Foam pre-filter with normal paper filter
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Lookey what I found! Wix filter wraps.
http://www.wixfilters.com/filterlookup/afw.asp
http://www.wixfilters.com/filterlookup/afw.asp
^Nice find.
Originally Posted By: TC
Lookey what I found! Wix filter wraps.
http://www.wixfilters.com/filterlookup/afw.asp
Wish they covered more applications. All those on the lars are round filters for '60-80s carbureted and TBI engines.
Lookey what I found! Wix filter wraps.
http://www.wixfilters.com/filterlookup/afw.asp
Wish they covered more applications. All those on the lars are round filters for '60-80s carbureted and TBI engines.
Originally Posted By: Jim Allen
Originally Posted By: TC
Lookey what I found! Wix filter wraps.
http://www.wixfilters.com/filterlookup/afw.asp
Wish they covered more applications. All those on the lars are round filters for '60-80s carbureted and TBI engines.
I imagine with a little ingenuity one could cut the wraps and reconfigure them however is needed, within limits, including gluing seams together with silicone seal or whatever might be appropriate. FYI, these products are not to be used as fajita wraps, so don't experiment with that.
Originally Posted By: TC
Lookey what I found! Wix filter wraps.
http://www.wixfilters.com/filterlookup/afw.asp
Wish they covered more applications. All those on the lars are round filters for '60-80s carbureted and TBI engines.
I imagine with a little ingenuity one could cut the wraps and reconfigure them however is needed, within limits, including gluing seams together with silicone seal or whatever might be appropriate. FYI, these products are not to be used as fajita wraps, so don't experiment with that.
Originally Posted By: scurvy
Originally Posted By: Jim Allen
If you wouldn't mind, do a before install and after install restriction reading, resetting the gauge each time and using the same method of getting the reading (i.e a 20-70, full bore acceleration).
This is an excellent idea and would allow you to quantify any additional restriction by the foam prefilter.
Folks on TDIClub found that the foam equipped filter (Mann C37153/1) showed no restriction over the non-foamed filter and lasted a very long time in service (80k miles?) before tripping a restriction meter. Excellent filtration as well.
That was for the cold weather filter, which replaced the old snow screen on the early MK4 TDI's. The old snowscreen used to plug up with dust extremely easy.
If Mann makes a cold weather filter... get one of those
Originally Posted By: Jim Allen
If you wouldn't mind, do a before install and after install restriction reading, resetting the gauge each time and using the same method of getting the reading (i.e a 20-70, full bore acceleration).
This is an excellent idea and would allow you to quantify any additional restriction by the foam prefilter.
Folks on TDIClub found that the foam equipped filter (Mann C37153/1) showed no restriction over the non-foamed filter and lasted a very long time in service (80k miles?) before tripping a restriction meter. Excellent filtration as well.
That was for the cold weather filter, which replaced the old snow screen on the early MK4 TDI's. The old snowscreen used to plug up with dust extremely easy.
If Mann makes a cold weather filter... get one of those
I had a chance to finally bring this idea back from the dead. I experimented with this on my old Civic a long time ago but never really had the chance to study it very carefully. Fast forward to 2019 and I now have a 99 4Runner which I regularly take on offroad trips.
On a very dusty 50 mile ride I found that my new-ish OEM air filter was totally shot. This got me thinking about a foam pre-filter again. I picked up some thick UNI 65 PPI foam and some spray UNI oil. Keeping it simple I cut out a foam shape which the filter cartridge jams downward into the box. The edges of the foam fold up over the sides of the cartridge creating a seal. As the air comes into the box it hits the foam filter first.
Brand new foam next to the new paper filter
![[Linked Image]](https://i.imgur.com/3gyMzgG.jpg "[Linked Image]")
After oiling with Uni spray oil
![[Linked Image]](https://i.imgur.com/flT80Tj.jpg "[Linked Image]")
After this point I drove the truck approximately 4000 miles. There were a few hundred miles of offroad driving, 200 of which were in the desert, but at no point was it particularly dusty.
Here's the filter taken off showing the inner surface that is up against the bottom of the paper cartridge
![[Linked Image]](https://i.imgur.com/hJOkgiV.jpg "[Linked Image]")
Flipped over to see the business end -- this is where the dirty air meets the foam filter. Clearly it has captured some stuff and the paper filter has remained very clean! Because the foam is jammed against the inlet tube you can see there are some dead spots but overall the surface is pretty evenly dirty. This means the air is able to flow pretty well underneath it.
![[Linked Image]](https://i.imgur.com/7oNmJ0r.jpg "[Linked Image]")
After a wash in solvent, soapy water, and rinse with clean water
![[Linked Image]](https://i.imgur.com/iSQi3pZ.jpg "[Linked Image]")
I drove a lot of long hills and stuff in northern CA during this 4000 interval. I noticed no power loss. That's saying a lot since I only have 150HP at best to begin with! I figure if I lost even a couple HP I'd be able to notice.
