MANN Air Filter after 5 Years and 52,000 Miles

[HTSS_TR]

Changed the engine air filter in 2000 E430 last weekend, the old and new MANN filter have the same part number C-32164, the new filter is about 1/4" longer than the old one and fits the air box better.

The old filter looks fairly clean after 52k miles, because I had pantyhose as pre-filter and it wasn't so dusty in So Cal. The filter media condition seems to be good for another 10-20k miles, but the rubber surround is a little hard and the new filter is only $15($3 a year) so I changed it.

The panty hose catches all the bugs, leaves and some sands ... only fine dust on the filter media.

I will change/clean the pantyhose at the intake tube once a year, don't open air box or touch the filter.

 

[DoubleWasp]

Panty hose is the key to keeping big sand particles and other large foreign objects out of the air box. I have done that with my Jeep. Excellent!

 

[Barkleymut]

Do you think you are smarter than the engineers at Mercedes? If they knew a pair of pantyhose would help they would have put something like that in there. Your engine will now explode within 3 months. ;p

 

[mtndew_dad]

To the contrary, I think it looks very dirty. It's the fine dirt that clogs the filter. At only $15 for a new filter, I don't see the point of using the same filter for 52,000 miles.

 

[HTSS_TR]

My engines in various cars should exploded by using pantyhose many years ago, but it didn't !

I didn't think about pre-filters until I saw a lot of bugs, sands, and other large objects in the air box and on the filters many years ago. Then I found that my wife discarded fairly decent pantyhose, I cut it to try on the E430 and it worked as I expected.

 

[901Memphis]

Originally Posted By: mtndew_dad
To the contrary, I think it looks very dirty. It's the fine dirt that clogs the filter. At only $15 for a new filter, I don't see the point of using the same filter for 52,000 miles.


Changing your air filter too often would actually lead to higher levels of silicon ingestion.

Kudos to the OP getting the cleanest air possible into the engine. I also like to change by gasket age too.

 

[SumpChump]

Oddly my Toyotas have a 'webbing' in the air box which is non replaceable. I thought it interesting with all the pantyhose filter talk.

 

[barkingspider]

U got good use from the filter

 

[DBMaster]

I think the people here using restriction gauges will weigh in and tell you that you can tell almost nothing from the appearance of the filter.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: mtndew_dad
To the contrary, I think it looks very dirty. It's the fine dirt that clogs the filter. At only $15 for a new filter, I don't see the point of using the same filter for 52,000 miles.
Penny wise.....

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Oddly my Toyotas have a 'webbing' in the air box which is non replaceable. I thought it interesting with all the pantyhose filter talk.
Keeps the mouseys from eating the thing.

 

[HTSS_TR]

I didn't install restriction gauge for 2 reasons:
First, if I didn't do it correctly the seal of the gauge can develop a leak and dust can pass around it into the engine. Insert pantyhose at the intake tube on front of the air box will not alter the air intake from air box to engine, this is safer approach I think.

Second, the saving is minimum above my extended FCI from recommended 30k miles to 50-60k miles over the life of the car at around 250-300k miles.

 

[mtndew_dad]

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Originally Posted By: mtndew_dad
To the contrary, I think it looks very dirty. It's the fine dirt that clogs the filter. At only $15 for a new filter, I don't see the point of using the same filter for 52,000 miles.


Changing your air filter too often would actually lead to higher levels of silicon ingestion.

Kudos to the OP getting the cleanest air possible into the engine. I also like to change by gasket age too.


I think you're being sarcastic, but not sure because internet.

 

[901Memphis]

No, i am being serious
Originally Posted By: mtndew_dad
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Originally Posted By: mtndew_dad
To the contrary, I think it looks very dirty. It's the fine dirt that clogs the filter. At only $15 for a new filter, I don't see the point of using the same filter for 52,000 miles.


Changing your air filter too often would actually lead to higher levels of silicon ingestion.

Kudos to the OP getting the cleanest air possible into the engine. I also like to change by gasket age too.


I think you're being sarcastic, but not sure because internet.



No i am being serious, an air filter has the worst efficiency earlier in its life as the larger cellulose pores are still open, later in the life of the filter the larger pores are full and the air is forced through the smaller and smaller pores making it more efficient.

That is why we install restriction gauges, so you know when the filters life is up.

If the filter isn't showing max restriction, the engine is receiving cleaner air with the aged filter, up to the point where the gasket starts to have leaks, which is why a good hard cut off by age is nice such as here 5 years.

The OP certainly knows what he is doing.

 

[mjoekingz28]

So 901Memphis, how bout you just buy my filters when Im done with them in 30k?

Or better yet, with that train of thought, we should ask the filter makers to install, sand, dirt and leaves in our new filters so they will literally be 'better than new'.


How 'bout it, whaddaya say???

 

[dnewton3]

There are two general ways to really know how well a filter is doing.
1) a UOA will show the silica ingestion and a poor seal or media void becomes obvious
2) a restriction gage will show the dP across the media

Anything short of one of those is a total guess.

Much (not all) of my equipment has a gage and gets UOAs. Those that don't, I don't worry about as long as I see a good seal upon installation. After that, I quit worrying about it.

 

[meep]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Oddly my Toyotas have a 'webbing' in the air box which is non replaceable. I thought it interesting with all the pantyhose filter talk.
Keeps the mouseys from eating the thing.


mine has it too. it's /after/ the replaceable filter element. not sure that's for rodents. ????

 

[badtlc]

Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
So 901Memphis, how bout you just buy my filters when Im done with them in 30k?

Or better yet, with that train of thought, we should ask the filter makers to install, sand, dirt and leaves in our new filters so they will literally be 'better than new'.


How 'bout it, whaddaya say???


You can mock it all you want but facts are facts and dirty air filters have a higher filtration efficiency than new filters at the cost of air flow. Everything is a compromise.

Even though it isn't easily measured, clean filters do offer better MPGs as the air restriction is lower and this reduces pumping losses. These differences are small and not really measurable in the real world but it is there, just like the increase in filtration efficiency over a filter's life.

 

[mtndew_dad]

I agree that as a filter gets dirty it can trap smaller particles of dirt, but at some point it restricts airflow, and without a restriction gauge (which I am sure less than 1% have installed) you just don't know. That is why, for only $15 every 30,000 miles just change it! It's not like a new filter is so "inefficient" that it lets significant amounts of dirt pass through.

 

[mjoekingz28]

Yeah, sure....thanks to yall line of thinking my AC ducting in my home is filthy. You see, the filter used was probably never changed, and while the AC probably still blows cold, it let alot of dust and dirt get ingested.

I feel bad for yall who thinks a filter is fine til it cannot flow. It some cases, if not all. An air filter will let dirt thru when it is 'full'. Ive seen it on my Aunts Mustang. The intake tract after the filter, aka engine side, had plenty of sand and other grit in it, even thou the dilter was sealed. According to some of you though, the filter would be in its heyday and trapping more dirt than a new filter.

Im about done trying to save some of you who think ingesting dirt is a good idea. Ever wonder why automakers say to change the filter 'more often' when driving down dirt roads. Seems, some of yall would think the filter is getting better while driving down a dirt road....no, it is getting loaded up and when full, it will go into a sort of bypass and allow unfiltered air through, otherwise with your thinking it would just get better and better until one day the car wont run and you just throw in a new one and be on your merry way.