Will Changing Air Filter botch UOA?

[OriginHacker21]

Simple question that I didn't see answered in the search lists:

I'm doing UOA testings on my longer OCIs. Will changing my air filter in the middle of an OCI botch my UOA when I am done?

Using a K&N air filter - have 4k more miles to go on this OCI until the used oil analysis. Will give it to a friend and put a paper in (fram or stp).

Thanks!

-Paul

 

[04SpecV]

Since its already in there I would just leave it in till you do a UOA. Then maybe switch it out for a paper, do another UOA of similar milage.
Its up to you. But you wont really know if it helped or hurt your UOA. Even 1 with and 1 without isn't really much of a comparison.

Are you wanting to change it out , because a few people on here keep bashing them?

 

[OriginHacker21]

Pretty much 04SpecV - but I am willing to leave it in as it was $40.00 + cleaning solutions. A friend has offered to take it but he wants it for free so...

I'll just leave it in then for the accurate UOA.

 

[vad]

quote:

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Are you wanting to change it out , because a few people on here keep bashing them?

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So the actual evidence and tests that consistently show that the K&N's don't filter as well as the cheapest paper filters while offering ZERO benefits for an average user, only hassles of filter maintanance is called bashing?
Good to know.

 

[OriginHacker21]

Actually vad - I agree with you. That is why I plan on taking it out for the next oil change.

Goal is to take engine to 400,000 miles. Anything that prevents that or could prevent that is going out. So far, the only advantage I see K&N having is airflow past 5,000 RPM and not ever buying another filter.

I'll leave the K&N in this OCI so I can compare the UOAs.

 

[vad]

quote:

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the only advantage I see K&N having is airflow past 5,000 RPM

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And even that is debatable since in the stock cars the bottleneck would be in the air induction plumbing, not in the filter.

 

[racer12306]

is there proof that a k&n will dramatically reduce engine life?

i have a k&n in my neon, and it does seem to help. i have real world testing that most people dont believe and say its in my head. if i could use a pureone or an ea filter i would use it, as long as it flowing like a k&n but unfortunately neither company offers a filter for my neon.

 

[vad]

quote:

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is there proof that a k&n will dramatically reduce engine life?

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Why do you wanna gamble?

quote:

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I have real world testing that most people dont believe and say its in my head.

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Without the dyno runs showing otherwise, yes, it is in your head since the stock paper filter already most likely than not outflows your intake which is the real bottleneck..

 

[OriginHacker21]

Same here racer12306, Amsoil doesn't have an air/oil filter for my car. Pontiac Sunfire. I guess we smaller cars got left out

.

 

[OriginHacker21]

vad - You have a good point to make. "Why do you wanna gamble??". Maybe for those who don't plan on keeping their car long K&N would work - but be expensive.

Just curious, after reading a lot in the air filter section... vad - have you ever had a K&N air filter in your vehicle for a period of time?

After this OCI I'm giving this K&N away and putting a paper one in. Will allow me to sleep better at night

 

[racer12306]

i dont see how it is in my head when i couldnt go up this one hill at the speed limit in overdrive with a stock paper filter, but with the k&n i could maintain the speed limit going up the hill in overdrive.

this was a situation where one day i couldnt make it up the hill in overdrive and the next day (with the K&N) i could.

im not gonna loose any sleep having my K&N in there. i dont clean it every oil change or two so i dont run the risk of having too clean of a filter in there. im just now getting ready to clean it at 50000 miles, its been in my neon since about 1000 miles.

i have had a K&N in my street car since i started driving 5 years ago. my 93 shadow had a K&N in it ever since it was new. that car ran great. didnt have any of the typical 2.2/2.5l woes and it had 140000 miles on it. it did have synthetic in it it's entire life, so that helped. but the K&N didnt kill it. my 85 monte has a K&N in there for about 25000 miles.

 

[vad]

Again, I'm not saying that the properly oiled or even underoiled K&N will kill your engine.
(Overoiling will kill your MAFS).
If you drive in the humid, non-dusty conditions and change your oil often enough, you could just get rid of the filter altogether, without any dramatic effects.
Yet at some point your engine will accumulate enough of abrasive wear to start burning oil and loose compression, {much} sooner than it would otherwise had you have a good filter in place.
How soon, by how much, if any?
It's all relative and depends on a million of variables.
Isn't it why afterall we keep coming to this website, "wasting" our time searching for the solutions, that would protect our cars the most?

 

[OriginHacker21]

Yep vad, you're right. I simply do not see any advantage that K&N offers... Especially for the conservative highway driver. Any Pro-K&N people out there? I welcome any comments!

 

[surfstar]

quote:

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Yet at some point your engine will accumulate enough of abrasive wear to start burning oil and loose compression, {much} sooner than it would otherwise had you have a good filter in place.

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Vad: I have been using a cold air intake with a K&N clone filter (same color/type element and when I clean it, which has been twice, I use the K&N kit) for ~100k miles with 186k total miles on my car. THE CAR DOES NOT BURN OIL. I acheive or beat EPA MPG estimates, in a car that's 13 years old. I don't have to change the filter, I clean it at 30-40k miles or less often. My UOA with 4,546 miles had 5 Si. Never had to clean my MAF.

You don't know how the filter will work on every vehicle under every condition.

When am I going to burn oil and loose compression? 300k, 400k miles?