Air Filter Element

[Stormbringer]

Just having a poke around the engine bay in my recently purchased boat (as you do !) and noticed that the air filter canister is empty .. ie no filter is fitted.

 

Question is - is this common / normal practice on the cut ? Or should I buy a new one ASAP?

 

I have sent an email to the seller asking if there is a bone fide reason it's not there - but I would really value the opinion of you experienced people on here

 

Engine is a Lister LPWS4 and seems to run fine - just wondering if it is ingesting harmful abrasive particles without a filter ?

 

Your thoughts appreciated...

 

Cheers

Andy

[Ex- Member]

Just having a poke around the engine bay in my recently purchased boat (as you do !) and noticed that the air filter canister is empty .. ie no filter is fitted.

 

Question is - is this common / normal practice on the cut ? Or should I buy a new one ASAP?

 

I have sent an email to the seller asking if there is a bone fide reason it's not there - but I would really value the opinion of you experienced people on here

 

Engine is a Lister LPWS4 and seems to run fine - just wondering if it is ingesting harmful abrasive particles without a filter ?

 

Your thoughts appreciated...

 

Cheers

Andy

 

Any engine should have a filter that stops dust and small particles from entering the combustion chamber. There was quite a debate on here a couple of years ago I recall where some boaters thought them un-necessary but at the end of the day no air filter will slowly cause damage to an engine.

 

 

 

[dor]

Vetus do not fit air filters.

On my previous boat with a Thorbeycroft, I took the air filter out. Result was a quieter engine and better fuel consumption. It wasn't a well designed filter housing and I think it was too tight round the filter, so the engine was working just to suck in air hence it being quieter.

 

The engine space of a boat is not like a car. It is not going to pick up dust and grit from the road. I can't see an engine getting damaged unless you drop something down the inlet.

 

Plenty of engines in non-road situations do not have air filters. Have something to prevent nuts falling down the air inlet, but above that why bother?

[RLWP]

My engine bay has air inlet ducts that are at the same level as the towpath, which is dusty, dirty and very regularly used. My air filter is protecting the engine while the boat is sat charging

 

I'm in the pro air filter camp

 

Richard

[by'eck]

I think the general thoughts are that over water there is less dust for the engine to ingest. How this pans out for a canal boat I'm not so sure. Many marine engines don't have air filters though.

[steamraiser2]

Conventional wisdom dictates that you should always have an effective air cleaner element. The dirt you find in it bears witness to that simple truth. However a lot of Gardners and Lister JPs have virtually no inlet filtration at all and seem to survive well enough. Personally I would fit one.

[RLWP]

Many Gardners live in engine rooms in the middle of the boat. I would consider leaving an air filter off for that

 

Our BMC lives in a cruiser stern and breathes through air ducts at towpath level. In addition the deck boards have drains full of mud or dust depending on the weather. You would be mad not to fit an air filter to our engine

 

Richard

[churchward]

I agree in open water a filter will be far less significant. In a canal environment there are plenty of opportunities for dust to get into the engine bay.

 

So on a canal I favour using a filter. On our engine I use a filter (Beta BV1505 or B38) and it visibly gets contaminated over time so something is being drawn in and prevented from reaching the engine so for me another good reason to keep using a filter.

[Denis R]

The engine space of a boat is not like a car. It is not going to pick up dust and grit from the road. I can't see an engine getting damaged unless you drop something down the inlet.

 

Plenty of engines in non-road situations do not have air filters. Have something to prevent nuts falling down the air inlet, but above that why bother?

 

Come and have a look at the filter element on my Beta 35 when I service it in a couple of weeks and you'll see why. It'll be as black as the ace of spades - I don't need that steady supply of 'glaze-busting paste' down my bores thanks!

[Timleech]

Come and have a look at the filter element on my Beta 35 when I service it in a couple of weeks and you'll see why. It'll be as black as the ace of spades - I don't need that steady supply of 'glaze-busting paste' down my bores thanks!

 

If it's really black, that's suggestive of an exhaust leak.

I agree they're highly desirable for an under-deck engine.

 

Tim

[Guest]

I have recently fitted an air filter to my (unfiltered) vetus. The very helpful man at Thornycroft made an adaptor whilst we waited. Unlike DOR I find it a lot quieter now Probably a different filter though. I probably wouldn't have bothered TBH but a Jack Russel cross dog acquired us, and leaves a layer of white hair wherever he goes. These are already present in the air filter housing after a very short time.

[Ex- Member]

Vetus do not fit air filters.

On my previous boat with a Thorbeycroft, I took the air filter out. Result was a quieter engine and better fuel consumption. It wasn't a well designed filter housing and I think it was too tight round the filter, so the engine was working just to suck in air hence it being quieter.

