K&N filter, need to be oiled?

joehahn · joehahn's Garage

Does the K&N filter need to be oiled? It says so but I didn't save box nor directions. How do you do it? (do i need to?)

Joe '68 911L

nhromyak · nhromyak's Garage

The K&N should be cleaned when dirty and oiled after cleaning and whenever you would change a normal air filter.

I have one on my car and one on my Blazer.

No noticable difference on the car. BIG difference on the Blazer.

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Nick Hromyak
'85 Carrera 7 & 9 Fuchs
Havin' Fun in Sacramento

Gonzo · 05-30-2001, 12:46 PM

I have a set on my 70 911T. Usually oil them right after you clean them with K&N spray cleaner, then use the K&N oil spray. Both can be had at any Vdub shop.

paulhagedorn · 05-30-2001, 12:53 PM

Also, when cleaning the filter, you need to shoot the water from the inside of the filter to the outside...meaning, from the side that doesn't see dirty particles to the side that filters that particles out of the air. Hopefully you get what I mean, if not, I can try to explain it again.
Also, I think regular oil kills the filter and WD-40 is definitely not what you want to put on it.

Paul

joehahn · joehahn's Garage

just buy spray or actually let it soke in oil?

[This message has been edited by joehahn (edited 05-30-2001).]

jthwan22 · 05-30-2001, 12:56 PM

make sure the filter is dried (air dry, no heat)before putting oil on it. spray oil till no white is showing.

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1984 911 Cabriolet

Jdub · 05-30-2001, 01:19 PM

And do not used compressed air to blow out the crap...just clean, air dry, and lightly oil using the reddish oil they make available as said at any VDub or motorcycle shop.

Jw

bpcsguru · bpcsguru's Garage

Another thing to keep in mind: if you drive in dusty conditions, you need to reoil often. The dust particles whisk the oil away leaving you without the filter protection. Another disadvantage I've heard of is that K&N allows more particles to get by into the engine compared to a regular air cleaner.

I have it in my Range Rover truck because I take it off-road quite a bit and when wading deep water the filter should (I hope) provide better protection against water entering the motor.

Boris
1987 Carrera 3.2
1995 Range Rover

cegerer · cegerer's Garage

Ought oh, I feel another 'beat-up on K&N' thread developing ......

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1971 911T - 2.5L Big Bore

911pcars · 05-30-2001, 03:08 PM

Allow me to begin.

Wait,I'm biting my tongue, although I will say that the K&N is not waterproof, so don't rely on this filter (or any other) to keep water out of the engine internals.

Sherwood Lee
http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars

warment · 05-30-2001, 03:36 PM

I have one on my mustang. I would recommend cleaning and oiling every 10,000 miles. What I usually do is buy the K&N filter oil kit, remove the filter, spray it(soak it) with the supplied cleaner, let it sit for a minute or two, dunk it in a bucket of warm water for a minute or two, let it dry off for an hour or so(or air dry it with a compressor...be careful though not to air dry too close), oil it, let it sit for another 30 minutes or so, and then reinstall. I have been told that you have to be careful not to drive the car when the filter is wet, as the oil may clog up the Mass Air Flow(MAF) sensor. Your car does not have a MAF, so you don't have to worry, but I would let it dry anyway.

Bill

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William Armentrout
1973 911T
2.7 carerra rs specs
www.geocities.com/william_armentrout

Leland Pate · 05-31-2001, 10:13 AM

I'll bash them...
the title of this thread should read:
K&N filter, need to be thrown in the trash?

I wish I could find the thread from over a year ago where a guy actually did some serious digging on K&N and actually started exchanging emails with one of their clueless reps. Data showed that even a well oiled K&N filter lets something like 500 ppm dust particles more than a stock filter in to YOUR engine.

It's your engine... I know I tossed mine after I read all of that.

Almost everyone will tell you that there is no hp. gain on most 911 motors (don't know about carbs)... and other than the fact that they claim to be reuseable there are'nt any real benifits from the stupid things. Very good marketing hype...less than average product in my opinion.

island911 · 05-31-2001, 08:11 PM

Geez Leland, I dunno. . .I pretty sure I read in one of the posts here that they work really well as long as one coats them with that very special "serpentinous petololus"
heh heh heh. . .
. . .and it so happens I have some of this rare blend for sale. . .yeeeah; that's the ticket.

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'81 Platinum Metalic SC Coupe

911pcars · 05-31-2001, 08:27 PM

"I pretty sure I read in one of the posts here that they work really well ......"

In extensive dyno testing, the K&N FilterChargers consistently provided 25 more HP over the stock air filters while allowing a negligible amount of dirt to enter the engine.

Caution: Don't believe everything you read ... or just read, especially on the internet.

Sherwood Lee
http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars

Superman · 05-31-2001, 08:35 PM

I think Island is right. Use only genuine Snake Oil.

"Platinum Metallic" huh? sounds pretty.

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'83 SC

warment · 06-01-2001, 03:14 AM

K&N's are high quality units. I highly recommend them. I had one on my Z24 for 50,000 miles(before I got hit from behind and the car was totalled) with no problems whatsoever. The performance gain is very small, if any, with the filtercharger(replacement of stock filter only). The real gain comes from a cold air kit. Of course, this is impossible on a 911, but very effective on a car that has a stock airbox that looks like an accordion(like my Z24) and does not allow for air to pass easily through it.

Bill

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William Armentrout
1973 911T
2.7 carerra rs specs
www.geocities.com/william_armentrout

cegerer · cegerer's Garage

The real benefit to installing K&N filters is on 'normal' vehicles with very restrictive stock air cleaners. i.e., I installed one many years ago on a daily driver V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee and there was a noticeable difference. I suspect I would be able to notice a difference if I installed one on my current 2000 GMC Sierra as well (hmmm, maybe I should do this and report back, but how do I quantify the results? .....). As for Porsches, the stock air cleaner systems are well-designed, performance-oriented units to begin with, so I suspect little if any improvement would occur.

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1971 911T - 2.5L Big Bore

Mrdi · Mrdi's Garage

A friend came up with a great way to clean a K+N. Take it to the laundromat and put it in a tumble washing machine on hot with two cups of Tide. Let it run full cycle.After it has spun dry the rest of the process is obvious.

911pcars · 06-02-2001, 08:15 AM

The real benefit to installing K&N filters is on 'normal' vehicles with very restrictive stock air cleaners. i.e., I installed one many years ago on a daily driver V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee and there was a noticeable difference. I suspect I would be able to notice a difference if I installed one on my current 2000 GMC Sierra as well (hmmm, maybe I should do this and report back, but how do I quantify the results? .....). As for Porsches, the stock air cleaner systems are well-designed, performance-oriented units to begin with, so I suspect little if any improvement would occur.

Let's not confuse an air filter element with an air filter housing. I agree, in an effort to reduce intake noise, manufacturers create an intake tract that creates some restriction. However, I don't see any definitive dyno tests showing a filter change alone backs up K&N's horsepower claims. Likewise, it's difficult to estimate a seat-of-the-pants result of ingesting dirty air until the engine has reached a certain wear point; it's a gradual thing, somewhat like the effects of not changing oil which will not appear for thousands of miles. FWIW.

Sherwood Lee
http:members.rennlist.org/911pcars