Air Cleaner Question

On the advice of a couple of pros on the forum, I pulled the air cleaner of my tractor and from what I can see it is totally stopped up. My question
is will the inside come out of the canister, there is a tab at the bottom that looks like it holds the filter in but I would like to be sure before I
tear into it. If it doesn't come out then what are some suggestions to clean it.

" my tractor "

That covers a lot of possibilities.

What model tractor?

Assuming it's an N, the bottom has a press fit into the sides. Get a good light & if your eyes are like mine, your reading glasses. You will find where the tabs are to pry it open.

Sometimes you can remove the mesh, unroll it & clean it in kerosene & reuse it. Sometimes, if you buy a ticket, you could win the Lottery. Chances are pretty good that you will need to replace the mesh. It comes in a roll. The filter takes 2 rolls. Steel wool won't work. Once you get it apart, plan on soaking the canister in your favorite degreaser for a few days. It will clean up! BTDT w/ three of them! Hint: Wrap the mesh around the breather tube (it is the same diameter as the tube inside of the air cleaner) Or, use a tube of caulk. Place the breather tube (or caulk tube) against the tube in the air cleaner & slide the mesh off, into the air cleaner. Otherwise, getting that mesh rolled tight & back into the air filter is like getting used toothpaste back in the tube.

Look at the cork gasket in the bottom of the canister. If you have oil leaking out of the cup, chances are you need to replace the gasket. Look at the gasket in the picture; it is so compressed that it needs to be replaced.


75 Tips

Thanks Bruce

Sorry I didn't identify the tractor it is an 8n, and from the looks of it from the outside the mesh will have to be replaced, thanks for the tip. While trying to figure out my carb flooding problem, and waiting for a response for the air cleaner, I discovered that I have a manifold leak closest to the number 4 spark plug, so this could have been my trouble whole time, now to get the gaskets and travel onward,I have found that the road to getting my "beast" going is full of surprises.

" I discovered that I have a manifold leak closest to the number 4 spark plug"

You'll be lucky if all it takes is a gasket.

Usually you will need a manifold.

And if the block is badly pitted, (usually around # 4) you will have problems; get out the hi-temp metal epoxy. (Not JB Weld) VersaChem's exhaust manifold repair, or ThermoSteel, is said to be good to 2000 degrees. Clean the area real well with brake cleaner, put a little epoxy on it, put some wax paper over it and bolt down the manifold. After it dries take off the manifold and take a die grinder and clean the epoxy that might squish into the port. Look at the manifold, again around # 4. If it’s pitted & burned, it isn’t going to seal. Time to surface it or get a new one. Do not double the gaskets! The gasket has two pieces, left & right (or front & back.....whatever) Use hi-temp Permatex or even Copper coat. Make sure the surface is squeaky clean!

75 Tips

I was afraid I could not get the mesh back in the canister.

So I placed the filter in a five gal bucket, filled the bucket with kerosene, covering the filter, let it set over night.

Poured out the dirty kerosene, then rinsed the filter with fresh kerosene until it ran out clean.

Then set the filter on my old wooden wagon bed for 24 hrs to let the filter drip dry and air out.

Installed the filter back on tractor, fired up and ran great.

From the amount of dirty kerosene that ran out of the filter, I do not think it had ever been cleaned.

Great info Bruce....as usual!!

Tnx. Glad to help.
75 Tips

Thanks for the tip, I will hope for the best but with my luck it will end up the most costly scenario. I did get the gasket set for it and the mesh for the air cleaner, it is a short weekend for me so it may be next Friday before I tear into it, will update with the progress again thanks for the tips.

Ronnie

A good trick for getting the old or new mesh back into the filter body is to take a tube of something like caulking and place the round spool of mesh over the tube. stick the end of the caulking tube into the small hole hole in the air cleaner. It will fit just right in that hole. then just slide the mesh on down into the air cleaner body. Works great.