air filter cleaning?

[FARMERBOB]

hey all, I was wondering how often any of you who have cleanable air filters have to service them. I found out yesterday that that interval out here at the farm isn't very long. I have an Amsoil filter and serviced mine about 4500 miles ago and when I went to give it full throttle yesterday, at @2600 rpm it fell on it's face, black smoke was rolling out the rear, and my boost gauge went to zero.Upon investigating I found that my air filter had 1/4 inch of dirt on the outside and was plugged solid causing the suction to collapse the rubber elbow to the turbo. T :eek: hat was an eye opener for me!

[Dvldog 8793]

Howdy
I check my UNIfilter at every oil change and normally have to clean it about every 10,000. I don't live on the farm anymore, but when I did we wore out an Amsoil filter in our crop-spraying truck. We had to clean it about every 3-4 days. Granted that would driving up and down dusty fields everyminute of daylight:eek: I think it REALLY depends on the environment. Sometimes a guy can go broke buy filter oil!
L8r
Conley

[markrinker]

Personally, this is an area where I feel that the factory engineers have things figured out, or every new vehicle would come equipped with a K&N type OEM filter.

Street applications can definately benefit from the increased airflow from a more porous filter, but high dust working environments and turbo-charged diesels don't need the extra fine particle contamination, IMHO.

This is my favorite quote - right from K&N's own website. Please tell me how dirt can make a filter work better...?

"3) Let the dirt "build-up" work for you; it will not hurt the performance and actually help filter the air."

http://www.knfilters.com/clningins.htm

They initially flow better because they let larger particles through. By the time the oiled cotton gets saturated with dirt - "working for you" according to K&N - any added flow over dry a clean paper element is probably lost, as the original posts here indicate. I have never seen a dry paper filter load up so badly that it causes air passages to collapse.

I toss my paper filters every 5,000 mile oil change and start CLEAN. No oiling, no cleaning, no big initial expense for the filter element. Maybe its just having a new clean filter each time that makes me feel good driving out of the shop.

[ 09-14-2004, 05:45 PM: Message edited by: Mark Rinker ]

[DA BIG ONE]

I am lookin to get a pre-filter polyester sock type for my K&N, however, it reduces flow about 10+-% but is an easy clean compared to just the K&N only.

[CareyWeber]

Has anyone ever tried having their stock filter washed?

When I worked at a IHC tractor dealer in the 1980's we had lots of paper filters washed for farm equipment and our OTR trucks.

[JohnC]

Originally posted by CareyWeber:
Has anyone ever tried having their stock filter washed?
Finally! Someone cheaper than I!

[JoeyD]

This is where a snorkel is good. While most use them for deep water the other benifit is that they draw air 6ft off the ground and typically dust is lower than that. Looks nice as well.

[CareyWeber]

Originally posted by JohnC:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by CareyWeber:
Has anyone ever tried having their stock filter washed?
Finally! Someone cheaper than I! </font>[/QUOTE]Sorry John I haven't do it with my 6.5 :D , but I know it's done in heavy duty apps.

Do you me to tell me that know else has heard of washing paper filters?

Carey

[norm]

I am running K+N in my truck and my '89 350 Burb, too. Seems to work good, but I am wondering if Mark has a point - are we that far behind if we just put a new stock type in every oil change? ($ maybe bad?)

Also, do you with newer trucks have the cylindrical filters or the panel filters?? (I had a '98 350 K2500 with the round one) Any advantage to switching?

[tom.mcinerney]

Norm--the cylindrical paper job is good. The flat panel in mine is subject to distortion and leakage of unfiltered air. My rubber 90* elbow had large bore sand in it. This weakness promoted the changeover to K&N.

[damork]

CareyWeber,

I used to wash paper filter elements in IH Farmall tractors all the time. Our dealer used to sell something that mixed with water for the purpose of cleaning the elements. My brother is the engineering manager at a Donaldson air filter plant so I will ask what the latest is.

[Franko]

Hello All,

I wrapped my K&N cylindrical filter with 10 feet of 6" wide surgical gauze and sprayed it with the K&N filter oil to act as a pre-filter. Appears to have lesser amount of fine black dust on the wire mesh (white glove test) after 3000 miles. Will let truck run another 3000 miles before re-evaluating.

Franko

[sk8rdi16]

I was thinking about getting the amsoil filter, but now think I might just stay paper. One question though. I insptected the filter on now, it has a 'foam' pre-filter then another piece of foam just after the initial intake. Is this normal for these trucks? I just got it less than a month ago, so it was done by the previous owner.

Thanks!

[Hye]

Hold on to your britches if you are running a K&N filter. I bought one on ebay and haven't put it in, yet. I just read Big Red's "Worn turbo impeller question, would this affect boost curve?" posting. Look at the pictures then read Big Red Suburban's signature line.

[Dvldog 8793]

Howdy
As to cleaning paper element filters. I have done this in the Marines in emergency situations, ie filter so pluged with sand that it weighs about 10lbs. If you use any kind of liquide it will eventually turn the open fibers of the paper media into a sheet of paper. It happens progressivly in about 2-3 cleanings. So if anything I would maybe use a good vac and air to clean a paper filter. Check out the Baja racers and see what they use for filters.
L8r
Conley Janssen