Replaced the air cleaner on my MF202 yesterday. I never dreamed it would turn into a nine hour job. I started out wanting to replace the mesh on the inside. Then I heard from others that talked about how they had to cut their air cleaner body apart to replace it. So, I decided not to mess around doing that crap and just ordered a new air filter from YT. I got the air cleaner and figured it was probably made in China. As far as being able to change the mesh in it, it looks like it can be done. As you can see in the picture below, the part that holds the mesh in has tabs on it that lock into the slots in the air cleaner body. It looks like you could take a hammer and small chisel and just knock those tabs in a bit and get the mesh holder out. Then bend the tabs back before you push it back in place.
OK now for the fun part removing the old AC. Of course any time you have an FEL on a tractor, you can times the labor time by at least three. The trouble is that my AC has a pre-cleaner on it, so the job is more difficult. The job might not be too bad if you have a helper but I had to do it by myself. The air cleaner body and the pre-cleaner fit in there like some Chinese puzzle. You can’t get the pre-cleaner or the air cleaner out unless they both go in or out at the same time. It wouldn’t be so hard if I had someone on top to hold the pre-cleaner in the right position to remove the air cleaner. First hard part was getting to the hose clamps on the top hose. Finally getting them loosened, I had to take a Stanley knife and slit the old hose to get it loose. Once I got my hand in there with the knife I couldn’t see the hose so I just to keep hacking at it hoping I was cutting in the same cut. I finally got it off. Then I cut the bottom hose the same way to get that one off.
The bolts that hold the body in place were hard to get to. The left one was not too bad but the right one could only be accessed from the top where that pre-cleaner body was still in the way. After pulling the battery out, I finally got to work on the right hand bolt. I was able to get a box end wrench on it to turn it like and eight of a turn at a time. Finally I had both units loose and was able to get them out.
The two tabs for the body bolts on the old cleaner were both open slots. On the new one only the left one was a slot. The right side one was a regular hole. That right side was the hardest to get at so that’s the side that really needed to be slotted. That way you could put the bolt in that hole before you put the AC body in and slide the slot onto the bolt. No way could you gat a bolt started in the hole with the AC body in there. So I had to cut a slot on the right tab of the new body. Also had to deepen the slots some because the bracket on the new body was a little more spread out than on the old one so the holes didn’t line up with the bolt holes anyway.
The top breather pipe on the new AC body was about two inches higher than the old one. I decided to put the air cleaner and pre-cleaner in first to see if I needed to cut that pipe down. That’s where you really need two people since the AC body and the pre-cleaner have to go in at the same time. It’s the only way they will both fit in there. It’s like some demented old Chinese puzzle maker designed this set up. After a lot of juggling around I finally got both parts in with the AC body bolted up and found that I needed to cut the top breather pipe down so out they had to come again. No easy task. Ok, got the top pipe cut down for the pre-cleaner and had to juggle both parts back into place. Again, almost impossible by myself. Finally got them bolted down and discovered that I could not get the air cleaner tube in. There was just no way to do it. You had to slide that air cleaner pipe in before the air cleaner went in place. So, out they come again. Got the tube in place with easy to handle new hose and new clamps. Back to the Chinese puzzle again.
Finally got everything in and bolted in place and went to dry fit the air cleaner cup on just to make sure. The old AC had the big clamping ring with a big thumb screw that held the cup in place but this new one had the spring type latch clamps like my 8N has. Come to find out that I could latch the right hand clip into place because the hand part was hitting the hose in the air cleaner pipe and could not be pushed up. At this point I was almost ready to start drinking again after being sober for 25 years. I did not want to pull this crap out again. I had a dremel tool with a flexible shaft and using small cut off wheels on it managed to cut about a half inch off the handle latch. I broke about 5 of the disks while trying to get in ther with that dremel tool. That old oil cup clamp ring would not work on the new AC body either.
Finally after about nine hours of work I was able to fill the oil cup with oil and fire up the tractor. Man what a job. Being seventy years old didn’t help either. About three hours after getting the job done, my hands and legs started to cramp up on me from being in such weird positions and trying to work my hands in such tight places. Believe me, don’t start this job unless you have a helper. I’ll never do it again with out one.
OK now for the fun part removing the old AC. Of course any time you have an FEL on a tractor, you can times the labor time by at least three. The trouble is that my AC has a pre-cleaner on it, so the job is more difficult. The job might not be too bad if you have a helper but I had to do it by myself. The air cleaner body and the pre-cleaner fit in there like some Chinese puzzle. You can’t get the pre-cleaner or the air cleaner out unless they both go in or out at the same time. It wouldn’t be so hard if I had someone on top to hold the pre-cleaner in the right position to remove the air cleaner. First hard part was getting to the hose clamps on the top hose. Finally getting them loosened, I had to take a Stanley knife and slit the old hose to get it loose. Once I got my hand in there with the knife I couldn’t see the hose so I just to keep hacking at it hoping I was cutting in the same cut. I finally got it off. Then I cut the bottom hose the same way to get that one off.
The bolts that hold the body in place were hard to get to. The left one was not too bad but the right one could only be accessed from the top where that pre-cleaner body was still in the way. After pulling the battery out, I finally got to work on the right hand bolt. I was able to get a box end wrench on it to turn it like and eight of a turn at a time. Finally I had both units loose and was able to get them out.
The two tabs for the body bolts on the old cleaner were both open slots. On the new one only the left one was a slot. The right side one was a regular hole. That right side was the hardest to get at so that’s the side that really needed to be slotted. That way you could put the bolt in that hole before you put the AC body in and slide the slot onto the bolt. No way could you gat a bolt started in the hole with the AC body in there. So I had to cut a slot on the right tab of the new body. Also had to deepen the slots some because the bracket on the new body was a little more spread out than on the old one so the holes didn’t line up with the bolt holes anyway.
The top breather pipe on the new AC body was about two inches higher than the old one. I decided to put the air cleaner and pre-cleaner in first to see if I needed to cut that pipe down. That’s where you really need two people since the AC body and the pre-cleaner have to go in at the same time. It’s the only way they will both fit in there. It’s like some demented old Chinese puzzle maker designed this set up. After a lot of juggling around I finally got both parts in with the AC body bolted up and found that I needed to cut the top breather pipe down so out they had to come again. No easy task. Ok, got the top pipe cut down for the pre-cleaner and had to juggle both parts back into place. Again, almost impossible by myself. Finally got them bolted down and discovered that I could not get the air cleaner tube in. There was just no way to do it. You had to slide that air cleaner pipe in before the air cleaner went in place. So, out they come again. Got the tube in place with easy to handle new hose and new clamps. Back to the Chinese puzzle again.
Finally got everything in and bolted in place and went to dry fit the air cleaner cup on just to make sure. The old AC had the big clamping ring with a big thumb screw that held the cup in place but this new one had the spring type latch clamps like my 8N has. Come to find out that I could latch the right hand clip into place because the hand part was hitting the hose in the air cleaner pipe and could not be pushed up. At this point I was almost ready to start drinking again after being sober for 25 years. I did not want to pull this crap out again. I had a dremel tool with a flexible shaft and using small cut off wheels on it managed to cut about a half inch off the handle latch. I broke about 5 of the disks while trying to get in ther with that dremel tool. That old oil cup clamp ring would not work on the new AC body either.
Finally after about nine hours of work I was able to fill the oil cup with oil and fire up the tractor. Man what a job. Being seventy years old didn’t help either. About three hours after getting the job done, my hands and legs started to cramp up on me from being in such weird positions and trying to work my hands in such tight places. Believe me, don’t start this job unless you have a helper. I’ll never do it again with out one.
