Attention: TDR Forum Junkies I have read with great interest the many posts regarding the K&N filters. I am a user of K&N filters in off road race vehicles and my trucks (I can't remember when I owned a car) since they first came out. I have never had a problem of any kind during the many years of hard use. Oil samples have never shown contamination, and my intake housings and turbos are clean and dry on both of our Dodge Cummins trucks, even on mine which gets 40lbs of boost. I thought I would offer some tips in three important areas: cleaning, oiling, and sealing.
First, don't clean the K&N just because it looks dirty. A dirty K&N works much better than a clean one. Most people clean way too often. When cleaning, use only the K&N cleaner. This works in conjunction with oil and releases the oil and dirt from the gauze so it can be rinsed away. Follow the K&N cleaning instructions carefully. Do not use any form of water pressure when rinsing. Sometimes letting the cleaner sit on a wet filter for a few minutes helps to free up the dirt. Repeated applications of the cleaner and rinsing may be required if the filter is really dirty. Our turbos tend to jam debris deep down into the pleats and sometimes it is hard to get out, even with repeated cleanings. If this is the case, leave it there. Don't try to remove debris from the pleats that won't come out with regular cleanings, you can damage the gauze in the process.
Proper oiling is very important. Make sure the filter is totally dry before oiling. In the warm summer months, letting it sit in the sun works good. A light even coat of oil is all that is needed. This is difficult to achieve with the squeeze bottle supplied. What I do is put the oil in a small spray bottle and then put the bottle in hot water for a while (or in the hot sun in the summer). This thins the oil and facilitates spraying on a thin even coat. You want all the gauze to be pink in color, not dark red. Be sure to get along the edges and down in the pleats. If using the stock filter replacement, you could spray lightly on both sides. With the Scotty type filter, only oil from the outside. Let the filter sit for a couple of hours, preferably overnight, to allow the oil to spread evenly. I keep a spare filter cleaned and oiled which makes the whole process much quicker. If you live in a very dry climate and put a lot of miles on the filter, I would recommend re-oiling very lightly in six to eight months with the spray bottle technique. This makes sure the filter doesn't dry out. I currently live in Southern California and drive many miles on dry dusty roads to reach my ranch. I only clean my filter every 12 to 18 months, but I re-oil once between cleanings. Pay carefull attention to proper sealing when you re-oil.
Sealing the filter to the housing is where a lot of people make mistakes. If using the stock filter housing, you must use a generous amount of grease between the filter edges and the airbox. You need to clean the old grease off and apply new grease every time you remove a filter, whether cleaning or oiling. Do not remove the filter from the airbox to inspect it. The easiest and simplest way to inspect it is to grab the whole airbox and yank it off the mounting studs in the wheel well. This is difficult the first time but becomes easier the more you do it. This way you can look into the airbox intake hole and inspect the condition of the filter without disturbing the seal. Do not use grease with the Scotty type of filter. Use the four inch exhaust pipe method for clamping as discussed in previous posts . This is problably the best seal you can get with any type of filter. And yes, I can't wait to get the new Psycotty filter system.
My intent here is not to convert those that oppose this type of filter, but rather offer some things I have learned over the years to those who use the filters or to those contemplating it.
Hope this helps someone.
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96 2500 4X4 5sp 4:10 215hp SLT Horton fan,TST,4"exhaust,GearVendors,BFG 285/75/16 on Mickey Thompson Challenger wheels, K&N, Detroit Locker,50#Boost and Pyro guages, Aluminim flatbed, gooseneck and bp hitches,Helwig air bags with compressor, Helwig sway bar, Rancho 2" front lift w/9000 shocks all around, Preluber w/aircraft hoses,Hytec rear cover,PacBrake,McCloud dual disc clutch,numerous other accessories. Pull 11,000lb aluminum gooseneck horse trlr. and 14,000lb equipment trlr.
[This message has been edited by Bob Horrell (edited 03-14-2000). ]
First, don't clean the K&N just because it looks dirty. A dirty K&N works much better than a clean one. Most people clean way too often. When cleaning, use only the K&N cleaner. This works in conjunction with oil and releases the oil and dirt from the gauze so it can be rinsed away. Follow the K&N cleaning instructions carefully. Do not use any form of water pressure when rinsing. Sometimes letting the cleaner sit on a wet filter for a few minutes helps to free up the dirt. Repeated applications of the cleaner and rinsing may be required if the filter is really dirty. Our turbos tend to jam debris deep down into the pleats and sometimes it is hard to get out, even with repeated cleanings. If this is the case, leave it there. Don't try to remove debris from the pleats that won't come out with regular cleanings, you can damage the gauze in the process.
Proper oiling is very important. Make sure the filter is totally dry before oiling. In the warm summer months, letting it sit in the sun works good. A light even coat of oil is all that is needed. This is difficult to achieve with the squeeze bottle supplied. What I do is put the oil in a small spray bottle and then put the bottle in hot water for a while (or in the hot sun in the summer). This thins the oil and facilitates spraying on a thin even coat. You want all the gauze to be pink in color, not dark red. Be sure to get along the edges and down in the pleats. If using the stock filter replacement, you could spray lightly on both sides. With the Scotty type filter, only oil from the outside. Let the filter sit for a couple of hours, preferably overnight, to allow the oil to spread evenly. I keep a spare filter cleaned and oiled which makes the whole process much quicker. If you live in a very dry climate and put a lot of miles on the filter, I would recommend re-oiling very lightly in six to eight months with the spray bottle technique. This makes sure the filter doesn't dry out. I currently live in Southern California and drive many miles on dry dusty roads to reach my ranch. I only clean my filter every 12 to 18 months, but I re-oil once between cleanings. Pay carefull attention to proper sealing when you re-oil.
Sealing the filter to the housing is where a lot of people make mistakes. If using the stock filter housing, you must use a generous amount of grease between the filter edges and the airbox. You need to clean the old grease off and apply new grease every time you remove a filter, whether cleaning or oiling. Do not remove the filter from the airbox to inspect it. The easiest and simplest way to inspect it is to grab the whole airbox and yank it off the mounting studs in the wheel well. This is difficult the first time but becomes easier the more you do it. This way you can look into the airbox intake hole and inspect the condition of the filter without disturbing the seal. Do not use grease with the Scotty type of filter. Use the four inch exhaust pipe method for clamping as discussed in previous posts . This is problably the best seal you can get with any type of filter. And yes, I can't wait to get the new Psycotty filter system.
My intent here is not to convert those that oppose this type of filter, but rather offer some things I have learned over the years to those who use the filters or to those contemplating it.
Hope this helps someone.
------------------
96 2500 4X4 5sp 4:10 215hp SLT Horton fan,TST,4"exhaust,GearVendors,BFG 285/75/16 on Mickey Thompson Challenger wheels, K&N, Detroit Locker,50#Boost and Pyro guages, Aluminim flatbed, gooseneck and bp hitches,Helwig air bags with compressor, Helwig sway bar, Rancho 2" front lift w/9000 shocks all around, Preluber w/aircraft hoses,Hytec rear cover,PacBrake,McCloud dual disc clutch,numerous other accessories. Pull 11,000lb aluminum gooseneck horse trlr. and 14,000lb equipment trlr.
[This message has been edited by Bob Horrell (edited 03-14-2000). ]
