sean88iroc

i used to have k&n air filters in my 88 iroc 5.7 and i had a mechanic who replaced my radiator tell me they are worse than stock ac delco bc they gave off oil or something and caused my mass air flow sensor to become dirty....has any one else been told this? thanks.

oscarfromla

iTrader: (9)

I've heard that if you use more oil than necessary it could cause problems. I have a K&N filter on my truck, use the least amount of oil to clean it, and have not had problems.

badazta87

iTrader: (1)

Time for a new mechanic

sean88iroc

only TPI engines have mass air flow sensors i believe ....but i do think this mechanic was all GM and pretty anti-aftermarket but he made it seem like my k&n air filters were the cause of my mass air flow sensor getting dirty..Do u think its even noticable changing to K@N filters over stock ones anyway?? should i9 choose to go back? lol

joshc

iTrader: (1)

The oil can be an issue on MAF equipped car.
I would be more concerned about all the dirt they let into the engine. A paper filter has far better filtering efficiency. The oil analysis labs can actually tell if you are running a K+N filter due to the higher Silicon content (sand)in the used oil.
http://www.gmtruckcentral.com/articl...ter-study.html

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...la#Post2961484

Beater79TA

Personally, after cleaning my MAF sensor a few times, I won't use the oiled air filters any more. I either use OEM grade paper filters from Wix or dry flow filters that don't require oil. And K&N does make dry flow non-oiled filters.

Restrorob

iTrader: (7)

Wow, Thanks for the info/links joshc......

I'm running a K&N in my carb'ed truck and my boss is in his 09 vortex, This explains all the black sooty oily crap I see in the throat of my carb and the same crap I found in his throttle body just yesterday.

I'll be passing along this info, And will change the oil and trash the K&N in mine before it leaves the yard again.....

Lonnie P

The K&N flow good, but do not filter as well as paper... You make the decision as to the trade off of engine life vs. performance. On the street, they protect the engine rather well & as long as not over-oiled, they work well.

I use them on some of my street cars, but never on my ATV's. The dirt that gets by is incredible.

eseibel67

Mechanic in post #1 would be correct.

Oil bath filters are utter nonsense. They offer NO performance or cost benefit. And they let grit into the engine.

Sheesh.

Lurbie

iTrader: (3)

agree with all the others, it is just to easy for the majority of people to over oil these and then it coats the MAF and causes it not to read correctly.

Ron U.S.M.C.

For those of you that have TPI and MAF and are worried about the oiled filters than here’s some of the AEM dry filters that have been mentioned
= http://www.jegs.com/p/AEM-Induction/...2/-1?viewAll=1

ddeennis

Ya your sooooooo wrong, your the type of person
that has never been to the track and done back to
back testing, I have,the filters allow better e.t's and
mph gains in the 1/4.

My latest test is my 2013 challenger from
factory filter to K&N drop in filter the car
ran quicker aand gain trap speed.

Know the facts before you spew total nonsense.

Ron U.S.M.C.

I know this article was written by K&N but if you're going to truly want to find answers at least read this article including the links provided during the article.
There are two sides to most arguments so if you're interested in learning something you need to have information from both sides.
This is K&Ns answer to the accusation concerning the oil and any damage it can cause.
= http://www.knfilters.com/MAF/massair.htm

eseibel67

They got you but good - to spend perfectly good money on snake oil that now needs to be justified to wife. But not to guys that know cars, we couldn't care less.

Lurbie

iTrader: (3)

That's cool info, but I question their test regarding weighing the absolute filter. They said the amount of contamination could only be seen with a microscope, yet they expected to see a weight difference in the filters and their scale was measuring in grams. Still, at least they were looking into it, analysis of someone else's part is never cheap.

Ron U.S.M.C.

Over the last 8 years here with all the videos,articles and discussions concerning air filters IMO comes to this.
A "trade-off" between optimizing a filter for dirt capturing ability and maximum airflow".
IMO a K&N filter oiled properly will flow better than paper but sacrificing a "tiny" bit of its ability to filter as well as paper.Thats an extremely general answer and many circumstances can apply.

All in all I prefer the K&N Style filters not only because they flow well but are reusable and let’s face it when I pop my cowl hood I want to see this on top of my engine, not a paper filter.
There are a few engines on this page that do not seem to have a problem with K&N = https://www.google.com/search?q=engi...w=1440&bih=727
( Partial answer )= http://www.boschautoparts.com/filter...ilfilters.aspx

ddeennis

So sad you have a learning disablility, go ahead and spew your
nonsense, I know cars and I care if products hurt or help
performance.

articwhiteZ

iTrader: (56)

NAIL ON THE HEAD!
ya i look back to 1982 when i started using K&N filters. and what things looked like and ran like.. and i will never use a cheap filter ever.
it would be like using 99cent oil filters made in china....

