Safari Snorkel Pre-Cleaner

Michael Slade

Untitled
I have the Donaldson 7inch precleaner on my Safari Snorkel. It's feeding air through a second Range Rover paper air filter then on to the Chev 350.

NO problems in 4+ years, a lot of it highway driving.
 

overlander

Expedition Leader
I've had a donaldson for years that I hand carried back from australia. It's was originally on my Disco I and now it's on my D110. works very well on the petrol Disco and the Diesel 110, with plenty of highway driving over 70 with no perceived loss of power.

Just driving around Charlotte for 6 months caked the inside of it.

When I was in Iraq, all of our HUMVEE's had donaldson's on them too. Same one I have, only bigger. Must have been a 10".
 

TeriAnn

Explorer
What no analytical types in the group?

Prefilters have a minimum air flow needed to work properly and a maximum air flow beyond which the prefilter starts to restrict the flow. The trick is to look at the RPM range you actually use then pick a prefilter that can handle that air flow.

How do you do that?

simple if you use this handy dandy formula:

cfmFormula.gif


Now, my 302 engine is at 2650 RPM at 65 MPH and almost never sees more than 3000 RPM at shift points.

So running the numbers, the 302 pumps 131 CFM @ 2000 RPM and 197 CFM @ 3000 RPM. Looking at the specs for Donaldson top spin prefilters, the H002425 has an operating range of 90 CFM to 200 CFM, and fits a 3" dia snorkel tube & has a 7 inch dia body. That would basically cover the 302 V8 from low RPM rock crawling through 75 MPH without restricting air flow.

Those larger 10" diameter prefilters some people mentioned don't work properly below 200 CFM (At least the Donaldson ones). I'd have the keep my V8's revs above 3200 PM just to get the prefilter to start working properly.

How hard can it be to chose the right size precleaner for an engine?
 

big sky trapper

Adventurer
I ilke teri ann's approach sounds simpler and cheaper than mine over the years....bolt on said part then modify untill it cost twice as much as new till it dosnt work as intended any more.....then start over.

:)
 

overlander

Expedition Leader
TeriAnn said:
What no analytical types in the group?

Prefilters have a minimum air flow needed to work properly and a maximum air flow beyond which the prefilter starts to restrict the flow. The trick is to look at the RPM range you actually use then pick a prefilter that can handle that air flow.

How do you do that?

simple if you use this handy dandy formula:

cfmFormula.gif


Now, my 302 engine is at 2650 RPM at 65 MPH and almost never sees more than 3000 RPM at shift points.

So running the numbers, the 302 pumps 131 CFM @ 2000 RPM and 197 CFM @ 3000 RPM. Looking at the specs for Donaldson top spin prefilters, the H002425 has an operating range of 90 CFM to 200 CFM, and fits a 3" dia snorkel tube & has a 7 inch dia body. That would basically cover the 302 V8 from low RPM rock crawling through 75 MPH without restricting air flow.

Those larger 10" diameter prefilters some people mentioned don't work properly below 200 CFM (At least the Donaldson ones). I'd have the keep my V8's revs above 3200 PM just to get the prefilter to start working properly.

How hard can it be to chose the right size precleaner for an engine?

Finally! A mathmatical validation that bigger isn't always better! :wings:
 

adventureduo

Dave Druck [KI6LBB]
I was driving home tonight with my passenger window down (rarely drive with the windows down).. and damn that thing sucks! literally.. sounds like a hoover! I never noticed it with the windows up.
 

TeriAnn

Explorer
big sky trapper said:
I ilke teri ann's approach sounds simpler and cheaper than mine over the years....bolt on said part then modify untill it cost twice as much as new till it dosnt work as intended any more.....then start over.

My typical analytical approach is very time consuming and would drive many people crazy:

1. Identify the problem

2. research the problem to try to learn its parameters and potential gottchas.

3. research existing solutions that others have used for similar problems, how well those worked and what off the shelf solutions are available.

4. Compare my problem to the problems others found solutions for to identify those solutions which are most applicable.

5. Run a comparative study of existing solutions to identify best ideas that are most applicable to my own problem.

6. synthesize a best solution for my particular problem from the best ideas previously researched.

7. Create a clear plan of implementation

8. Implement

9. chase down assorted gremlins and teething problems

10. have a nice cuppa tea & enjoy.

11. refine everything so it works even better.


