|
My experience changing the air filter on a 2017 Thor Aria 3901, with the Cummins ISB 6.7 diesel engine and a Racor 094973004 air filter. Your model may have a different configuration.
Disclaimer: my experience may not translate to another individual with different life and work knowledge. In my opinion do not attempt this if you have back issues, do not like working in confined space or do not have access to various tools that will be needed in order to swap out the air filter.
Note: These engine/transmission assemblies are built on a stand and then put in place, therefore the assembly person places the direction of clamp screws and nuts in such a way as to make their job easier(most likely yours will be like mine and difficult to remove the first time). I now have them facing in such a way that it is much easier to work on.
During the air filter change I did not lower the air suspension, rather I lowered the back jacks and raised it up about one inch to make it easier to roll under and out on my creeper.
In order to release the strap clamps that hold the filter, you will need to remove the approx. 10"x10" access panel that is located in the electrical connection bay. Four self-tapping screws hold the metal plate in place, remove the screws and the plate, do not release the clamps at this time.
I found it easiest to roll under the RV from the backend. I first release the two spring loaded band clamps that are on the side of the filter housing, this is the filter outlet and engine intake connection. It is a heavy rubber sleeve
that connects the two. Do not run the nuts completely off the band clamps. At this time it is best to get the rubber sleeve to move, you can pry against the filter to get it to move and then turn the sleeve and get it to move toward the engine.
Now comes the real fun part, getting to the upper band clamp, this a worm drive type band clamp. It has a straight blade slot for a screw driver and a hex for a nut driver. I could not use a nut driver the first time because of the direction the clamp was placed in. I sat up on my creeper to reach to the top of the filter to be able to loosen the clamp.
Now it is time to release the filter housing band clamps, these are the two that are reachable thru the access panel removed earlier, when releasing be cautious of the mouse trap affect upon release the clamp. I now bend these heavy duty strapsout a bit to give room for the filter removal. Now you can pull down and twist the filter to get it off the top hose connection, you may have to try and pry at the top of the filter also.
Once removed I removed the heavy rubber hose connector from the engine side, cleaned the inside edge and rearranged the clamps so that the nuts would be accessible from the bottom and toward the front of the RV. I also cleaned the inside of the top hose. Before putting in the replacement filter I applied silicone grease to the inside of the hoses and to the lip of the flanges on the air filter, this made removal the next time much easier.
My first attempt at taking out the filter was about 4 hours, the second time took 1 hour, the last time I had it out and replaced in less than an hour.
And to note the fuel filter is easy on the other side of the engine.
__________________
|
Thor Forums
