Wix Air Cleaner Elements

[rustyk]

I've always preferred Wix filters, having "inside" information about the products, because I worked for Shell Oil when they rebranded Wix air, fuel, and oil filters for sale by the Shell dealers.

However, I've switched to the NAPA 6144 due to an odd issue with the Peninsular/AMG 6.5L TD in my motorhome.

Last September, after the AMG engine had been in service for 9 months, I ran into a problem on my way home from PA. Occasionally, the engine would drop power, see a quick rise in EGT, and copious black smoke (at the time, I had no boost gage installed) - the filter was the Wix installed on the original engine. I limped home and Peninsular was very cooperative in sending a replacement under warranty. Once installed, with a new Wix air filter, the new turbo gave me the performance I originally expected (the first turbo caused EGT to creep up far more quickly than I anticipated). Now I can stand on it, get 15 psi boost, and have yet to hit yellow line (1050F).

Until last week. On my way to NY, coming out of the RV park, I throttled up, and when boost hot 10 psi, it dropped to 1.5 psi, and the smoke recurred. Now being an "expert" on this type event, I backed off, and boost was restored, as was a normal exhaust.

Later that day I called Matt at Peninsular to find out what was wrong with the first turbo; he replied it tested fine, and was installed on another engine, where it operated normally under all conditions. This was crucial information.

Stopping for the night, I replaced the air filter with the NAPA part. All is now well (actually better).

Here's what happened. The Wix filter is too restrictive (even when clean), and it plugs too soon; The vacuum on the turbo intake caused by the obstruction of the plugged filter caused the rubber tube to collapse - while the turbo was spinning normally, it could get no air...

Yes, there is "over filtering" - years ago a certain manufacturer marketed oil filters that filtered out 2 microns. This effectively removed the additive package from the oil...

Anyway, despite my confidence in Wix products, from now on it's Donaldson or NAPA filters, or AC (which are also pretty good).

This may not happen on lightly-loaded 6.5Ls, especially ones with the OEM turbos, but mine is the larger one, and is non-wastegated (safe with the 18:1 pistons), and my engine is always shoving around an eight-ton motorhome.

[DmaxMaverick]

I don't know about the Napa "regular" brand filters (probably relabeled Fram), but Napa "Gold" series filters are Wix (air, fuel, oil). Sorry to hear you got a bad Wix, but they are at the top of my list, for quality. But, I only get the Gold series filters when I get a Napa (Wix out of stock). I hope they haven't changed since I bought my last batch about 6 months ago! If you aren't using an OEM size filter, maybe they are different?

[ronniejoe]

If you are using the stock airbox for the motorhome, it may not be the filter causing the problem.

When I first began running the prototype for my new turbocharger, I experienced a similar situation, running solo, doing maximum effort acceleration runs. I was seeing about 20 psi boost pressure near 3200 rpm when it happened three different times. I have a K&N filter element in my stock 95 box. I ended up putting a stiffener in the elbow to keep it from collapsing.

I am (slowly) working on an upgraded set up to address the problem permanantly.

This problem is actually worse with this turbo than with the one you have (see my website for a comparison between the compressor maps).

[rustyk]

I am using the stock airbox (I'm trying to fit a Donaldson, but I haven't made a mock-up yet), and I do use the NAPA Gold, but the first two filters were branded Wix. The NAPA filter exhibits a much better initial response than either of the first two Wix. I know that Wix makes the NAPA Gold (and I use the NAPA-Wix fuel and oil filters).

There is the possibility that I got the first two from a bad batch, but Wix's QC is awfully tight, and they make their own paper.

K&N, unfortunately, can allow too much stuff into the engine. I considered a stiffener into the rubber elbow, but IMHO, that masks the symptoms rather than curing the issue.

Here's the outcome (which demonstrates better breathing): With the (clean) Wix filters, I got just at 10 mpg. With the NAPA Gold, 10.5. Go figure. At the same straight and level at around 75F, 60 mph, with the Wix, boost ran 5 psi, EGT, 650F. With the NAPA Gold, 4.5psi, 600F. Odd, especially since the NAPA Gold is supposed to be a simple rebrand.

[ronniejoe]

I'm not interested in stirring up the K&N debate again, but I've been running one for over 200,000 miles and have seen ZERO ill effects.

My point in mentioning the K&N is that I'm sure it flows better than the Wix or NAPA paper filters and I still had the same issue you did. I just wanted to point out that it may not be completely the filter element's fault.

Yes, the stiffener is just a band-aid, but it gets me by for now until I can do something better.

[restoguy]

Not to high jack a thread here, but.......RJ, how much of your 200K miles was on dirt roads? I live out in the country(pronounced S-T-I-C-K-S) and I always run a wix paper element filter instead of a low restriction element because I worry about the copious amounts of very find dirt in the air while I'm on the road. I can understand using a LRE if the miles were mostly highway, but here you collect buckets of 'flour' fine dirt under, around, and in everything. What do you think? Am I too cautious and missing out?

[ronniejoe]

Well...

My drive way is a quarter mile gravel (mostly dirt) road back to my house. The dust on my dash gets so thick sometimes it's hard to see the instruments.

Everybody seems to think that I baby this truck and that it is only an asphalt queen. Take a look at my webpage for a few pictures of the way that I use it. It works hard around the farm here and out on the highway.

If you do check out the pictures, the one with a load of fence posts was taken on the drive way in front of my house. The property behind the truck is mine down past the tree line in the distance. My drive way doesn't meet the county road until past that tree line and off to the East from where the truck is sitting.

The one with the round bales was taken just West of the house on the circle drive around the house.

I have added a couple more to this post.

http://www.thedieselpageforums.com/photopost/data/500/medium/Picture022.jpg

The first shows the Suburban as I'm just leaving the woods East of the house. What you can't really see is that I have my utility trailer hooked to the back with about 7500 lb. of cut and split fire wood on it. I was nearly able to pull the load out without help, but due to a curve in the trail and some deep ruts that prevented gaining enough speed, I spun out at the edge of the yard.

http://www.thedieselpageforums.com/photopost/data/500/medium/Picture023.jpg

The second is looking the other way, up the hill. My middle son is on the 4020 preparing to pull me the rest of the way up the hill. That's my dad's 95 Jeep sitting in the yard at the top of the hill.

Here's a shot of my driveway looking southeast from my front porch.

http://www.thedieselpageforums.com/photopost/data/500/medium/IM002382.jpg

The truck gets worked and sees a pretty harsh environment on a daily basis. I get the same thing about the intercooler under the bumper.

[rustyk]

I think the secret to K&N success is proper maintenance, and I suspect you take care if it like K&N suggests.

BTW, one thing I noticed is that the paper colors are different on the Wix and NAPA Gold elements. I checked my records, and got ~9,500 miles out of the last Wix and ~10,500 on the prior. Oddly enough, both showed the problem on I-95, within 100 miles of each other - this time northbound, the last, southbound - and I only hit I-95 a couple of times a year.

Anyway, now I'll change filters every 8K miles. It's 1.5 miles of limerock to the paved road, and I'm always gifted with plenty of pollen.