6 replies to this topic

[newdawn1st]

Hif38 998cc

Right I know I should of done this a while ago but it slipped my mind, and now my mixture seems rather rich.

Hence thought, bugger I never did get round to cleaning that air filter, tried cleaning it but seems a bit far gone to me so now I'm after an alternative. Ideally I would get a K&N 1.5" cone but as funds don't allow for £45 at the mo, I may have to go with one of the copies (looks like its got a copy on at the moment)

Before (dirty)



After (clean-ish)



Ok, so first

anyone got any suggestions for where to get one?

found this, any good? (not a fan the bay myself)

and second,

is it really beneficial (cost wise) to get something like a K&N (proper) or pipercross?

I don't mind spending the money once i've got it but is the difference going to be noticeable? or is it just going to be better in the long run? (better filtered air, less internal damage)

Ta

[mars red mike]

What did you clean it with? If you get one of the proper filter cleaning kits they come up like new with a bit of elbow grease.

[newdawn1st]

Hot n Soapy Does one of those cleaning kits (foam n Oil) work well on copy filters though? The only kits I've seen are for specific brands ie K&N or pipercross.

and how long does a washable filter last? if its cleaned at regular intervals? don't know how long this one has been there

[Dan]

A K&N has a million mile guarantee and should last that long if you clean it regularly. Soapy water won't clean a gauze filter, it is full of grease and oil so you need to use a better solvant to clean it. You also appear to have done it the wrong way, you need to wash it under running water with the water flowing from inside the filter to outside so that it pushes dirt back out the way it came in. If you've just stuck it in a bucket of soapy water and scrubbed it you'll have done little or nothing. If it's a gauze filter it must be re-oiled when you've finished, the oil is what makes it work.

[newdawn1st]

Just was reading that on their website, quite a guarantee. Also read that they only recommended cleaning every 25k miles if used in dusty and dirty applications, seemed a bit high to me. Will get some proper cleaning foam and oil, will it work the same on copy filters?

I did both too soaked in a bucket then washed under running water.

[Dan]

Unfortunately by washing it in a bucket first you have driven the dirt deeper into it. You are only supposed to wash them through, inside to out. Give it a good wash and the dirt should all come away, I think the real problem for you has been the lack of a solvant. They usually come up very clean, just slightly discoloured on the underside where they get scorched by the exhaust manifold. The cleaning interval is quite long, K&N maintain that the initial layers of dirt taken up in the first few thousand miles make the filter more effective as they reduce the size of the holes through the filter. It only needs cleaning when it's really blocked. If your filter is gauze trapped in wire, the K&N fluid and oil should work I would imagine but I don't suppose there's any way to know for sure.

[newdawn1st]

Thanks Dan