L3130 100hr service found only 1 Air Filter!!

[dfkrug]

The knock is clearly toward the backside of the engine compartment (closest to operator seat) the dealer says that set of tappets/lifters are the ones to get oil last....

I would be surprised if any of these small diesels use hydraulic lifters like
some automotive car engines have. The few thousandths of an inch
valve lash you have in your Kubota will not cause the kind of noise we
all get on starting a cold Diesel. Your cam followers and your rocker arms
are most likely splash-lubricated, and get oil at roughly the same time.

Regarding air fitration, different tractor makers have different design
philosophies: I have 2 identical DaeDong M27 tractors, one sold as a Kioti,
and one sold as a Bobcat. One has 2 filters, one has only one, though both
use the exact same Donaldson filter housing.

 

[DEON]

I always thought the knocking noise you hear when starting a cold diesel was from pre-ignition or late ignition (no spark plugs) or possibly occasionally the fuel only fires after the second compression stroke. I use to own a 310 John Deere backhoe. It would really hammer hard and smoke when started cold. Even my VW Jetta TDI makes a rattling noise on cold starts. The colder the temperature the louder the rattle. Anyway, its a diesel thing. Don't worry.

 

[DEON]

I always thought the knocking noise you hear when starting a cold diesel was from pre-ignition or late ignition (no spark plugs) or possibly occasionally the fuel only fires after the second compression stroke. I use to own a 310 John Deere backhoe. It would really hammer hard and smoke when started cold. Even my VW Jetta TDI makes a rattling noise on cold starts. The colder the temperature the louder the rattle. Anyway, its a diesel thing. Don't worry.

Don't mind me, I'm reading too many thinks at once.

 

[RFB]

Tracdoc,

I have religiously changed the air filters on my L5030 for 4 years. I have never found any trace of dirt on the inner even when the outer is quite bad. I still change it because it says to, but beyond microscopic inspection, I could still be using the one it came with.

 

[Marcussen]

My L2800 had one filter when it was sold, dealer said inner filter was an option not a requirement but I installed the inner one anyway. The servicemanager/parts guy said I should never have to replace it unless the outer filter falls apart for some reason.

 

[therdriele]

For what it's worth, I had the same thing happen on my L4610HST. The 50 hour had been done by a dealer just before I bought it, and since buying the tractor I have only cleaned but never replaced the outer element. I work in dusty conditions all the time so I clean the filter regularly, and have never seen an inner safety filter .. . I think I would've noticed if it had come off during cleaning but who knows.
When I did the 400 hour (at about 450hr) I replaced both elements and at that time realized that no inner element had been installed. The intake was not dusty downstream and I cant find any evidence that running the tractor for 450 hours with no inner safety filter had any effect . . .with one possible exception. At around 400 hours, my airflow sensor warning light came on, and after several attempts to clean contacts, and 'process of elimination' diagnostics, I decided the sensor was bad and replaced it when I did the 400hr svc. This fixed the problem.
So. . .is it possible that the lack of an inner element contributed to the sensor failure? I dont know. The sensor is supposed to warn you of a plugged filter, and appears designed to detect vacuum downstream from the elements; there's a pinhole in the sensor that allows a comparison of intake and outside air pressure I guess. WIth just one element, vacuum would probably be reduced and possibly the sensor would be more likely to plug in a dusty environment (??).
Whatever. But I do wonder where that inner filter went. Is it possible dealers leave these out when they do service sometimes, thinking they're not necessary?

 

[Earl Ohl]

My L2800 had one filter when it was sold, dealer said inner filter was an option not a requirement but I installed the inner one anyway. The servicemanager/parts guy said I should never have to replace it unless the outer filter falls apart for some reason.

That's what the dealer told me too, when I ordered my B3030. I opted to go with the inner filter.