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Removing Air Filters

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J

Jersey

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Is there any easy way to remove the two air filters on my Mark II? I see the nuts to release them, but it looks like I have to remove the entire carburetor to get to them.

Help?

Thanks.
 
I have a Mark III but the should be the same. There should be two nuts per filter. They can be removed with the carbs on. I use stubby ratchet wrenches(about 3 inches long). The hard part is putting them back with the lock washer. I have ground off a little of the stud to allow better finger access. I hope this compatable with your system. BJ8's are a tighter fit than your Mark II.
TH
 
Jersey -

Just use an open ended stubby wrench. Once loose they'll come right off with your fingers. No need to remove the carbs.
 
Jersey-

Somewhere in the past 30+ years as a Healey enthusiast, I read that it was a good idea to obtain an inexpensive combination open-end wrench 1/2" on one end and 9/16" on the other, and cut it in half, resulting in two stubby-shafted open-end wrenches. It seems as though the recommendation was related to removal and replacement of the SU air filters. Over the years, each of these resulting wrenches has come in handy for other projects as well.

Jerry
 
Jersey,

I took a combo wrench of the correct size (1/2"?) and ground down the box end so that it was very thin. It doesn't take much torque to loosen. Once you get two - three partial turns on the nuts, the rest is easily done with your fingers.

The real trick comes in getting the nuts started back on the stud. When you do drop one of the nuts down in the frame, you will probably find others floating around down in there from previous owners (I found three).

Enjoy,
Mark
 
FWIW, to aid in not dropping the nut when trying to put in back on, I use a magnet pen. (disclaimer for correct name for this tool.) The magnet holds both the lock washer and nut together for the line up to the bolt.
 
Regardless what you do there is an opening in the frame below the carbs that eats tools and parts. Stuff a rag in there before you do anything. Roger's magnet may also help you to retrieve things down that hole. I have one and use a bit of tube around the magnet so it will slide down into the frame easier(which other wise grabs the magnet). I like his way of holding the parts. I will try it this weekend since I'm pulling the head to replace the head gasket and the carbs need to come off. Thanks, Roger.
 
I remember reading somewhere about drilling out maybe the stud holes and using bolts instead of the stud/nut setup. Since I don't have SUs, I didn't pay too much attention to the tech tip. I thought it was on Jim Werner's site. I hope he moved his valuable site 'cause the address I have says the server is shutting down.
 
My solution in the end was to drill all the way through the filter from back to front and insert a section of aluminium tube to use as a sleeve of sufficient diameter to allow the bolt to pass through. Longer bolts then obtained and fitted through the front of the filter into the carb body.....boy does that save some aggravation;)
 
Rivet nuts would work great with bolts, but you'd have to drill out the holes. I have K&N filters that use bolts, and if I ever take the carbs off again I'll consider it (I just bought a rivet nut kit for a similar problem on a tractor), But, the filters have tiny acorn nuts to hold the outer plates, and they're a PITA as well.
 
I like the idea of installing a long bolt from the face of the filter all the way through to the manifold. What do you think about tapping the intake manifold hole to accept the bolt? That way, you’re not dealing with a nut on the back side. Not sure how large the bolt diameter would need to be. Any guesses?
 
I took a look at my car today and realize I was mistaken when I said you could thread the manifold to accept the new long bolts holding the air cleaner. Duh. The air cleaners mount on the carburetors but the concept is the same. Just thread the holes where the current bolts go and you have an easier method of mounting the cleaners.
Of course you would need to remove the carbs in order to thread the holes and that in itself is a pain.
Does this make sense to anyone?
 
I'd be a little uncomfortable threading these holes; the carb bodies are aluminium and you do need to torque the nuts/bolts a bit since there should be a paper gasket under them. I would, however, be quite comfortable using a Helicoil--or similar--or a Timesert (assuming you can set the insert flush). This wouldn't work for the original Cooper grasshopper catchers, since they have studs, but with any filter with a removable cover for cleaning would work. With the HD8s on a BJ8 it's still a PITA to get to the front filter though. At least we don't have to deal with oil-bath filters.
 
I haven’t done this, but, why couldn’t a hole be drilled in the air cleaner stud and a spring with a washer being compressed and then insert a cotter key through the air cleaner stud? Since the air cleaner is cleaning the air going to the intake manifold the suction would also help seal the surface of both pieces.
 
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