GCV160 Air Filter How the Green Media Shows Wear

Whether an air filter is dirty, the color of the paper tells you first. The GCV160 air filter is a square paper element: green media in a black plastic frame, with a white wire guard on one side, so grass clippings and debris do not tear the paper. Clean media is green with deep pleats. Once it is full of dust it turns grey and dark, and the pleats flatten out. That color is the signal to replace it.

Where is this filter used? The GCV160 is a model in the common 160 class engine family, found on mowers, cutters and tillers. The GCV135, GC135 and GC160 in the same family share this square filter. Bigger models such as the GCV170 and GCV190 also use square filters, but that does not mean they all fit. Match the old part, size and pleat count before ordering, or send a photo.

When you replace it, do two things. Take the housing cover off, wipe the inner walls and the sealing surface with a dry cloth, and check the frame for damage. Then seat the new element so the frame lines up with the housing edge and close the cover. Do not force it in crooked, or the seal will leak dust.

Mowers and tillers take far more dust than a car. The more the machine works in the field, the more the filter holds. Do not wait until the paper is black; the engine sulks when airflow is restricted and the oil burns faster. When the color darkens, change it.