Anyone know what the deal is with cleaning a drop-in K&N filter?

[RambleOn]

I just bought a 94 Chevy Corsica 3.1 from a friend. He put a K&N drop-in filter about 2 years ago/30k miles ago. He's never taken it out or anything, so I was wondering how they are supposed to be cleaned? As far as I know, they pretty much last the life-time of the car, as long as you clean them regularly. I seem to remember seeing some kind of cleaning spray at Auto Zone, but I'm not positive. Anyone know for sure?

 

[NewCompGeek]

My brother just used a hose with a nossle on it

Dunno about what period or whenever but just do it

 

[rootaxs]

You're supposed to clean it then apply the filtercharger oil (which you can buy at your local auto parts store).

 

[Heisenberg]

Any auto parts store should have a cleaning kit for it. The thing with the K&N's is you have to oil them before you put them back in. The kit should have everything you need.

 

[RayH]

The K&N cleaning kit has a spray that you use and let soak into the filter before rinsing from the inside out with water. Don't use high pressure water since it will force the fibers apart. You then have to let the filter completely dry before re-oiling it.

 

[wnied]

As stated earlier K&N has a cleaning kit for the filter. Use the cleaner on the filter and a spigot with some water pressure behind it to rinse it. Then reapply the Oil onto the filter and drop it back in.


Excellent Product I use in my 1999 Neon.
~wnied~

 

[ElFenix]

i think i'll get one on the new ride if that ever happens.

 

[RambleOn]

Thanks for the replies. Anyone recall how much the cleaning kit costs? I'm going to take a ride over to AutoZone tomorrow and buy one. In the meantime I took out the K&N and put in a cheapo Dousche filter because the K&N is pretty dirty. I didn't notice any difference whatsoever in the performance of the engine with either filter. I'll put the K&N back in after I clean it, but I doubt it really does any good, except they can go a long time between cleanings.

 

[yakko]

Lick it.

 

[RayH]

Unless your stock filter is really small, you're probably not going to feel any noticeable difference in power from using a K&N on a low output engine. The biggest benefit is seen on forced induction, high output or modified engines where a stock filter may become a restriction.

 

[GooberPHX420]

The filter cleaner kits cost $10, and have gone for 3 uses on mine. By the way, you;re not supposed to clean it "regularly" The box actually says it will work at its best with a mild coating of dust up to 1/16 of an inch thick. Sooooooooo....no worries dood. My kit lasted me a year, and this is Dustville, AZ.

 

[GooberPHX420]

<< Unless your stock filter is really small, you're probably not going to feel any noticeable difference in power from using a K&N on a low output engine. The biggest benefit is seen on forced induction, high output or modified engines where a stock filter may become a restriction. >>



He is very correct. I even saw little increase on my 351W. But its still good you dont have to buy another filter for a bajillion miles...

 

[helikon]

Ramble On, That cheap"dousche" filter(I assume you mean Deutsch....now relabeled as an STP brand) isn't that bad a filter.I think they filter the very fine dirt particles pretty well but due to the thickness of the filter paper lack the dirt holding capacity of some other types of filters.The first time I used one I ran it for 11,000 miles which was too long.Installing a new filter made a big difference.Now I change it about 7500-8000 miles.The K&N is a depth type of filter with much greater dirt holding capacity but I'm not totally convinced they really filter as well as a good paper filter and hence may contribute to increased ring and cylinder wear.Their big selling point to the performance car crowd is max airflow.I'm not trying to disparage the K&N as I have no experience with them,but in doing a little bit of researching on air filters came across the usual conflicting pro and con arguments on these filters.It seemed like half of the web was nothing but ads for K&N and Amsoil products.Good luck in whatever you do.

 

[Vette73]

K&N's will allow a little more dirt in compared to a good paper. But it is not that much. That and you should take some spray carb cleaner and spray out the intake. That will clean the intake and help airflow.

But it does not let in enough dirt to worry about. K&N's are great add ons. If you open up the exhust and do other minor mods a K&N can help alot.