Print PDF
Favorite
Email
I recently bought a new-old vehicle and it had no air filter for the carburetor. My first attempt to find one at the auto parts store failed, so I made my own out of an aluminum cat food can and stainless steel parts from an old coffee maker I found.
The stainless steel screen from the coffee maker is very fine, although maybe not as fine as a paper filter. At least it will keep the cockroaches out. Also, if it ever clogs I can clean it and keep reusing it.
The stainless steel screen from the coffee maker is very fine, although maybe not as fine as a paper filter. At least it will keep the cockroaches out. Also, if it ever clogs I can clean it and keep reusing it.
Remove these ads by
Signing UpStep 1Design Evolution
The design started out with a bunch of round holes drilled in the bottom of the can. One hole centered the can on the threaded vertical rod of the carburetor. The next layer was the fine screen. The top layer was a stainless steel circle from the coffee maker, with round holes in it. The end result: the engine choked climbing hills for lack of sufficient air.
The next improvement was to cut larger holes in the can, using a drill and a nibbler tool (see the next step). For some reason, I chose to use three holes with three arms. Before even trying it, though, I noticed the other round part from the coffee maker with four holes.
I replaced the many-hole round part with the 4-hole round part and cut the can with 4 corresponding holes. That way the holes line up for more direct air flow.
Thus far, the car is running fine. If the air filter ever clogs, I can always just clean it off with detergent and water and keep using it. There will be no need to ever buy replacement paper filters.
A nut and spacer washer hold the parts together on the carburetor. Pressure is around the edge of the can, not in the center.
The next improvement was to cut larger holes in the can, using a drill and a nibbler tool (see the next step). For some reason, I chose to use three holes with three arms. Before even trying it, though, I noticed the other round part from the coffee maker with four holes.
I replaced the many-hole round part with the 4-hole round part and cut the can with 4 corresponding holes. That way the holes line up for more direct air flow.
Thus far, the car is running fine. If the air filter ever clogs, I can always just clean it off with detergent and water and keep using it. There will be no need to ever buy replacement paper filters.
A nut and spacer washer hold the parts together on the carburetor. Pressure is around the edge of the can, not in the center.
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
Since posting this, I added a PVC plastic cowl over the filter. I'm still aiming to eventually replace it with the original cleaner housing.
-Z.
A 5 HP mower engine has an air cleaner about this size. It uses oiled foam as the filtering element.
But you say this is for a vehicle. What kind of vehicle? If it's a car, have you considered going to the an auto recycling (a/k/a "junk") yard to find the proper filter housing from the same model car?
You need better filtration for this if you are running any type of internal combustion engine.
I put the cat food can filter back on and made a PVC cowl for it.
I'm not giving up on getting the original filter to work. For the moment, the car seems to run well. I don't know if there is enough air for complete combustion of the fuel, but the engine behaves well.
It would be nice to know how much airborne grit is getting through the stainless steel filter compared to what a paper filter would catch.