I know the instructions say 50,000 miles . . . are you actually waiting that long? I usually clean mine once a year . . . or roughly every 12,000-13,000 miles. Am I cleaning it too often?

I can't imagine cleaning it once every 4 years . . . is that 50,000 under ideal conditions?

Not like this info is critical, just curious more than anything.

 

I would say 50000 is too long, but over cleaning can be just as bad. Oiling a K&N can allow the oil to get through and on to your MAF. I guess as long as your carefull not to use too much oil after you clean it you should be fine.

 

The "dirt" actually enhances the filtering ability of the media. I've seen K&N's go 30,000 miles without a cleaning. I have about 15,000 miles on mine and it still looks almost new. I do primarily city driving (very little visable dust). Just pop the hood every once in a while and clear off the large debris. I'll probably clean mine at 20,000 miles, which will be in 6-8 months from now.

As far as the oiling...you need to oil a K&N filter. The problem comes when you apply too much oil on the gauze. Over oiling causes the oil to run all over the place; in addition, the excess oil will be sucked into the tube where the MAFS is located. Worst case senario, you'll have to clean the MAFS with some E. contact cleaner and a Q-tip (VERY CAREFULLY!).

check out the site:

www.knengineering.com

The following is a quote from K&N Engineering's site:

7. Will a K&N filter cause my vehicle’s mass air sensor to fail?

No. A properly oiled K&N filter will not contaminate a mass air sensor. However, if extremely over oiled, it's possible for contamination to occur. In the last few years certain vehicles have had design problems with the mass air sensors. Some dealers have attempted to blame the problem on a K&N filter, however, of all the sensors we have sent off to be tested, we have yet to find one that failed due to oil contamination. The defect in all cases was within the mass air sensor unit.

 

I end up cleaning mine about every 20-25k on my F-150, every 12k on my car, and every year on my quads.

As mf150 said, dirt does enhance the filtering capability to a point, but it also restricts air flow which is not good.

Alos, like he said, applying too much oil can cause it to get on the MAF (may cause driveability and/or check engine light) or even worse getting into the intake manifold or cylinder. It is not a big deal to clean the MAF if you overoiled.

 

That's cool. I've learned to really watch the oil. When I first got it a few years ago, I would overoil it. A required cleaning of my MAF with a not so careful Q-Tip manouver meant a trip to the dealer for a new MAF

Now when I re-oil it I'm very careful to make sure that it doesn't get too much. I almost feel like I'm in some sort of relay race. "How fast can I spray the oil and spin the filter at the same time to ensure it doesn't get too saturated"

 

I cleaned mine at 30,000---it wasn't THAT dirty--but I began to feel like I was neglecting it.

 

Mines got 40k on it with only some added oilings because I have had it in some dusty conditions in the past. I was going to clean it, but it still shows lots of light through it and there is still a bit of 'clean' area around the nose of it........

This is what it looked like after a week of camping and driving on a very dusty road daily.



And what the engine compartment looked like!!



I brushed off the excess dust from the filter and then lightly reoiled it (per the instructions for driving in dusty conditions). I'll probably clean it after this summer. (I've never had a MAF problem!)

 

I let mine go 30,000 miles last time and it was dirty enough that I was noticing a decline in mpg and a slight power loss during high speed passing on the freeway (80+ mph). No dirt past the filter though.

I think I'll clean it at 20,000 from now on.

 

I got a drop-in K&N, I liek the fact they can go along time without cleaning but I will feel safe at doing it every year or every 10K.

 

when the red turns grey just before brown

 

Ive never had a car long enough to clean except for my civic w/ cold air intake and no fender well lining. I had to take it off and shake out the dirt about once a month because of the tire being only inches away and constantly slinging mud/dirt into the filter. Only washed and reoiled it once in the 18mos. I had it.

Just my .02

 

I haven't serviced mine yet. At the K&N website is says you should use K&N cleaner and oil. Are these packed with top-secret stuff and nothing else will do?

 

The cleaning kit is only about $10.

 

So far, about once every 18 months, but I didn't drive that much, maybe 36,000 miles, so I am sure that this year it will get it twice!

 

Usually I clean it once a year, but it was not that dirty so I'm letting it go two years now with an inspection occasionally when I'm under the hood.