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AFe Proguard 7 letting in major dust

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I just took off my intake because I'm getting my truck fixed, I have a Proguard 7 Stage 2. There was major dust on the inside of my intake tube, especially right before the turbo. Needless to say I'm extremely p*%sed off about this on my brand new truck. When I first put on the filter I noticed the ends were still white, so I applied some extra oil along these areas. I also have the sock that fits over it.



Why did this happen? These forums claim these filters to be the best, however this is unacceptable. There should be no dirt on the inside of the intake. Is there any chance that some dirt got in through the sensor foam gasket supplied by afe? The filter is clean by the way.



As a background, I have afe on a 6. 0L (PG7), 7. 3L (PG4), and the 5. 9L (PG7). I have had little or no problems with the other two.



How many others have had this happen to them? I do not want to put this system back on, however if they are working for everyone else maybe its a simple fix such as sealing off the MAF sensor or oiling up a little more. Give me some opinions out there please.
 
You have to put the oil into each pleat, so that the entire filter is covered in oil. They are not oiled when you get them out of the box, at least mine wasn't. Buy a cleaner kit for it and clean it up really well and try again. I've had mine for about 6 months, haven't had any problem with dirt or anything getting past it.



Be careful that you don't over oil it or it won't filter as well as it should. Where did you get your AFE II from?



I dunno about the map sensor gasket. I put on the one that came with AFE and it has been fine.
 
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I was told by NADP (the seller) that they came pre-oiled. That is why they are green. Did I just toast my engine by this? Anyone?



My others were pre-oiled, and my buddies have put theirs on without oiling. They don't come with oil in the package.



Will me truck have chronic use of engine oil now?
 
I do not have the progaurd7, I think they call mine the 5. It is a stage II kit and it did come oiled from the factory. It was a dark blue when I first put it in. After about a thousand miles it has turned a light blue color and needed a re-oil. I think the new filter had a light oil job on it and the turbo sucked the oil deeper into the pleats. I do not have any dust in the intake, another thousand miles with out checking it and I would have. I have a 7 and a 5 for my 03 and they both sucked the oil in the first thousand miles. re-oiled and no problems since. I have also noticed this with my K&N filters for my quads when new. I think they skimp on the oil for shipping purposes. Just a thought.
 
Even a paper filter will allow some dust to pass. You mentioned that the filter is clean so I'm likely to believe that the dust was there already. I say this because even IF your plumbing had a leak, it would still have to take air in through the filter which even if not oiled, would still show some signs of dirt. My PG7 drop-in was a pale yellowish color when new and it wasn't readily apparent that it was oiled. If you tear off a section of a brown paper bag and push it into the pleats for a few seconds, you should see a slight oil stain when you remove it. I don't know what mine was oiled with but it appears to be clear.
 
Pourinthecoal said:
I was told by NADP (the seller) that they came pre-oiled. That is why they are green. Did I just toast my engine by this? Anyone?



Will me truck have chronic use of engine oil now?



PG7's are gold colored(if I remember right) your engine should be fine and shouldn't use any oil because of this, Depending on how long the filter was on. The risk of damage goes up the longer the filter has been on and how much you drive in dusty conditions.
 
Pourinthecoal said:
I was told by NADP (the seller) that they came pre-oiled. That is why they are green. Did I just toast my engine by this? Anyone?



My others were pre-oiled, and my buddies have put theirs on without oiling. They don't come with oil in the package.



Will me truck have chronic use of engine oil now?



To put your mind at ease, I would get your oil analysed to check the silicon level.
 
RTao said:
So, do the Pro Guard 7's come oiled? I am not clear in your answers.



Thanks.



Rusty



All three that I have purchased have been oiled...



No dust in the intake either. I'd check for cracks in the torque tube or leaks at the couplings. And get an oil analysis too.
 
JCleary said:
All three that I have purchased have been oiled...



