Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) How do YOU clean YOUR K&N?

[drees1]

OK, I realize the potential ramifications of my starting this, but please bear with me.



I am really not a fan of K&N, but my truck came with one in it. It was so plugged you could not see the pleats!! The day I brought it home I set it inside the box for the new NAPA filter I bought. That was over 1 year ago. I had purchased the K&N cleaning and re-oiling kit some time ago.



So... Today I followed the instructions on cleaning it and re-oiling it. Let it soak 10 min in the cleaner, ok. Wash it gently with cold tap water. does not even begin to get the dirt out. Maybe halfway into the pleats. I pull the screen of and flex it open and wash it for 20 min, being very careful. Let dry. Can't use compressed air, can't use heat. I put it in front of a house fan, takes about 45min to be fully dry. Oil it, they say to let it set 20 min.



OK, so that all seems to work out in the end, but what a hassle and amount of time it takes. K&N says to let the dirt build up (until it is completely covered) and it was.



I think this is too labor intensive to be worth it.



Do all the wire gauze filters, K&N, Mega Cannon, etc. require this kind of baby sitting?



I want BHAF with a hood scoop cold air induction box (In my dreams??)



How do you guys treat your wire gauze filters and how often do they need cleaning? How dirty do they get??



Doug Rees

 

[Got Smoke?]

I often wonder if any of the people with the Mega Cannon recharge it? You hear of the kit being sold in a "package", but never of anybody using it

 

[Diesel Freak]

Truth be told, I do not clean my K&N air filter (I never have to).



I just clean the foam pre filter, and re oil it with Maxima FFT.

 

[illflem]

I've had a airbox K&N on my 2500 since 3k, didn't even open the airbox till 100k, filter minder never moved, turbo is clean. Cleaned it per K&N instructions, it was very dirty. 86k since the cleaning, minder and turbo fine. I'll probably wait till 250k till I clean it again. I live in a very dusty agricultural area. At this rate it would be cheaper toss the K&N for a new one vs. who knows how many stock filters I would have had to replace. Plus it flows so much better.

BHAF fails here - http://216.235.147.117/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=57184

 

[Roger rodbolt]

Doug,

I've used oiled guaze or fabric filters in aircraft, 2 strokes and racing applications as well as trucks. I agree that they are labor intensive. Cleaning and drying time is critcal and when I used a K&N's I purchased spares so that I could have a properly cleaned and dry element to install. In fact I have three stock box K&N filters that I would sell cheap or trade . If your CTD is capable of higher then stock boost I would not use the K&N grease to seal the filter to the airbox. Use soft glue, silicone, high quality caulk or if you are going to run the filter for 100,000 miles make it permanent with super fast urethene. Just make sure it seals. I damaged the piston rings in on of my CTD's while pulling a trailer up the Alaskan highway at high boost levels. The white glacier dust was ingested in serious quanities. Needless to say I no longer use the flat K&N's in a CTD. The cylinder shaped K&N's for 1rst generation CTD's seemed to work well. Larry

 

[SEmerson]

I love my kn's. I clean mine in hot water with dish soap. Then dry and reoil.

 

[fortunate1]

Clean K&N

I'm with illflem. You don't need to clean the filter often; just leave it alone and let it do its job. When I have cleaned it, I soak it well with the cleaner and spray with a garden hose from the backside. When all the dirt is out, I let it dry for a day before re-oiling. That's why I still have a stock paper filter - it goes in for that day. Then it goes back in the box for a LONG time! Proper installation and sealing it important for any type of filter - don't take short cuts here.

 

[illflem]

I also put the paper filter back in while the K&N dries. Really makes you appreciate the K&N, I can't wait to get the paper one out. A side benefit of putting the stock filter in is that you can test your filter minder, I can pull it down even with a clean filter.