I had a Accel Kool Blue/K&N style air filter on for about 3 weeks. I've decided to take it off and go back to the stock paper cone filter. I am going to do an oil change soon, should I do anything else to make sure the engine goes back to being clean as possible?
Engine flushing of dirt?
- Thread starter SilverStreak
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Patman
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If it was only there 3 weeks the oil won't have much extra dirt in it but if you're really worried you could do two oil changes in a row.
Silverstreak, why are you worried about the KoolBlue? They filter down to 3-4 microns (better than K&N), and are a good filter if maintained properly.
I agree your really over worrying about this situation. All of the cotton gauze filters when well maintained provide great filtering ability. It's up to you but I would do an analysis and look at the silicon count and go from there. I was in a similar situation with my Jeep and K@N FIPK, it's regularly offroad and see's alot of dust, dirt and water thrown into the engine compartment. I usually use the stock airbox and filter but a few times I forgot to do the switcharoo and the K@N came home very dirty. The voices in my head were laughing at me for all the dirt I had just ingested into my motor. However, my analysis came back and showed my Silicon count at 5 ppm. Proved to me a K@N can filter well.
Ryan...How often do you here these voices
...just yanking your chain dude
I think my previous posts got him a little on edge...didn't mean to do this but we all know the feeling of "am I doing the right thing"...some reports came back good on the K&N,some not so good...so the saga continues...probably forever...or till we start using nuclear powered vehicles...then we'll have something else to worry about
The Kool Blue is supposed to filter down to 2-3 microns. However, if I hold it to the light and can see through it, just like the K&N. I am sure dust that is 2-3 microns can get pass that.
I am more paranoid than anything, probably just do an oil change and get an analysis. My stock air filter is a large cone paper so the surface area is even larger than a K&N or Kool Blue. I'll leave it to my aftermarket exhaust to flow more to compensate
I am more paranoid than anything, probably just do an oil change and get an analysis. My stock air filter is a large cone paper so the surface area is even larger than a K&N or Kool Blue. I'll leave it to my aftermarket exhaust to flow more to compensate
SS, I wouldn't worry about the holes. The oiled cotton filters have an electrostatic charge that attracts the dust particles, and the oil traps them. There is virtually nothing solid that gets through the filter. The key is to maintain them properly. A lot of the problems people encounter with them are caused by blowing them out with compressed air, overoiling, underoiling, turning a water hose on them, using improper cleaner, poor sealing, etc, etc, etc.....
There will be no end to this argument, paper vs oiled cotton vs foam, and I welcome other opinions. A test I did on my Bronco confirmed the filtering ability of my K&N to me. Several paper elements that I used passed dust and grit, evidenced by residue on the carb throat. After installing a K&N and running it through a summer of dust (road repair in front of my house), the carb throat was completely clean. Case closed.
Please excuse the long post.
Don
Good posts, I am glad to see you both having good reports on the K&N. Regarding proper maintenance, I have a question. It is supposed to go 50,000 miles between changes, and I understand it filters better when dirty. Is the best thing to leave it completely alone for the first 50,000 miles rather than messing with it? How do I know if it needs to be oiled?
Patman
Staff member
It should never need to be oiled during it's interval. It comes from the factory pre oiled, and the only time you need to add oil to it is after you've washed it out. I think they used to tell offroaders to spray oil on it between cleanings, but overoiling can cause more harm than good. That stuff can gunk up your mass air flow meter's wires.
Why doesn't K&N sell their filter "pre-soiled" if it works better dirty?For that matter why doesn't the regular filter manufacturers do the same if the first 15% of useage is the most damaging according to another post that confirmed this in SAE testing...just wunderin'
The K@N's I have bought new were pre oiled but the only part that needed more oil was around the outer edges, these parts were white while the rest was red. My maintenance schedule for my K@N's are to clean every year. I know this seems too early but it has yielded great results so far and I plan to stick with it until an analysis proves me wrong.
tell us how ur analysis goes, if its good then ill buy one
Greaser...that's "pre-oiled", not "pre-soiled". And the answer is probably because nobody wants a used part sold as new. But, seriously...the minute you begin using it it's trapping dirt and then the dirt becomes a further filtration device...so these few miles where this happens isn't a worry. As far as more dirt passing in the paper scenerio...it's probably due to 1. passing around the filter as paper provides greater resistance or 2. leak somewhere else in the intake after the filter.
I liked the the "pre-soiled" better
You might wish to read this man's filter findings which are ongoing now:
http://www.mcagraphix.com/filter/test.htm
He isn't finding the oiled filters to stop as much dirt as the paper elements. Myself, I have paper in one vehicle and an oiled filter in the other. However, I'm watching the outcome of his test and may junk the oiled Amsoil filter and go back to OEM paper.
I've read (cannot remember the source) that the spectrometer readings from the oil analysis only count particles below a certain micron in size. I wonder if it is possible that one could be getting larger particles of dirt through a filter and into the engine but they wouldn't show up on the normal analysis due to their size being larger than what the spectrometer recognizes ? It is my understanding that this is where the "particle counts" come in for these type of situations. Of course few people get the "particle counts" as this cost more $.
Can anyone who understand the details of the various oil analysis test shed more light on this issue? Could one actually be getting more dirt through a filter and not see it reflected in the silicon readings?
quote:
Originally posted by Cressida:
Personally we all want what is best for our vehicles...and the need to "make it better" is overwhelming sometimes.I've been to the Dodge/Jeep Engineering and testing facilities on Plymouth Rd. in Michigan.Exstensive research into EVERYTHING goes on there...If a vehicle comes with an oiled filter from the factory...they have tested it to warranty requirements and I would be satisfied with that.But my vehicle came with a paper filter and thats what meets my warranty requirements...so thats what I use...and I know about the Magnum Moss thing...or whatever it was...not good enough to sway my humble opinion on this topic.Everybody uses what they want...great...but people in general like to have everybody use the same thing,or at least agree with them in their choice...so they feel they are doing the right thing...I'm with the engineers on this OEM filter thing..anybody can use what they like.So the saga continues
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