Hi Friends....

Don't want to start a flamewar or anything like that here....especially being a NEWBIE! However...I am just going to report on my findings over the past couple of years on using K/N, Amsoil and the regular paper filters. I don't work for any company as such and am not affiliated....nor is this scientific by any means. Just some information that I am passing on from my experience and that of others cars that I have worked on in the past.

Since 1995 I have been taking various oil samples from my cars (1995 Z28 and 1998 Z28) at different intervals during the year. I take them to a company called Wear Check and they do an oil analysis.

I really like the functionality of K/N filters and the fact that you can wash, re-oil and re-use them. Saves $$$ and that is the bottom line. However, one day I came to realize that something was dreadfully wrong. On my 95 Z28 I had a larger flowing airbox that used the stock filter. In cleaning out my car one day, I took apart the airbox and noticed some fine white dust after the air filter. I immediatedly got the oil sample when I changed it and took it to get analyzed. Turns out I had too much silicon particulate in the oil (ie...sand, dust, dirt). An acceptable level as they claim was 3%. I had over 15%. I then put in a new regular AC paper filter. I had the oil sampled at the next change and things were back to normal. Went back to the K/N and the problem returned. Back to the paper and....you can see the picture. This occured over a year and a half.

On my 98 Z28, I received similar results. I installed a better flowing Whisper airbox lid along with a K/N filter and a small ram air setup from SLP. My dirt levels were recorded at 12%....not as bad yet still not acceptable. I then used a Fram paper filter (#3904) and put this in. Readings came back three months later with a nice 2%. I then decided to try the Amsoil foam/oil filter. It was a bit more expensive but I figured that I would give it a try seeing that it was also reuseable. After the regular interval (and some!) had passed, I got the same very acceptable results as the paper Fram air filter.

So what the heck does all of this mean? Well....if you don't care, hey, then not much. But if you do care about your wonderful Truck as I do, I know what will be going into mine! Not a K/N! It's nothing personal against them, I just think that this filter is built for a racing engine that gets rebuilt more often. If you need some proof, try this little test....Next time you have your K/N, hold it up to the sunlight. If you can see minor, even tiny pinholes in the filter....those are obvious areas where dirt can get through. If not...then your are A-OK!!! Compare a Paper filter with it and see if you can see the same thing. I doubt it. Hopefully someone will make a good foam/oil kind of re-useable air filter such as Amsoil or Accel, but I am not holding my breath.

I always wonder why K/N also sells this wrap around foam sponge for it's conical or straight filters. It's seems that perhaps the filters are flowing more air and also more dirt....? If I was to use one of the conical systems out there, I would get the foam wrap around as some extra insurance.

Any thoughts on this is appreciated!!!

thx a bunch for reading!

Paul G.

[This message has been edited by PBGas (edited 08-30-1999).]

 

Very disturbing!!!!!!

Anyone else out there had similar experiences? What does K&N say?

I bet 40% of the members are using K&N. If it is allowing even a speck more dirt than stock in my engine I wouldn't hesitate sending it back to K&N. IMO it hasn't done that much for my performance anyway.


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'97 F150 Lariat, Flareside, SC, ORP, 5.4, Mods: 305/70/16 GY ATS, AR Baja wheels, dual exhaust, Smittybilt nerf bars, Edelbrock IAS Shocks and fog light mod.

 

On my Cobra, which I use a K&N, I have noticed alot of dirt in the intake boot which runs between the filter and throttle body. And has got alot worse since I moved onto a dirt road. I have not ditched the K&N yet, but I know when I swap out her motor, a K&N wont be going back in. As far as the Lightning goes, I will not be putting a K&N in that. For the little gain it provides, it is not worth the little bit of dirt that it lets through.


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Jim
96 Black Cobra,
K&N,OffRoad H-Pipe
NitrousExpress 150 shot
1999.5 Black Lightning
No Mods yet

 

I would like to see that email sent to K&N and have them give us an official response..
I just installed an airaid and was already nervous about having the filter open in the engine compartment.. Thanks!

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J Randall
elktag1az@aol.com
Arizona F150 4x4 SC '97

 

I've been kicking around the idea of putting a K&N in my 150...the biggest reason for my hesitation has been a bad experience w/ K&N's in a dual-Weber conversion on a Toyota Corolla several years back...the K&N's let through enough crud to require a carb rebuild much sooner than necessary. Does anyone know if a paper filter exists for an AirAid?