K&N..yes they work...no they dont knock out parts...and us guys who know cars
(have worked for Ford and GM} anytime a dealer puts the blame on anything other then parts just going **** up...there passing the buck... and not wanting to replace a bad part...

and the black oily crap ya see in your carb/tb. that is
reversion..look into it

but its ok... about 90% of the shops now. only have guys who can just replace parts..and have no diagnostic skills.
they have NOT A CLUE...with out the aide a $5000 dollar computer! and it shows all the time.
with a fix this..nope not it..fix this..nope not it..ok we know it's this..nope not it....lol $$$

Restrorob

iTrader: (7)

Thanks, But that still doesn't dismiss the poor filtering quality. Living in the country (dirt roads/car shows in grass fields) I need all the filtration I can get, Besides I have plenty motor that won't miss what little gain they may provide.....

eseibel67

Advertising and expensive packaging is what you are getting in exchange for your money with an oil bath air filter.

They are an easy sell to pedestrians like yourself because they falsely claim a 15 horsepower increase, and unlike a real performance upgrade, they can be installed using the tools found in the utility drawer in your Mommy's kitchen. No mechanical knowledge required.

Air filters aren't even a topic that's ever dicussed by real car guys. We just replace them when they show the slightest hint of dirt with a high quality, brand name clean new paper one for $8.

Denn11

http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/kn-vs-oem-filter.html

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...&Number=492919

alex722607

iTrader: (3)

I had a k&n filter for my TPI, 5.7. It gave me code 36 and the resulting check engine soon light drove me nuts. Once I read about the filter, I took the maf off again and sprayed a little Berryman b-12 chemtool. It went from black to silver ( the insides). Code 36 went away. Personally the oil coated filter only have me headaches. And yes your mechanic had a point. After tearing apart the bay, replacing the ECM, and seeing the ses light for a year, I stand behind that claim.

RedLeader289

iTrader: (2)

I ran a K&N drop in filter on my daily (and toy) cherokee sport. Ran it from about 150,000 miles up to a little over 220,000 miles when I sold it. Never had issues with grit or contaminants in the oil, or any issues with check engine lights, and yes, I could tell a difference in stock vs K&N when it came to throttle response(K&N was better), and even got a little better mpg's with the oiled filter.

Now on my carb'd 350 I had a spectre(off-brand) oiled 14x3 filter, no issues, except due to cheap parts the rubber started to dry-rot so I replaced with a good-ole FRAM paper 14x3 filter - couldn't tell a difference at all.

So it may be an application by application thing but that's just my 2-cents.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

I'm not sure if I've ever felt a performance difference with a K&N, but I've run them for hundreds of thousands of miles in various cars without issue.

DJP87Z28

Talk about K&N oiled air filters has been around for years, with either you Love or Hate them. Myself, I have used the same filters on my TPI system since 1988 (305&350) with NO complaints.

Biggest problem I read about is excess oil, now I still have my K&N recharge kit from 1988 and it is still only one half used. People think they have drench those filters with oil and that is the problem...Read the instructions and they warn about over oiling.

alex722607

iTrader: (3)

For mine, it was pre-oiled. Soon after I popped it in I started having phantom codes. I chased my tail so to speak for a while till I learned my lesson about it. My maf just didn't like it. It was a hard lesson too. As for whether I like/hate it, I am not knockin the filter, but rather myself for not thinking about it sooner. I think if you put one in and suddenly the ses one day comes on, it's probably the filter doin it to you. So basically don't be surprised.

excessiveego

The proper procedure for cleaning and re-oiling a K&N filter is a somewhat complicated one. A procedure that is rarely followed, shortcuts are taken, resulting in poor performance. 90% of the time, failures and troubles are a result of improper maintenance on the user end, not of the product itself.

Anthonyjdmeyer

What about weapon r filters? I know there are made for foreign cars, but I liked the one I used to have

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

Just for clarification, you are all discussing KN filters on a mass air flow meter equipped vehicle And how they might throw a llittle oil on them? Because a PCV valve is what throws the residue into the intakes.

alex722607

iTrader: (3)

Yea... At least that is what I was talking about.

Reid Fleming

iTrader: (2)

I actually took my air filter off one day since it was looking dirty. I'd planned on stopping by a store and buying a new one. Well I wound up forgetting about it the next day and a few days later went for a drive with the car with no air filter on......I noticed no performance difference for 2 days. At that point I remembered I'd forgotten to buy a new filter. So I did.

So in terms of getting performance advantages with K&N vs stock paper, I just can't see it.

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

As I have always understood it, the tests that did show a difference in KN vs paper were done on a dyno and were usually ~10 HP peak at best. I would seriously disagree with anyone who said they could tell a difference in KN vs paper for normal driving. I use the KN style filter because I don't have MAF, they are reuseable, are stronger and they look better.