San Jose Power Flow filter: Potential Problem!!!

[SteveN]

About 10 months ago, right after my 6000 mile service, I put a San Jose Power Flow filter in my bike; works great.

However beware of a nasty potential problem. During my 12K I found one of the two long allen screws that hold the filter to the aluminum casing had unscrewed and fallen into the air filter box.

Fortunately it didn't find it's way into one of the air tubes leading to the engine!! The other screw was tight but the entire filter was just hanging in the air box, not doing much good.

If you've installed one of SJ's filters, you might want to make sure the screws that hold the filter to the aluminum base are tight.

[roger albert]

Youch, are you saying the screws come up through the filter frame into the aluminum piece, so that when they fall they're just laying in the airbox?

A truly bad design. Look at any car (or other bike's) airbox. All the hardware is on the outside.

Thanks for the warning. Truly something to be wary of.

roger

[jclark]

Just put some LocTite® on the threads, and reinspect somewjere down the road.
You ARE cleaning and re-oiling yer filter, aintcha?

jeff
with no washers or nuts on the bolts, really, no worries, mate...

[SteveN]

Yes I'm cleaning the filter and they are now loctited. But it still is something that you'd better be aware of. Who knows when the screws can fall out.

And yes, the screws are external to the actual filter body which is then placed into the air box. If they fall, they stay in the air box...well hopefully they stay there and don't venture down to the injectors and beyond!

Oh ye be warned!

[Joe]

Here's the filter..... I wouldn't worry about the bolt dropping into the throttle bodies and beyond it's 8-10" long (est.) I don't think it could make the turn. I would be more concerned with a poor seal for filtering.

[skruggyuk]

re.. San Jose Filter

Thanks for the heads up.

Are you supposed to oil it before putting it in for the first time? I've got the K&N cleaning kit but just stuck mine in as the instriuctions didn't tell you to oil it up.

When I swapped filters there were about 3 stones in the original filter the size of small peas.

Julian

[Trevor Rossack]

YES!!! The K&N airfilters have to be oiled for them to work properly.

Cheers
TREVOR

[pdonnell]

I installed my powerfilter today. It was at my local dealership for about a month before picking it up today. The filter felt oiled already. But to be sure I oiled it again and set it aside for a few hours for any excess oil to drain. Then I loctited the two securing screws so that they wouldn't fall into the air box and viola. Works like a charm.

[jclark]

It sounds like a Bass Fiddle?

jeff
hmmmmm.....

[skruggyuk]

Trevor

Thks for the advice.
Looks like the fairing and tank are coming off again this weekend.

Julian

[brad black]

if the k&n is pinky orange, it's oiled. without oil it's white. they generally come out of the box ready to go.

brad

[pdonnell]

There oiled to be used right out the box.
.
Why would the tank need to come off to service the K&N. Mine dropped in fine.?