Anyone ever use anything besides K+N's cleaner and oil to refresh a filter? Anyone know any cheap home remedies? I've heard just use dish soap to wash them but what about oiling them?
K+N cleaning/oiling....alternatives?
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Mr. Rustypwnz
Advanced Member
What's so special about the oil they use? Is there something specific in it that seals it or something?
If you want to get the filter mad clean mix oxy clean with club soda in a bucket and drop the filter in for 10 minutes then rinse it out real good. As for oil I'd stick with the K&N oil. Most other oils you could put on it are too light. Not to mention K&N has been in the business a long damn time. I'm sure their oil is better than anything else you could use for something like that.
Yeah i guess i'll just buy their recharge kit. I was just curious...you never know what people come up with.
Mr. Rustypwnz
Advanced Member
I just buy the recharge kit for $10. It lasts quite a while. I've cleaned mine at least 5 or 6 times with it
I was curious as to how long it would last. I've been hearing everything from brake cleaner to carb cleaner to clean it with, but nobody had any ideas on the oil. I figure if i'm gonna buy their oil i may as well use the cleaner too.
Blk91stang
Member
I don't even use any oil on my filter. When I got my Pro-M meter, I got a warning stating not to use and oil because it can get on the sensor and mess with it. Guess it's not worth the risk and I've never had a problem or heard of a problem dealing with dust entering a motor and ruining it.
The filter media is pretty good without the oil so I would just clean it and stick it back in. Better flow too!!
The filter media is pretty good without the oil so I would just clean it and stick it back in. Better flow too!!
I thought about that too but since i'm carbed i don't have to worry about sensors.....plus half the time i don't even run a filter since the one i have is really too small and is restrictive even though it's a K+N. Maybe i'll just wash it and give it a shot. I don't think a little dust is really going to hurt anything anyways...it'll just get burned up in the cylinders.
Black Sun 5.0
Founding Member
Eh, yeah. At least it's your engine, not mine. Also, the filter NEEDS the oil in order to trap dirt, dust, etc. I think it's cheaper to run a clean and oiled filter than to replace an engine, but that's just my opinion. What do I know?
Well, while i'm not disagreeing...it is smart to run a filter, but what's the worst that a little dust can do? We're not talking about getting dirt in the carb or anything, just right down into the cylinders. Maybe if i lived in a really dusty area or drove on dirt roads....but unless something big enough to damage a valve or something got into the carb, i don't see how small amounts of dust could hurt anything. I know a lot of carb guys who don't even own filters. Mind you these aren't daily driven cars (mine either) so that would be a huge difference....but cruising around a few miles on the weekends i don't think is a big enough risk. I've been doing it for 4 years now.
Black Sun 5.0
Founding Member
All those little particles that would have gotten trapped in the filter are now getting into the engine. It will wear the engine sooner.
The only way oil messes with the MAF is by coating the hot wires inside. The MAF is basically a hot-wire manometer that measures airflow by the amount of resistance measured in a electrified wire. When oil builds up it affects the reading by acting like an insulator.
When i clean my air filter, i check the MAF sensor. Not once have i noticed any oil buildup. Either way, i use some electronics cleaner and spray the wires down. Good as new.
Oil burns easier in an engine than dirt particles do.
When i clean my air filter, i check the MAF sensor. Not once have i noticed any oil buildup. Either way, i use some electronics cleaner and spray the wires down. Good as new.
Oil burns easier in an engine than dirt particles do.
