Tapping dust out of air filter

[MParr]

I’m with @slomo
You all can do as you please. I will continue to oil my pre-filter. There is not any oil getting on to the paper element of my mower.

 

[sgkent]

well, we all can agree that dust is a pain. Here in CA some areas it carries Valley Fever so running around in the dust can kill you. Any dust with lots of silica particles can cause other lung diseases. I think mowing a day after rain or watering might be healthiest.

 

[7394]

Thankfully we haven't had any K&N filter lovers on here yet.

I run K&N's on my Harleys... Not my mowers..

 

[jcworks]

FR691V
Good. Yes, get you a foam pre-filter. It’s washable with dish soap and warm water. Some folks like to use a foam filter oil on the pre-filter. You can get that at your parts store or motorcycle shop. Always spray lightly on a clean dry foam filter. You will still need to clean the paper element periodically. Refer to your manual. Compressed air can damage the paper element. A leaf blower works much better. Blow from the inside to the outside.

Good idea on the leaf blower, thanks!!

 

[bertsmobile1]

Oiling the foam prefilter will not hurt it
It just makes it harder to clean and at worst can restrict the air flow so much that the engine can run rich .
As for removing the filter to tap or blow it out .
I am not in favour of doing that as the seal between almost all mower filters & the housings is poor and I find a lot of filters that have been leaking around the seal , particularly the ones that are open at both ends and the square panel filters used on push mowers
So my rule is "if I have to remove the filter, then replace it " and that is universal regardless of weather it is a $50,000 professional ride on or a $ 50 line trimmer .
Filters are cheap & easy to replace . Rings are a lot more expensive to replace .

 

[jcworks]

Makes sense. Thanks

 

[CJSNIDER]

I can not see why fitting an air filter that is available as an add on option to the mower when new would be illegal
But then I can never see any sense in most of what governments do particularly EPA's yours or ours
I can not reproduce & post my Feb 2022 wholesale kawasaki price if I want to keep selling them but the difference in price I pay from my distributor for the FX 691v to the FR 691v is $970 ( Aus)
Add my 30% mark up +10% GST on top of that and it comes out at $ 1387 to the customer which used to be more than $ 1000 when I went to school
I am expecting an update to that price list as that wholesaler just added 9.5% across the board to all prices as of July 1 which is the beginning of our financial year .
I can fit the double element Donaldson for just under $ 300 or the single element Enginaire for just under $ 200 and both of those prices include the air flow meters to tell you when to change the filter so you don't damage the soft sealing faces checking to see if a good filter needs replacing .

I presume you are a technician of some sort so I would ask how many old Sprint engines come in with next to nothing of the foam filter left in the housings
And how many of the leave working fine with an oil change & a new filter fitted ?
Now for an all alloy bore things would be different.
FWIW Kawasaki use a soft bore and hard rings so the cross hatching wears off quickly after which the rings can no longer maintain a good seal to the bore .

That cross hatch is in order to help the piston rings “seat” or wear into the cylinder. They are no longer needed after the rings seat.

 

[CJSNIDER]

Oil rigs basically have near zero dust, dirt or grit like media now do they?

Compared to dry south Texas with trees in the yard cutting half dirt and weeds. Dust cloud fogs out the entire block..... Come on guys!!! "Brandon Biden"

And the one about foam blocking leaves and sticks only. LOL

Thankfully we haven't had any K&N filter lovers on here yet.

I have K & N filters on all of my motorcycles. I clean and oil when needed.

 

[bertsmobile1]

That cross hatch is in order to help the piston rings “seat” or wear into the cylinder. They are no longer needed after the rings seat.

Totally wrong
The cross hatch fills with oil and actually helps the rings make a seal
It is also a good indication of wear in the bore
Remember these are mower engines with castiron linners and cast iron rings not a chrome plated bore with steel rings ( although in that case the micro cracking in the chrome holds the oil ).

 

[slomo]

IF you were ever taught about compressed air safety then you would have been told never to blow it on your skin because it will blow tiny tiny water droplets right through your skin
For the same reason you should never used compressed air to blow out a paper filter as any water droplets ( and there always will be ) will blast holes through the filter

Not to mention most lack dehydrators on their air compressors. So moist humid air is always leaving the nozzle.