Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Blowin' out your air filter.....

[BigPapa]

Well, I guess you could say I played Myth Busters yesterday.



I've always heard not to blow a paper air filter out with an air gun because it causes the fibers to shift and it won't breath as well.



Well, my BHAF was getting pretty dirty and I had ordered a new one but it hadn't come in yet. I took it off and knocked the big stuff out and thought it couldn't be any worse than being dirty so I regulated the compressor down to 35psi and blew it out.



My EGT's went up @300* Interstate cruising it's normally around 600* and a good pull, running empty, normally gets up to around 1100*-1200*. Interstate was at 850*-900* and a good pull was seeing 1300* REAL quick!



Put the new one on this morning and back to normal. So, the moral of this story is... ... ... . DON'T BLOW YOUR AIR FILTER OUT!



Scott

 

[CStansbury]

Thanks for the tip Scott! How many miles did you have on your BHAF when you replaced it? Mine was on the truck when I bought it and I'm not sure how many miles it has on it. It still looks pretty clean, but a new one with an Outerwear filter would probably be cheap insurance. Where'd you pick yours up?

 

[Murle]

Been blowing out air filters for 30 years, no problems. In fact on my tractors they are blown out with air everyday that they are plowing. No problems. replace them with new ones every 2 years.

 

[BigPapa]

The filter had about 25K miles on it. I've recently changed where I work and instead of driving interstate I'm driving 50 miles over the river and through the woods. It's also been raining alot lately and washing sand and mud onto the road. I also noticed the little foam seals between the cowl/firewall and the hood are gone. I think I'm getting a lot of dirt in there.



Murle, if it works for you, blast away! But I won't be blowing mine out anymore.



Scott

 

[dezeldog]

I also read on another site that blowing out your filter puts tiny holes in them. Talking about paper filters now. I'm with Big Papa on this one. Just my . 02 worth.



Jim