In this article, you’ll learn What is an Air Cleaner. The diagram, Working, Parts, and Types of Air Cleaners in the engine are explained.
What is an Air Cleaner?
Your engine needs a lot of air to burn fuel. In a petrol engine, one part of fuel needs about sixteen parts of air by weight to burn the right way. Because so much air flows into the engine, it must be clean and free from dust or dirt.
Outside air usually carries dust, sand, moisture, and other bits of junk. If this dirty air goes straight into the engine, it can harm many important parts.
Dust can wear down piston rings, cylinder walls, bearings, valves, and other moving parts. It can also clog the carburetor and foul the spark plug.
To stop this, you fit an air cleaner at the air intake of the carburetor or intake manifold. All the air that enters the engine first passes through the air cleaner. It pulls out dirt and dust before sending clean air into the engine.
The air cleaner also cuts down the noise made when air rushes in. It also acts as a flame arrester if the carburetor backfires.
Types of Air Cleaners in the Engine
Air cleaners fall into groups based on how they filter and what kind of filtering material they use. The filter you pick for an engine depends on the kind of air the engine will work in.
The air cleaners people use most often are these types:
- Oil bath-type air cleaner
- Dry-type air cleaner
- Oil-wetted type air cleaner
- Paper pleated type air cleaner
- Centrifugal-type air cleaner
#1. Oil Bath Type Air Cleaner.
This is a heavy-duty air cleaner, it comes in many different shapes. The type shown in the figure sits on top of the carburetor and clamps onto the air horn. It uses a filter element soaked in oil.
At the bottom, there is a separate oil pan. The air cleaner works in two stages.
In the first stage, the air hits the oil surface and then turns upward into the filter element. The dust particles stick to the oil surface and get trapped by it.
In the second stage, the partly cleaned air moves through the filter element, which catches the remaining dust particles. Finally, the cleaned air flows to the carburetor through the passage.
Depending on how hard the engine works, you need to clean this type of air cleaner on a regular schedule. You take out the filter and clean it carefully with petrol. You also replace the oil in the cleaner.
#2. Dry Type Air Cleaner.
This is a light-duty air cleaner. It holds only a cleaning element and does not use an oil bath. The cleaning element is a specially pleated filter, and a fire mesh screen wraps over it to add strength.
This cleaning element sits inside a silencing chamber. The figure shows a part of a dry-type air cleaner.
#3. Oil-Wetted Type Air Cleaner.
It uses a filtering element, usually wire mesh, coated with a thin film of oil. Air flows through this element, and dust particles in the air stick to the oily film.
You should clean this type of air cleaner on a regular schedule, about every 800 km. Wash the wire mesh in petrol or paraffin. Let it dry completely, then coat it with engine oil. Let the extra oil drain off, and fit it back in place so it’s ready to work again.
#4. Paper Pleated Type Air Cleaner.
It uses a filtering element made of resin-impregnated paper. This air cleaner comes in a compact form.
It filters air very efficiently. By pleating the paper element, it creates a large filtering surface while keeping airflow restriction to a minimum. You should clean the element periodically, about every 20,000 km.
#5. Centrifugal Type Air Cleaner.
The figure shows a centrifugal-type air cleaner. In this type of air cleaner, the system gives the air a whirling motion, which throws heavy dust particles out to the edge of the casing by centrifugal force, and they leave through slots there.
The main airflow passes through vanes set at an angle to straighten the airflow, and then it enters the main air cleaner.
This cleaner does not perfectly clean the air, so it acts as a first-stage cleaner on installations that deal with heavy dust concentrations. People call it a centrifugal cleaner.
Directions for Cleaning an Air Filter:
- Check your Owner’s Manual before you clean the air filter. Always follow the manufacturer’s complete instructions for cleaning and maintenance. Make sure the engine feels cool to the touch before you start cleaning.
- Remove the filter. Take the air filter out, and take care so no dirt or debris falls into the airbox or intake. If there’s any housing on the filter, remove the housing and the wing nut that attaches the filter to take off the outer element.
- Apply the cleaning solution. Spray the filter with Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner and let it soak.
- Rinse. Use a faucet or garden hose to rinse the filter from both sides, starting from the inside toward the outside so you do not push dirt deeper into the fibers of the filter. Do not wring or stretch the filter, because they can tear easily. Rinse until the water runs clear. Repeat the process if you need to.
- Dry. Shake the filter to get rid of any extra water, then set it down to air dry. Make sure the filter is completely dry before you oil it (if you have an oiled filter) and put it back.
- Oil and replace. If you have an oiled filter, use fresh filter oil to soak the entire filter, including the sealing flange and lip. Modern vehicles that use a Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor need special care when you re-oil these types of filters, so you do not use too much oil and affect the sensitive wires of the MAF. Too much oil could make it measure air consumption incorrectly, which could turn on a “check engine” light. Apply the oil spray evenly along the top of each pleat on the filter. Then, squeeze out the extra oil and return the filter to its housing.