Very slow. It took me over 2 years to decide how I wanted to convert my Land Rover regular into a long range expedition vehicle and about 6 months to repair, refurbish & install a Dormobile kit, design & fabricate additional furniture, design a 15 gallon water tank, filler & filter system, fabricate the parts & install it, set up a built in 5 gallon propane system, add a second battery and rear electrics, have the vehicle painted and an all new interior, convert to a Salisbury (Dana 60) rear axle assembly with ARB air locker, add a automatic torque biasing diff up front plus a few other odds & ends.

I immediately tested everything with a 3 month long camping trip.

When I decided I needed additional power to haul my RV around, I spent a year exploring engine & gearbox combinations that could fit into a Series Land Rover, installation & operational cost numbers of promising solutions, collecting gear ratios, running possible gear ratios and estimating their affects on performance & fuel economy. Then after a year of research, in a tad over a month, my Land Rover went from a 2.25L four cylinder engine optimistically rated at 70 hp to a 1970 Ford 302 V8 with Borg Warner T-18 gearbox, Series Land Rover transfer case (one of the strongest transfer cases available) with Ashcroft high ratio kit (increases high range gears while leaving low range alone). An unexpected bonus added at the last moment for additional interior space was power steering. Always keep an eye out for serendipity, she is your friend.

Being saddled with an analytical mind means not doing anything quickly. For the longest time it looks like you are doing absolutely nothing other than poking around looking at things & asking weird questions. And you are always collecting specifications and performance data. A lot of people do not have the patience to put up with someone who has an analytical mind.

It also means that one should have supporting data available before one says "Good morning". An offering of a nice hot cuppa tea and a warm smile also helps back up the supporting data.

:coffee:
 

adventureduo

Dave Druck [KI6LBB]
This is what the pre-cleaner has picked up in the last month just from being on the street. **We have not been offroad at all with it yet

Im impressed.

cimg2418fo2.jpg
 

ntsqd

Heretic Car Camper
Then there is the approach that looks very, very similar to TeriAnn's, only getting something done takes 3x-10x longer. If it gets done at all. Which is more commonly the case. Witness my yard.......

It's known as "Analysis Paralysis".
(Term was coined by a fellow over on ck5.com)
 

telwyn

Adventurer
Will the 7" Safari PreCleaner fit a 3" Mantec pipe? Couldn't find the dimensions anywhere on the neck of the precleaner. Thanks.
 

Crikeymike

Adventurer
SOCALFJ said:
This is what the pre-cleaner has picked up in the last month just from being on the street. **We have not been offroad at all with it yet

Im impressed.

cimg2418fo2.jpg

I can't believe that it picked up a wedding ring. Good find!!!!



The 7" precleaner suits a 3" pipe/tube.
 

rickc

Adventurer
Good pricing on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TOP-...Z022QQitemZ350045881416QQtcZphoto#ht_2191wt_0

Just a comment. I think some of us forget that we are represented by people from all over the world/different geographies/driving styles/purposes. The original post asked if these precleaners work/are worth it. I think the first response was "no".

It is apparent that they do work and they are worth it if you live in a dusty environment (and have expensive air filters). I cleaned out my dust unloader the other day and found similar grit/dust/sand in the casing of my air filter box.

There was another post along the same lines recently regarding brush bars; one guy wrote back and said they are of no use and only good for looks. My guess would be that he doesn't have to deal with kangaroos!
 

JackW

Explorer
rickc said:
Good pricing on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TOP-...Z022QQitemZ350045881416QQtcZphoto#ht_2191wt_0


It is apparent that they do work and they are worth it if you live in a dusty environment (and have expensive air filters). I cleaned out my dust unloader the other day and found similar grit/dust/sand in the casing of my air filter box.

There was another post along the same lines recently regarding brush bars; one guy wrote back and said they are of no use and only good for looks. My guess would be that he doesn't have to deal with kangaroos!
Or Bambi!

I've noticed that my paper air cleaner element stays cleaner looking longer with the pre-filter - especially if I run a lot of dirt roads.
 

skinzluch

Adventurer
I know this is an old thread but just in case anyone is still looking for this info, here's where you can find a local distributor for Donaldson pre-cleaners.

https://dynamic.donaldson.com/WebStore/locator/locator.html

I also posted on my blog about pre-cleaners. There's a video, some basic info and list of Bay Area sources. I got a quote of about $30 from a distributor in Healdsburg (Sonoma County), which was about half as much as I saw them for online. Here's the blog post:

http://westcountyexplorersclub.com/2014/02/16/air-filter-pre-cleaners/
 

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