Cleaning K+N air filters

[jjsaul]

I've got a K+N filtercharger air filter on my 4.6.....what should i clean it with?

It says every 50k miles on the box but its very dirty now and to me looks like it should be cleaned (its done about 5k)

[Bishops Finger]

Rinse it out with water and let it dry then re oil it with K&N oil which is available from Halfords or places such as Demon Tweaks..if you cept your old filter you can refit it to use your truck while thew above is leisurely carried out

[jjsaul]

Rinse it out with water and let it dry then re oil it with K&N oil which is available from Halfords or places such as Demon Tweaks..if you cept your old filter you can refit it to use your truck while thew above is leisurely carried out

Do i need to use any detergent to get the greasy dirt out of it?

[thermidorthelobster]

K&N sell a cleaning kit - a solvent to clean off the grease and then a re-spray of oil.

Personally I'd throw it away and get a paper one.  I've found them useless.

[Lord Shagg-Pyle]

Alternatively turn the filter round to a bit that isn't bunged up. The K&N I bought 5 years ago has saved me loads.

[Drift]

Got my k+n panel filter purely to cut down filter changes as Ive sealed the air box water tight.
I prefer the k+n because of the material its made of, If the paper filter for some reason gets wet it turns to mush and the turbo will drag that wet mush into itself, the k+n will not disintegrate when damp.

I will be using the original kit to clean it  ;)

[thermidorthelobster]

If the paper filter for some reason gets wet it turns to mush and the turbo will drag that wet mush into itself, the k+n will not disintegrate when damp.

Yes, but paper filters remove the wasps etc from the air intake, and k&ns don't, in my experience.  They may let more air through, but they don't seem to stop much of the debris, which after all is the whole point of an air filter.  If the filter's getting damp enough to disintegrate, it's probably about to be followed by a few litres of water, in which case the sludgy paper is the least of your problems!

[Drift]

If the paper filter for some reason gets wet it turns to mush and the turbo will drag that wet mush into itself, the k+n will not disintegrate when damp.

Yes, but paper filters remove the wasps etc from the air intake, and k&ns don't, in my experience.  They may let more air through, but they don't seem to stop much of the debris, which after all is the whole point of an air filter.  If the filter's getting damp enough to disintegrate, it's probably about to be followed by a few litres of water, in which case the sludgy paper is the least of your problems!

I see what you mean but through experience of wet filters and there where a few, the engine luckily enough was fine but the filter was scarily wet and tatty and pretty new, I made my choice.
One thing to note is though I dont have a snorkel I have extended the air intake to a much more sensible place under the bonnet that it was originally under the wheel arch  :doh: and the placement of his tends to reduce crud being sucked in, as does the fine mesh over the intake piping and oiling the filter helps.

I think its a matter of preference really, Ive read things on tinternet about measuring the oil for contaminants after using different filters, but this has worked for me long enough and so shall it continue  :D

[Bob696]

If the paper filter for some reason gets wet it turns to mush and the turbo will drag that wet mush into itself, the k+n will not disintegrate when damp.

Yes, but paper filters remove the wasps etc from the air intake, and k&ns don't, in my experience.  They may let more air through, but they don't seem to stop much of the debris, which after all is the whole point of an air filter.  If the filter's getting damp enough to disintegrate, it's probably about to be followed by a few litres of water, in which case the sludgy paper is the least of your problems!

Pretty small wasps you have there  :P TBH I can't see the debries getting through to be an issue, it would lead to a massive numebr of blown engines and people would stop using them I would have thought.

I bought mine for around £35 and have cleaned it 3 times instead of replacing a paper filter (£8-10 each?). I will clean it again this week. Bit of a no brainer really on the economics front. I also like the idea from the enviromental side (less manufacturing as it is reusable).

[glaggs]

I've run K&N filters on bikes and cars for years with no problems. K&N do sell a cleaning fluid for their filters and also oil to recharge them with. Under normal use getting dirty isn't a problem, its only if you use them in predominately dusty conditions that more frequent cleaning is needed and we don't have many deserts in this country. Get a cleaning kit and follow the instructions - Halfords might even sell them.