 

I figured that I wasn't the only one here with a similar experience. I just won't put it in the new truck. The most interesting thing was when I had my 98 Z28 on the dyno. With the K/N filter I was getting 313 HP at the rear wheels but when I swapped in the Fram paper filter, I ended up jumping to 317 RW/HP....who knows.....just interesting I gather. Perhaps the car was a tad cooler. It just struck me kind of funny. If you are going to put a K/N in your beautiful truck, I would suggest getting a "K&N Airforce pre-cleaner". Summit has them in their catalogues. Hopefully Fram will come out with a decent paper filter. That would work just great.

Paul G.

 

Hey guys, Sal here. Reading the posts on this K&N subject got me thinking. Very interesting. But I think there is a logical explanation for this. Since the K&N filter allows more volume of air into the motor, then it would obviously let more dirt particles in over a given time. In other words, if you ran a paper filter for 1 year, and it allowed a total of 10 units of air into the motor (just a fake number for this example), and the K&N flowed more so over the same year it let in 20 units of air, then the K&N allowed twice as much air in the same given time than the paper filter. Going on that, I would think it would be obvious that the K&N would let more dirt in over the same given time than the paper filter, becuase it allowed twice as much air to enter the motor. What do you guys think? There is no scientific basis for this theory, it just seems logical.

SAL

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" TARGET=_blank>http://members.aol.com/NLOCsvt/svt.html


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I have a Ford PowerStroke and i am in a very dirty enviroment. I notice the last time I cleaned the filter (K&N) that their was some fine whitish dust in the airduct going into the engine. think I will take it off, and will wait before changing factory filter in Lightning. I to believe that the K&N filter is more for racing apps. not for real dirty enviroments. Thanks for bringing this situation to everyones attention.


Dennis
99 Whitelightning
97 Power Stroke

 

SAL: Your thinking is sound but letting in twice as much probably won't occur because you would need twice as much fuel also. It would probably safer to figure how much more air the engine would USE. I would guess 10-20% more.

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Red 99.5 Lightning,#0975,Born 5/6/99...Adopted 5/27/99 SuperChip

 

As I understand it, our engines are essentially positive displacement pumps. That is, for each revolution it turns it displaces the same volume. (this changes somewhat due to the effect of the supercharger). My point is, changing the air filter to a low restriction type doesn't allow more air to flow, rather it allows it to flow more freely, thus freeing up power to be used elsewhere.

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99 White Lightning, nothin new but the payments.

 

I have wondered about this myself. I have the Airaid FIPK. Since I go out to the desert alot here in So. Cal. I put on a Outerwear pre-filter. It keeps out that
much more dust and they breath great and
it looks prety cool too.Check out there website. My .02
http://www.outerwearsracing.com/frames.htm

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1997 F150 XLT 4.6L Auto 4x4 ORP SC 3.55LS Oxford white, Med. Graphite Int. Bed Cap,Superchip,AirRaid,Bug Deflector. 3" Flowmaster 40 series,Bassani Nascar Tip.

 

97f150, thanks much for the info! I have one of these for my Polaris but I didnt even think about one for my airaid/k&n..Does everyone agree that this would be a good idea and will get more filtration, more in line with a paper filter? What model did you get and if you dont mind what was the cost? I have a fax into them, just waiting for the info.. thanks!

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J Randall
elktag1az@aol.com
Arizona F150 4x4 SC '97

 

As the engine turns, it would suck partial vacuum if the inlet is restricted. The less restriction, the closer you would get to zero pressure differential across the inlet-filter. So, a low restriction filter would indeed flow more air.

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99 Black Lightning
Rhino liner
Superchip

 

Sal

Who makes the filter element for your 99 Lightning cone filter setup? How easy is it to switch back to the stock system if you were only interested in using the cone filter on the strip?

P.S. You link results in Sorry,we can't find that page (on AOL)

Lightning Bob

 

PBGas,

At the time, did you do alot of driving on dirt roads or regular paved city streets when you found the white particles in your air box? Ive had mine for about 10000 miles now, Ill be checking it out when I get home.

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The Truck: 1997 Black F-150 Flareside. Regular Cab ORP and Towing Package
The Mods: K&N Filter, Eurolid Hard Tonneau and Ford Bug Deflector.
The Site:
Triton's 4.6 Liter Web Page
www.mindspring.com/~acbradley/index.html