I was thinking about every six months, but when I took out the cleaning kit and read it, it said every 50-100k miles??? Either I read that wrong, or damn that's a good filter. What do you guys think? How long can it go without cleaning and re-oiling?

 

I just cleaned mine after 25K miles. Didn't look that dirty. The water that came off was basically red from the oil. Wasn't hard to do so it may have been worth it.

WarEagle

 

Whats the best way tpo clean the K&N???

 

I use a soft paint brush to get the bugs off then spray it down with K&N cleaner. I let it sit for 5-10 minutes and spray cleaner on the dirtier spots and let it sit somemore. I then rinse from the inside out with warm water. Let it dry completely! When it'd dry, spray the oil on the ridges. I then let it sit for an hour so the oil spreads. Then check for any spots that may need more oil. Usually I take a day to clean the filter. I install the OEM filter during the cleaning. Yes I can tell the difference.

 

i have about 30k miles on mine and havent cleaned it yet. i checked it out a few days ago and it looks fine.

 

i clean mine about every 3 oil changes!
JJ

 

I ran mine for almost 18 months and 40000 miles. Mine was still very clean and didn't really need it but did it anyways. Figured once a year or so sounded like a good time.

 

I did mine about a month ago, a year after I got it, or about 15k miles, and was actually pretty dirty, but not horribly bad.

 

If the filters aren't that dirty, does that mean they arent working? Im thinking about getting one but was wondering if it was really worth it.

 

Around here, in the Great Stinkin' Desert of Eastern Washington State, the soil and dust is of volcanic ash origion, a lot of it still from when Mt St Helens erupted in 1980. You walk on trails up the casdcades during summer and the dust clouds from walking are evident!

The soil and dust is very light and powdery not at all like what you see "back east" (I'm from Detroit). Any wind above about 15-20 mph kicks up dust like you wouldnt believe! Dust storm are common any time of year. Some are bad enough to close the interstates!! About two years ago one dust storm kicked up outside of Pendelton Oregon during daylight hours and it completely obscured driving. It was like driving into a brown fog bank! You couldnt see anything in front of your bumper! 6 people were killed in the ensuing accident.

And we are in an area that is very heavily agricultural which means there is a lot of bare soil this time of year.

We have to change air filters several times each year, I'd say about 4 times per year!!!! Not unusual. I check them every other oil change (3,000 miles). If they are dirty then they get changed....

Of course, if I am doing some off-roading on a dusty trail then I am more likely to change it.

I just put a K&N in my rig, so I havent had it long enough to see what the life of the oiling is.

--karl

 

I try to clean my filter every summer, whether it needs it or not.

I installed the filter at 3,937km (June 22,1998)
Cleaned it at 23,442km (June 14,1999)
Cleaned it at 48,454km (February 10,2001)

I guess I forgot to clean it in the summer of 2000.

How's that? Pretty ****, eh???? (yes, I'm from Canada, how can you tell?)

 

Instructions say 50to100k miles. They also say that a thin layer of dirt actually helps the filter run properly (don't know why but that is what it says!)

 

If you have a diesel, you should clean the filter a lot more often, becouse it pulls so much more air than the gas motor. I clean my filter once a year, ever with the FIPK, do the same on the regular setup on the expedition.



99 4.6 Regular Cab
K&N FIPK
Flowmaster 50
Alpine System

 

FordFaithful,

K&N actually warns against cleaning the filter too often! I inspect my FIPK every oil change - inside and out - and I rotate the filter one hour when I reinstall it. Read someplace that all exposed filters have a favorite place to pull air from, so just to keep things even I rotate the filter a little each time I check it.

Bob

 

I've had mine since February or March 2001. Cleaned it twice so far.