I didn't think that mine was oiled b/c I thought that it should be red once its oiled. Never had any problem with dust or anything getting past it, both before and after I oiled it
 
The aFe PG7's are gold. The non PG7's are blue. Never seen a green one. Maybe call who you bought it from. There should be zero dirt in the intake. And they are oiled and sealed from the factory. Was your filter wrapped in a sealed clear plastic bag?
 
Mark how often do you advise cleaning the PG7? I have one and have been cleaning it every 10k or so, sometimes 15k miles. It's severely dirty when I clean it, but nothing inside the housing, kind of amazing really. Am I cleaning too often, not enough? I've been real happy with my aFe.
 
Lotsa good info here. All the clamps were tight. I was concerned over the MAF sensor seal, however I think its pretty tight (enough of a seal anyway). I inspected the filter some more, there is dust piled on the filter between the filter and the sock on the outside, the dust appears dry. The inside of the filter is white, therefore I'm thinking they simpy did not oil it enough. The sock was dry overtop except where I put extra oil along the edges (it was still white in those spots on the outside).



I'm sick over this. I paid relatively a lot of money for the intake (compared to others), they claim its a simple install and go and here I am with dust in my engine. I will call them about this, I'll let you know what they have to say.
 
Another quick question about these: how much should they be oiled?!?! I've been doing it for years and I'm still not comfortable with how I do it. I usually have oil dripping on the fender after a few weeks, just a little but makes a mess. The instructions are vague (... . just the right amount... . how much is that?) and i feel I'd rather overoil than underoil. Anyone have some suggestions or guidelines of how to do this properly, how much oil to use?
 
Pourinthecoal said:
Another quick question about these: how much should they be oiled?!?! I've been doing it for years and I'm still not comfortable with how I do it. I usually have oil dripping on the fender after a few weeks, just a little but makes a mess. The instructions are vague (... . just the right amount... . how much is that?) and i feel I'd rather overoil than underoil. Anyone have some suggestions or guidelines of how to do this properly, how much oil to use?



I have the same issue, how much to oil. Also, am I really gettting the filter clean? I just buy a new filter when the time comes. I know, I know, a waste of $$$. But what the hey, the occasional TDR member is helped out ;)



Over-oiling is not good. It can get on your IAT sensor and also make your turbine blades sticky. I'm not sure that's what you're after.
 
I've gotten pretty good at oiling now, but I can't really desribe it. The oil soaks in, and weeps down into the material. I run a small bead along the top of each pleat, it soaks down the valley between the tops of the pleats and has worked great for me. I've had the same bottle of oil for a long time now, I don't use that much. The aFe oil is very different from the K&N stuff I use on my dirtbike. Much thicker it seems.
 
I like to hold my filters up to a light and look at the inside of the filter as the light shines threw the out side of the filter in. It is easy to tell the spots you have missed getting enuff oil on. You guys should look threw a PG7 and the nonPG7 and you can instantly tell why the PG7 filters so much better. The non PG7 looks like it is filled with millions of pin holes. I guess that is why my trucks like the nonPG7 better.
 
The best I can describe how much oil to use...

Imagine a wet wash cloth. If 2 people were to wring the water out of it (one person on each end using 2 hands)... you'd be left with a cloth that would be very dry with only a slight dampness... . that's how wet you want your filter. You really don't need any more than that. I usually acheive that by spraying 2-3 bands or rings around the circumference of the filter (2-3 stripes on a drop-in or flat panel)and allow the oil to "wick" it's way into the material. The bands will slowly disappear as the oil spreads throughout the fabric. This can take several hours and it's OK to install it before the process is fully complete.

Over oiling can lead to oil being sucked into the intake plumbing. It will eventually coat the inside of it and cause very fine dust to stick to it... dust that is so small, it is normally consumed in the combustion process... dust that you want to be consumed in the combustion process. All filters have a threshhold of particle size that they're allowed to pass... all engines and turbos have a threshhold of particle size that they can consume.
 
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