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  #1  
Old 01-09-2003, 11:40 AM
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K&N air filter

whats the best way to service a K&N air filter? I know I should wash it, dry it, and oil it, but must I wash it with K&N soap? If not, what works best? How does one go about drying it with out using heat or compressed air ( and getting it done in a reasonable amount of time )? Outside works well in the summer, but its not summer and out side is 100% humidity. Any helpful suggestions would be appreciated.
MV

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  #2  
Old 01-09-2003, 11:59 AM
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I wouldn't risk it and I would go ahead and use the K&N "Filter Recharger Kit." K&Ns are obviously expensive and I wouldn't risk messing one up. The K&N kit (soap and oil) is only around 10 bucks and you can get it at any good auto parts store. Besides, I don't believe that you can even get just the oil or just the soap, if ya get the oil you're gettin the soap so ya might as well use it!

With the drying...the only way I have done it is to just let it sit there for a while...doesn't take too long. Just time it right. When you come home for the evening and you know you're not gonna go anywhere, wash it then, let it sit either for a few hours or even overnight, spray some oil on it in the morning, throw it in and go. That's my take on it
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  #3  
Old 01-09-2003, 12:24 PM
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hours?

Problem is, I dont have a couple of hours. I'm a tech in a shop, plus where this filter is located, you have to remove 1 front wheel and the fender liner, thus taking up a rack the whole time. I'm hoping someone who has a filter and services it often ( or at least more than we run into them ) knows of a shortcut. Thanks for the reply though. I agree the K&N oil and soap works best, but sometimes we run out (always when time is short of course!!!).
MV
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Old 01-09-2003, 04:10 PM
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What kinda car is this!?!!? Dang!
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  #5  
Old 01-09-2003, 06:36 PM
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I must confess, it's on a BMW. I just figured somebody might know about K&N filters. It's also an aftermarket cold air intake kit, not a normal situation at all. Heck this is just to check/change, bumper and headlight had to come out to install!! But if you're willing to trade dollars for HP, i guess anything goes!
MV
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  #6  
Old 01-10-2003, 12:13 AM
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Wash it; dry it for as much time as you have; put oil on it; install it in your car; drive.

The residual water will dry as you drive and the oil will coat the medium. All is well.
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  #7  
Old 01-10-2003, 04:32 PM
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If you run out of the K&N soap you can always use a little dawn and warm water in the sink (clean). It has worked just as well for me in the past.

As far as drying it out quickly you can use a hair dryer for a few minutes and then reoil with the K&N oil and your on your way.

K
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  #8  
Old 01-10-2003, 11:25 PM
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I wash mine on the top rack in my dishwasher when my wife is out of town. The aroma fills the kitchen so the windows or doors will need to be opened to air out the house if living with a spouse is an issue. They come out looking like new.

Don't put them in with other dishes. The plastics turn gray and food particles get caught in the air filters.
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Old 01-11-2003, 01:23 AM
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Robby, that reminds of the time I 'cured' my freshly painted exhaust manifolds in our self-cleaning oven, the whole house stunk for a loooooong time .So tell me did you use soap ?I'm still trying to get the last bit of motor oil out of my K&N filter that sopped up the oil my leaking vacuum pump was spewing into the air cleaner housing.It's stopped dripping finally after washing it 3 times with K&N cleaner and 4or5 times with Simple Green degreaser.It's still black as coal though,I'm hoping it's clean enough to use again when my paper filter is finished.
Using high heat to dry the filter may cause the filtering medium to shrink because it's made of cotton.
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Old 01-11-2003, 07:21 AM
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Glad to see someone else understands what an oven should be used for. Occasionaly my wife finds car parts in the freezer and her electric skillet in the garage (I use it for warming parts).

I don't leave the filters in the dishwasher for the heated dry cycle even though I expect the under hood temps are much higher than in the dishwasher.

I made the mistake of using soap once when I cleaned them in the dishwasher and the dishwasher filled to flowing out the vent with suds. In fact it had so much suds it couldn't drain.

I use dishwashing soap. The purists will tell you NEVER due this. My filters come out mostly white but with some red stain showing on the edges of the cotton. Washing out by hand is recommended and the filters will always remain black. Visually I see no difference in the filter element after my dishwasher and a new filter. I don't know what a lab test would show. I would think that water would be less abrasive than a brush. I've been doing this for over ten years in the same engines with as many as 350,000 miles on the engines.
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  #11  
Old 05-24-2007, 02:41 PM
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Dredging up some of my old posts, and saw this one. Thought I'd add, for my own vehicle, I have two filters. I clean and oil one in a very slow process while it's off of the vehicle, and then swap when needed. I've found the best thing is to let the filter dry naturally and completely. Then when oiling, go sparingly, and let it wick in naturally. If the filter is damp, the oil doesn't want to wick, and in order to get it everywhere, you end up over oiling. And that ends up on the airflow sensor, and that's no good. My intake tubing and MAF are cleaner than many vehicles I run across using the stock filter set up, and I like it that way.

Of course, this does no good for the situation I originally faced, those are still problematic, but it works well for my personal vehicle.

MV
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  #12  
Old 05-24-2007, 06:22 PM
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Thought I'd throw in my own 2 cents, BAVBMW is right on about the drying and oiling. If you end up with oil on the MAF, you will soon get to buy a new one.

My general point when someone asks me about K&N filters is to ask them how diligent they are about maintenance. If you're not serious about it, then you could actually damage your car, not just the MAF. You do have to regularly clean it, let it dry, and then oil it, and let the oil naturally dry. Otherwise you don't get any filtration benefit and may actually suffer a detriment.

While the two K&N setup is a nice trick, since the K&N's are so pricey, I have a stock air filter I throw in when I get ready to clean mine. Then I don't have to be in a rush to get it dry, etc. and I can let the oil naturally absorb as well. I don't drive much during the week, so I usually start the process on a Monday evening, let the K&N air dry until Wed evening, then oil it, reinstall Friday evening for the weekend.

I've used the K&N cleaner but had just as good a luck with Dawn. Unfortunately the Dawn is lots harder to rinse out, just keeps sudsing forever. But I do like the nice red ring in the sink.

Take care and enjoy the ride,
Greg

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