 

The engine space of a boat is not like a car. It is not going to pick up dust and grit from the road. I can't see an engine getting damaged unless you drop something down the inlet.

 

Plenty of engines in non-road situations do not have air filters. Have something to prevent nuts falling down the air inlet, but above that why bother?

 

 

 

There's a hell of a lot more dust on the calals than i've seen on that the roads, especially where they use that fine grit for cycle paths on tow paths and especially summertime.

 

If you have dust and grit on the floor of your boat then some of that would be sucked in the filter intake on it's way there. This will rarely cause your engine to fail, but as the dust and grit builds up it gets inbetween the piston ring and bores it scratches them which over time will result in less compression and oil seeping into the piston chamber eventually the engine becomes less efficient. The combustion chamber is designed to burn fuel and air

 

Not only that if something like a small nut or washer accidently gets sucked in then you would be looking at some instant instant damage.

 

Just because a marine engineer doesn't supply an air filter doesn't mean it shouldn't have one.

Edited August 24, 2011 by Julynian

[bizzard]

Fit one,apart from trapping dust,the engine will run quieter too as diesel air induction is noisy,more so than petrol engines.They are even sometimes termed as air silencers.Although mine and many others ST,SR's and so on often don't,just an alloy mushroom type vent,although a filter type is available for them. bizzard.

[MoominPapa]

Many Gardners live in engine rooms in the middle of the boat. I would consider leaving an air filter off for that

My Lister lives in an engine room in the middle of the boat and the air filter collects a goodly amount of stuff.

 

MP.

[mayalld]

The engine space of a boat is not like a car. It is not going to pick up dust and grit from the road. I can't see an engine getting damaged unless you drop something down the inlet.

 

Sorry?

 

engine vents at ground level, ground is compacted limestone or shale.

 

I reckon there is plenty of grit about.

[journeyperson]

Engine is a Lister LPWS4 and seems to run fine - just wondering if it is ingesting harmful abrasive particles without a filter ?

 

Your thoughts appreciated...

 

Cheers

Andy

 

 

My engine is a LPWS3 and has a foam type re-useable filter which is washed out with petrol and lightly oiled each time I do an oil change. It picks up some dirt but not a lot.

[Guest]

Might be total BS but I once read that grass cuttings (pollen?) were to be avoided in diesel engine air intakes. I will be interested to see what the air filter collects (or not) that I have put on the Vetus.

 

For the record Vetus advised that their engines don't need an air filter for canal use when I emailed them.

[wirren]

Our Nanni had an 'air box silencer' with no filter fitted so I swapped it for a K&N filter. I had to make a 40mm to 60mm adapter using some rubber pipe. Works fine, no noticeable increase in noise.

 

 

 

Mark

 

edit to add K&N give 0 to 60 in 3.4 seconds

Edited August 24, 2011 by wirren

[Guest]

Our Nanni had an 'air box silencer' with no filter fitted so I swapped it for a K&N filter. I had to make a 40mm to 60mm adapter using some rubber pipe. Works fine, no noticeable increase in noise.

 

 

 

Mark

 

edit to add K&N give 0 to 60 in 3.4 seconds

Exactly like a Vetus.

[Stormbringer]

Ok Guys

 

Thank you all for your advice and thoughts.

 

I believe (looking at the manual) that the filter would be a re-usable foam one, as described by journeyperson.

I will try and find an original and fit it I think.

 

Also - love the K&N idea...have used them for years on the road vehicles.

All that acceleration would be great fun on the boat :lol:

 

Thanks again all

Much appreciated

 

Andy

[Smelly]

Has anyone retrofitted a filter housing to an Isuzu 35 I wonder... I'm getting worried now!

[Peter R]

I believe (looking at the manual) that the filter would be a re-usable foam one, as described by journeyperson.

I will try and find an original and fit it I think.

 

My LPWS3 originally had one of these re-usable filters. However, several years ago I went to check it at service time to discover that all that was in the housing was the two pieces of mesh - all the foam had disappeared. The only conclusion I could come to was that it had disintegrated and then been 'eaten' by the engine! Since then i've used a disposable paper 'ring' cartridge fitted into the original filter housing.

 

If it helps I usually get my filters from Marine Engine Services.

 

Peter

[Stormbringer]

My LPWS3 originally had one of these re-usable filters. However, several years ago I went to check it at service time to discover that all that was in the housing was the two pieces of mesh - all the foam had disappeared. The only conclusion I could come to was that it had disintegrated and then been 'eaten' by the engine! Since then i've used a disposable paper 'ring' cartridge fitted into the original filter housing.

 

If it helps I usually get my filters from Marine Engine Services.

 

Peter

 

Hi Peter

 

That does help a lot - Thank you very much. (and have a greenie )

I think I will follow you with the paper element and will give MES a shout.

 

Thanks again

Andy