Proper air filter setup for L200 / L210?

[StorminN]

Hi guys,

I recently bought an old L200, and I'm going through it little by little, trying to make things right...

The air filter on this tractor consists of a cyclone and an oil bath filter, with an element above the oil bath (see diagram from parts manual below).

Here's my question... the air filter element that came with my tractor doesn't seem to match the diagram in the parts manual (but the parts manual is for both the L200 & L210, and there are other small discrepancies on other parts of the tractor, so it could be wrong)... but I can't figure out how the filter I have is supposed to work, in the housing that it's in...

As far as I can tell – as it is now, the intake air could come down the center tube from the cyclone, but it sort of dead-ends in the center of the air filter element... there's no place for it to go... and the way the element fits in the bottom pan, it's too small – so there's a gap, as it sits in the pan. I don't think it's supposed to sit in the pan at all, I think it's supposed to bridge the gap between the upper assembly, and the lower oil bath pan.

I've been scratching my head on this one, let me know what you think. I think all the intake air is bypassing the cyclone and the oil bath altogether, and just going through the element... here's some pics. Any guys out there with a L200 or L210, if you've got pics of your air cleaner setups, I'd love to see them...

Thanks!
-Norm.

 

[L4740]

I've been looking at your pictures, and then took a couple of my own. If you look at my first picture below, you see that the filter media, is in the top piece of the filter assembly. (That picture was taken looking up from the ground into the top part of the filter assembly) I do not have a removable filter cartridge in the lower half of my filter assembly as shown in your pictures. Maybe I should? But no where in the maint. manual, or parts manual, can I find any reference to a replaceable filter assembly. All the maint. manual says for service on the air filter is what weight oil to put in the oil bath. It says nothing about replacing or even cleaning a cartridge. I might have to check at my dealer to see what p/n 14106-1120 really is. In my parts manual it just says it is a filter assembly. Which I took to mean the body of the canister. In my parts manual, I show no replaceable, or even removable filter.
The other picture just shows the other parts of the filter assembly.

Addendum: After closer review. I see there is definitely differences between the two filter assemblies. On mine you can see that the lower oil pan does not have the large inner collar that holds up the cartridge filter that you have. On mine, the neck is much smaller and is just large enough to allow the bolt to pass up through it. My filter matches exactly what the parts manual shows. This may be due in part to the differences between the L200 and the L210. However, I did go to the dealer this morning and asked to see the air filter schematics for both the L200 and the L210 so I could compare them. Guess what? They are the same schematics. It didn't matter if you typed in L200 or L210, they are one in the same as far as the parts manual goes. The L200 is an older tractor than the L210 by about 4 years in the states. It could be older than that since it was also sold in Japan, whereas the L210 was not. These variations in some of the parts may be a carry over from when they were sold in Japan. Sorry I couldn't be of more help, but it looks like what you have is probably what it came with so I am guessing it is OK.

 

[StorminN]

Hi L4740,

Thanks for the reply. This is puzzling, to say the least. Here are a couple of more pics of mine, for clarification.

Here is the bottom oil pan, with the filter element in place... this is me putting it back together... this picture is taken at the point when the bottom bolt (that holds the two halves together) first touches the part it threads into.

And here it is when it's screwed together with the bolt tight... this is the gap I was talking about... doesn't look right?

And here's a view down the center of the filter element, with it sitting on the oil pan ... notice there's nowhere for the air to go down the center...

So, I think in this configuration, the cyclone on top is not being used at all... it can't, the vertical center tube dead-ends... all the intake air is coming through the small gap around the outside of the filter element, then down and near the oil, then back up through the filter element, and into the intake... clear as mud? (or as clear as the oil in this pan!)?

Thanks,
-Norm.

 

[L4740]

It appears to me that you are missing the entire middle section of the filter assembly. (Item #12 in the parts list). It also appears to me that the bottom part and the filter element are not original to the tractor. The long center screw has also been altered. The original screw would have been much longer with a wing nut looking end on it. Not a "T" handle. (See parts list). I am assuming someone shortened it to fit their new make shift filter, then welded the "T" handle on it. While I was at the dealer yesterday, I asked them to price item #12 for me. They said it came up as no longer available. You may want to check with your local dealer to verify that. You may want to start the hunt for a used one some where. You would need the bottom piece, the middel piece, the center screw, and what looks to be like three gaskets. Some of these parts may still be available from you dealer and hopefully someone on this board can steer you in the direction of used Kubota parts.
Good luck.

 

[StorminN]

Hi L4740,

Thanks for your reply. I think you're right on the money... my tractor missing some original pieces...

I finally got some time this weekend to get the filter assembly cleaned up, and once I wiped the gunk off of it, I noticed two abnormalities... first, you're totally right... the center bolt has been modified, with the T part home-welded to it. Second – and more puzzling, the bottom oil pan has a ring of brazing around the bottom of it, about the size of that large internal tube... but you can't see any brazing on the inside.

My thought is somewhere along the way, someone misplaced or damaged the original center section of this air filter, then they found a different element and bottom pan from some other tractor, and made them fit. Once they used this setup for a while, the oil bath pan started to crack at the bottom, because of over-tightening the bolt... so then someone put a ring of brazing on there to reinforce it...

I'll check the tractor salvage yards, and see what I can come up with...

Thanks!
-Norm.