gas V*, and I know for a fact they will just about suck your hand into the carb if you they to cover it.

  Diesels dont have a throttle, and with that blower sucking air, they suck a lot of air. If you put cardboard over the intake and it didnt suck it in or flip the filter minder, im thinkin you have a major air leak somewhere.

[luvrbus]

Brian, has a 60 series DDEC you cannot hardly cut off enough air to stop one at idle takes a while with all the air in the cooler loop.
Paul check your fuel rods if you have the 1 screw spring loaded rod chunk the shut down those were there for one purpose and that was to kill the engine when it had a stuck injector never was designed for a runaway 4 strokes will runaway also not just a 2 stroke deal


good luck