ROD AS 2066663 - Caterpillar

capacity and restriction of air cleaners are carefully designed for the optimal intake air volume and cleanliness of the engine. Proper service and management of the air filter protects the engine from dirt and dust, reduces engine downtime, increases filter life, improves efficiency, and reduces cost of servicing.
Use care when handling a new filter element during servicing. Keep the filter element clean and in the filters appropriate packaging until ready to install into the housing. Keep the filter element exposure to open air to a minimum to limit introduction of dirt or element damage.
Inspect the new filter element prior to installation into the housing to ensure that the element is free from any damage. Ensure that the filter element is well seated and sealed against the housing.
Do not remove the filter element from the housing in order to visually inspect the element prior to the service interval. Visual inspection of the filter element to determine the filters service life is not useful and is not recommended. Removing the filter element from the housing before the recommended and designed service interval can introduce dirt to the clean side of the filter element. This dirt can then be ingested into the engine causing damage and decreasing the performance.
A filter element would appear dirty during visual observation, but the filter may still have significant service life. Filter elements develop a "dirt cake" or a dirt layer during normal operation. The dirt layer increases the filter element efficiency. The efficiency of the filter element is lowest when the filter is new and the dirt layer has not formed yet.
Do not "tap" a filter element, such as on a hard surface, to remove the dust. Hitting the filter element on a surface to remove the dust can damage the filter element. Deeply embedded dirt cannot be removed by tapping the filter element. This process will also remove the dirt layer that increases the filter element efficiency.
Frequent opening of the housing for visual inspection, may lead to engine damage by potentially exposing the clean side of the filter to dust and dirt.
Always change air filter elements based on the air filter service indicator, not the appearance of the filter. Change the primary filter element when the restriction is at the level indicated in the Operation and Maintenance Manual.
Changing the air filter element based on a restriction indicator allows for optimal service life and efficiency of the air cleaner. Changing the air filter element prior to the designed life increases service time and cost unnecessarily. Changing an air filter element late may damage the engine due to potential failure of the filter element.
Air filter service indicator may need to be reset after new filter element is installed. Refer to the Operation and Maintenance Manual for instructions.
Typically secondary elements do not need to be serviced at every primary filter element service interval. Refer to the Operation and Maintenance Manual for the recommended maintenance intervals.
Use of filter covers and rain caps is preferred to protect the filter