Doimar 5100 Air filtration

[Jack2007]

I have grown to love my 5100. 70% of my cutting is mid sized stuff, so I find myself using it quite a bit. However, the air filter is letting in a fair amount of fine dirt. The picture is a little blurry, but that dark stuff is on the inside of the filter. This can't be good.

My neighbor needs a mid sized saw, and I told him to get the 5100, but air this air filtration system might sway him toward something else. Does anyone have a similar experience with 5100 air filter, and/or a fix for this?

 

[Lakeside53]

Wash it out from time to time in hot soapy water and blow gently from the inside. Just because it looks dirty doesn't mean it's not working just fine.

 

[B_Turner]

Is there any dust in the throat of the carb?

 

[Jack2007]

Wash it out from time to time in hot soapy water and blow gently from the inside. Just because it looks dirty doesn't mean it's not working just fine.

I think you just looked at the first picture. The dirt I'm refering to in the second picture is a coating on the plastic on the INSIDE of the filter.

Is there any dust in the throat of the carb?

There was, I cleaned it out with my fingers and a cloth.

 

[blis]

it sure seems to gather more dirt than huskies :jester:

 

[cuttinscott]

its called maintenance

its called maintenance clean the ait filter a little more often, and keep that chain sharp. What chain do you have on the saw if it is .325" safety that seems to make more fine dust. Most of the saws we sell are outfitted with 3/8" and we do not see the fine dust issue.


Scott

 

[Steve128]

its called maintenance clean the ait filter a little more often, and keep that chain sharp. What chain do you have on the saw if it is .325" safety that seems to make more fine dust. Most of the saws we sell are outfitted with 3/8" and we do not see the fine dust issue.


Scott

Jack2007,

My experience has been the same at cuttinscott. I have .325 non safety chain and have not had issues with the dust like your saw. But, I may be cutting different wood than you and the wood I cut is usually clean. So it may be your type of cutting requires more cleaning (maintenance) than standard or your chain types may not be the best choice.

If you change chain, let us know if it makes a difference!


thanks

p.s. I thought your pictures were just fine.

 

[Lakeside53]

I think you just looked at the first picture. The dirt I'm refering to in the second picture is a coating on the plastic on the INSIDE of the filter.

There was, I cleaned it out with my fingers and a cloth.

Now is see it... yes.. looks a bit more than I'd like.

 

[outdoortype]

How did it get in there in the first place?

I'm no professional, but all of the filters I've cleaned were way more dirty on the outside with very little inside. The outside of his filter isn't that dirty. There must be a hole(I think I read this in another post reguarding the 5100s) in the dolmar filtering system. I don't believe that his filter is porus enough to suck that much dirt through it.

 

[blis]

Just a thought, i've never got issue with fine dust but i also cut only green wood, so, fine dust must be issue with dead wood?

 

[Lakeside53]

That would be my guess. And/or a dull chain with high rakers.

 

[grandpatractor]

Me too

I have a little bit more on the inside of my filter than I would like also. I am a bit concerned that it may be leaking past the "foam donut" that sits under the filter and on the impulse pump (I think dats what it is). I think the reason it sticks right by the carb on the inside of the filter is because of the "backspray?" I popped the filter open and wiped it out.
You may check the fit of the foam donut on your saw also.

 

[grandpatractor]

Just a thought, i've never got issue with fine dust but i also cut only green wood, so, fine dust must be issue with dead wood?

I agree that dead wood would make the situation worse. I have been cutting some and it was with a sharp 3/8 chain. But it is dustier even then.

 

[scottr]

Maybe if the deadwood can't be avoided then this might help http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=43284

 

[grandpatractor]

Maybe if the deadwood can't be avoided then this might help http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=43284

When we had the gtg Moddoo left me a piece of that fabric. I'm going to reglue the foam donut and try and use the fabric and see how it works. I may even pop the filter apart and put a piece inside where it goes to that vent and make sure if the dust was coming in around the donut or not

 

[B_Turner]

All three of my dolmars get a bit of dust inside the filter, although not as bad as your pic. And I run very sharp chains in green wood. There will always be some small particles freed when you cut wood.

When I have looked at my filters, I have always been uneasy that there wasn't some sort of gasket or something to make a good seal at the end of the 'throat' of the air filter or the carb. Guess it might get torn up ovr time...

 

[Jack2007]

Thanks for the responses. My chain is kept sharp, it is .325 oregon 20lp. But I do have to cut some dead wood, some dirty wood, and since I am clearing for a building site, the heavy machinery has made a dirty mess in some places.

That being said, it appears from the other comments, that the Dolmars have some design issues around the air filter. Maintenance is one thing, but the air filter system should be designed to keep out the dirt, and if there is too much dirt, it should clog the filter before opening the gates.

My husky 338 has the nylon filter, and must be cleaned often. It isn't so great, but it's not letting in what the 5100 is.

My husky 372 filtration system is so good that I could probably use the saw to cut trenches and get no dirt through the filter.

Does Dolmar offer an alternative filter that does a better job for dirty conditions?

 

[Andyshine77]

The air filtration on the 5100 is very bad, the hole on the bottom of the filter lets in dirt as soon as you start cutting. I used a 5100 for no more than five or ten minutes and the inside of the filter looked just like the one in Jack2007 picture, the saw was running sharp 3/8 chain.

 

[rshaffer3]

same issues

My 5100 has the same type of dust inside the filter as yours. I've been cutting trees that were dropped 6 months ago and using a .375" chain that is sharp and producing big chips. I clean mine in the field after every tank or else my saw runs poorly.

Purely my opinion but I think the filter element is either not allowing enough air to flow through (too fine a mesh?) and the additional air is getting sucked in near the foam donut or the donut just doesn't seal properly. Either way I would say that this is the only major design flaw of the saw and Dolmar needs to try something different on the intake setup.

 

[ericjeeper]

Not sure how the 5100 filter mounts

But on my 7900, I grease the filter base where it slides over the throat of the carb. I just use bar sproket grease. I figure that should keep out the fine stuff.