mr. ed

Hi, guys. I thought I'd combine these two questions into one because they both relate as far as when to replace them.

1. Air filter: My truck has 31.5k miles on it and the original air filter is still in use. The indicator on the cover shows everything OK. Should I trust that device or just go ahead and change the filter anyway? When I owned gassers I never let the filters get that old.

2. Serpentine belt: Any idea as to when this should be changed as a preventive measure? I don't believe I've seen any threads on the forum relating to this subject.

Thanks....

madhat

Look in the maintence book for when you should change them... they have intervals that are recommended.

I would inspect the belt at every oil change for cracks that run the long way on the belt. Side to side are ok. (small ones...)

Air filters can go forever if you live in a clean area... take it out, pull the pleats open a little on the in side, look at it. Blow it out with an air hose if it's just mildly dirty... If it looks like garbage in the middle.... go ahead.

If you're like me, and are over protective of your truck, get a washable filter. I'd go with an oil free one, but I've had an oiled filter for a few years now, and I'm pretty happy. Then you can clean that sucker when ever you want!


HTH...

mastercaster

your filter minder isn't worth a crap. in fact dodge stopped using them i thought, either sometime in '08 or for the '09 model. your likely past due on the air filter. the belt should be good for 100k-120k anyway.

coolbreeze

I'd install a new air filter. Keep an eye on the belt, watching for cracking. They usually go a long time. I replaced one in 100,000 miles on my last Cummins.

Onelongshot

Mine is an 08 with a born on date of 03/06/2008 and it does not have the filter minder.

torquefan

I've found the filter minders to be fairly accurate over the years. Some engines, even stock, are stronger than others and will pull down the minder even on a clean filter. For this reason, I look at change in its position to judge filter restriction, rather than simply how much yellow is showing. It's a simple design that does a good job of indicating pressure difference from one side of the filter to the other.

Anyway, it is easy to inspect your filter by shining a bright light through it. If I can see light shining through it I continue to use it. I have 30k miles on mine, and it's still in pretty decent shape.

iweb

My minder was 1/2 way to the red all the time with the stock filter, I could reset it and one trip it was back to 1/2 way so I changed it out to a new stock one, same thing. I changed to Napa and no more problems plus they are cheaper.

Hounddog

Belts these days are a 100k maintance item etc.

J BODY

Guess you haven't seen what the "oil" of your beloved aftermarket air filter does to a mass airflow sensor on a 6.7. FWIW the air intake system is designed around the filter your truck was born with. Changing the filter design, whether it be a drop in or cone type filter, will change the air inlet strategy and alter the fueling resulting in more soot.

If you let your air filter go long enough there will be a message on your overhead to indicate it needs changed. It is monitored via the CCS sensor.

mastercaster

i've been running an oiled filter for over 10,000 miles now on this truck, and ran them on my last three trucks with no issues at all. my edge alters the fueling strategy too. big deal. all of the soot my truck produces goes out my 5" tbe. lol.

mr. ed

Thanks for the advice, guys. I recall reading in the instruction manual that it was NOT advisable to remove the air filter for visual inspection. IOW, we are supposed to rely on the indicator located on the filter cover. However, I guess this is a moot point because the indicator isn't being used any more, probably for obvious reasons (not accurate?). I didn't know that the overhead read-out would indicate a clogged filter. Appreciate your input....