On a very dusty 50 mile ride I found that my new-ish OEM air filter was totally shot. This got me thinking about a foam pre-filter again. I picked up some thick UNI 65 PPI foam and some spray UNI oil. Keeping it simple I cut out a foam shape which the filter cartridge jams downward into the box. The edges of the foam fold up over the sides of the cartridge creating a seal. As the air comes into the box it hits the foam filter first.
Brand new foam next to the new paper filter
After oiling with Uni spray oil
After this point I drove the truck approximately 4000 miles. There were a few hundred miles of offroad driving, 200 of which were in the desert, but at no point was it particularly dusty.
Here's the filter taken off showing the inner surface that is up against the bottom of the paper cartridge
Flipped over to see the business end -- this is where the dirty air meets the foam filter. Clearly it has captured some stuff and the paper filter has remained very clean! Because the foam is jammed against the inlet tube you can see there are some dead spots but overall the surface is pretty evenly dirty. This means the air is able to flow pretty well underneath it.
After a wash in solvent, soapy water, and rinse with clean water
I drove a lot of long hills and stuff in northern CA during this 4000 interval. I noticed no power loss. That's saying a lot since I only have 150HP at best to begin with! I figure if I lost even a couple HP I'd be able to notice.
This method really showed its use during a 500 mile trip in the desert.
The dusty roads loaded up the foam pre-filter quite nicely, leaving the paper air filter squeaky clean as intended.
![[Linked Image]](https://i.imgur.com/3W9zxKe.jpg "[Linked Image]")
Wash in dish soap, rubbing alcohol, dry. Reoil and its back in service.
Again, no power loss observed.
The dusty roads loaded up the foam pre-filter quite nicely, leaving the paper air filter squeaky clean as intended.
Wash in dish soap, rubbing alcohol, dry. Reoil and its back in service.
Again, no power loss observed.
Is there any independent Lab data that would suggest that the prefoam filter really ads to the total effectiveness of the filter. I sure haven't seen any. If so how much of an improvement?
Originally Posted by Malo83
The AC filter on my 17 Regal GS 2.0T has the foam element attached to the paper element.
Apparently that foam is called a cold climate filter to prevent snow/ice from forming on the pleats. My girlfriend's LTG 2.0 in the 2015 Malibu has that on the stock AC Delco Filter. That foam doesn't really seem to do anything other than get dirty fairly quickly without any easy way of cleaning it.
Ford apparently used that on the early Fusion filters but when I buy the new replacement Ford/Motorocraft filters for the Ford GT or the Fusion (2.0/2.7 EcoBoost) it comes without the foam.
The AC filter on my 17 Regal GS 2.0T has the foam element attached to the paper element.
Apparently that foam is called a cold climate filter to prevent snow/ice from forming on the pleats. My girlfriend's LTG 2.0 in the 2015 Malibu has that on the stock AC Delco Filter. That foam doesn't really seem to do anything other than get dirty fairly quickly without any easy way of cleaning it.
Ford apparently used that on the early Fusion filters but when I buy the new replacement Ford/Motorocraft filters for the Ford GT or the Fusion (2.0/2.7 EcoBoost) it comes without the foam.
Originally Posted by metroplex
Originally Posted by Malo83
The AC filter on my 17 Regal GS 2.0T has the foam element attached to the paper element.
Apparently that foam is called a cold climate filter to prevent snow/ice from forming on the pleats. My girlfriend's LTG 2.0 in the 2015 Malibu has that on the stock AC Delco Filter. That foam doesn't really seem to do anything other than get dirty fairly quickly without any easy way of cleaning it.
Ford apparently used that on the early Fusion filters but when I buy the new replacement Ford/Motorocraft filters for the Ford GT or the Fusion (2.0/2.7 EcoBoost) it comes without the foam.
Looks like this
![[Linked Image]](https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/attachments/usergals/2019/05/full-20476-32200-fullsizeoutput_959.jpeg "[Linked Image]")
Originally Posted by Malo83
The AC filter on my 17 Regal GS 2.0T has the foam element attached to the paper element.
Apparently that foam is called a cold climate filter to prevent snow/ice from forming on the pleats. My girlfriend's LTG 2.0 in the 2015 Malibu has that on the stock AC Delco Filter. That foam doesn't really seem to do anything other than get dirty fairly quickly without any easy way of cleaning it.
Ford apparently used that on the early Fusion filters but when I buy the new replacement Ford/Motorocraft filters for the Ford GT or the Fusion (2.0/2.7 EcoBoost) it comes without the foam.
Looks like this
It's a testament to the UNI foam's effectiveness that the paper filter is still spotless. Might have to give this a shot on some of my vehicles that see dirtier environments.
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](http://i.imgur.com/UesKXCR.jpg "[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]")
Any reason you don't let the restriction gauge decide when to clean the foam?
That would be a valid point.
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