How to Clean Air Filter

[mcman56]

I have a UNI filter and looked at the manual for cleaning.  The book shows a filter dipping in solvent process.  This filter is big and would take a lot of solvent that I would then need to store and/ or dispose.  (I do this all the time with dirt bike filters but they are small and have no frame so the solvent quantity and container are small.)  The book also shows "wiping" on oil which does not seem that effective.  Are there other methods for cleaning and oiling?  Or...are paper filters available? 

[MetrickMetal]

I have a UNI filter and looked at the manual for cleaning.  The book shows a filter dipping in solvent process.  This filter is big and would take a lot of solvent that I would then need to store and/ or dispose.  (I do this all the time with dirt bike filters but they are small and have no frame so the solvent quantity and container are small.)  The book also shows "wiping" on oil which does not seem that effective.  Are there other methods for cleaning and oiling?  Or...are paper filters available?

A strong solution of simple green and water work well for cleaning a Uni or a K&N air filter, and I have been cleaning both types of these filters for years with simple green. If it's a K&N panel filter I will usually soak it in a mixture of simple green and water, then rinse gently with water, or sometime I spray the filters liberally with simple green and then rinse with water. Especially with a K&N filter, use low pressure water for washing out the filter so as not to damage the filter element. Simple Green is also bio-degradable. 

I've always used K&N spray on filter on on K&N filters, but it also works fine on Uni as well. Always make sure that you rinse any air filter out the opposite direction of the air flow.    

[Summit670]

I believe the OEM foam filter is fitted over a plastic frame.  You can take it off the frame if you want.  I've got a K&N and have had it for 20 years, so forgive me if I forgot how the OEM is constructed.

Personally, I have a quart of diesel fuel and use that to clean the foam filters on my atv and dirt bike.  It gets most of the crud off, then I finish it up by hand washing the filter in Dawn detergent and rinsing real well.

As for the dirty fuel, I pour it thru a filter of some type into another container and use it the next time for the first pass.

[Nosmo]

Sorry, you can't disassemble the OEM air filter.  (Well, you CAN, but only once. )  The foam is bonded to the plastic frame.  I clean mine with Stoddard solvent, kerosene will work OK too.  Or use the Simple Green or other detergent that will cut the existing oily mess.You really don't need that much.  Find a long narrow metal or plastic pan at hardware or kitchen supply place.  You only need to soak it in the stuff for awhile to dissolve the old oil and free up the gunk that's on the outside of the foam.  Then gently blow compressed air through it from the inside out.  Don't hit it with the full 120 PSI from your compressor, dial it back to maybe 20 or 30 PIS.  You put the solvent back into a container and reuse it.  If you want to, you can strain the solvent through a coffee filter to rid it of particulate matter.  Just never pour the solvent inside the filter as that will get gunk on the inside where it will get sucked into the engine.  After it's clean, wipe on (don't soak it) a small amount of oil to the outside and you're good to go.

[connie_rider]

Plain old dishwashing soap and water works fine.
Soak it in a soap/water mixture, or wet the filter, put some soap on it, massage it with your hand, and lastly,,,, "GENTLY" rinse it off with a hose (inside out), blow it off, and let dry....

Ride safe, Ted

[Pfloydgad]

My K & N goes in the dishwasher. Comes out nice and clean, and smells good to. It is now 9 yrs old and doing just fine. I never tried to clean the paper types, just tossed and got new on some other bikes.
Ride safe all,
Greg

[connie_rider]

I thought a K&N was a paper type?
Stock is foam.

Ride safe, Ted

[turbojoe78]

I thought a K&N was a paper type?
Stock is foam.

Ride safe, Ted

I think the K&N is some kind of cloth.

[MetrickMetal]

I thought a K&N was a paper type?
Stock is foam.

Ride safe, Ted

K&N filters use a cotton media and with proper care last a long, long time, and in fact I have used them in many vehicles I've owned over the years, with some filters seeing 250k and 300+k mileage and were still in great shape when I sold the vehicles, and I have had the same success and high milage use out of the ones I have used on all my bikes over the last 30+ years. 

[Summit670]

My K&N is at least 18 years old and still looks good.  I use the spay-on K&N cleaner, rinse it out with water, lightly blow dry with air compressor, then let air dry and re-apply the K&N oil.  Kind of a pain to let it dry because it takes extra time, but don't need to do it that often.

I looked at my OEM filter and yes, it sure is one piece.  It is really well constructed though.

[MetrickMetal]

My K&N is at least 18 years old and still looks good.  I use the spay-on K&N cleaner, rinse it out with water, lightly blow dry with air compressor, then let air dry and re-apply the K&N oil.  Kind of a pain to let it dry because it takes extra time, but don't need to do it that often.

I looked at my OEM filter and yes, it sure is one piece.  It is really well constructed though.

I've only ever air dried my K&N filters, as you can easily damage the filter media using compressed air if you're not careful, and since I live in the desert they dry out pretty quickly.

[Bart]

When washing the K&N in the dishwasher, what soap do you use? What is the dishwasher like afterwards? Most importantly, what does the wife say?

[Pfloydgad]

Bart,
I do a surface cleaning on the filter before it gets into the washer. I use my regular cleaner, Cascade packets, they degrease dishes and K & N filters just fine. I pull the filter out before it goes into the heated drying cycle and allow it to dry out in front of a small fan over night. I also do this probably 4 or 5 times a year, so it doesn't get very dirty before the wash. As for the wife, she has been dealing with me and my bikes for 34 yrs now, nothing really surprises her anymore.
Ride safe all,
Greg

[T Cro ®]

Y'all clean da air filter? A K&N Air Filter's filtering capacity improves as it gets dirty; when clean it will allow larger dirt particles through do to pore size. I knock the dust off mine once a year and use compressed air from the inside >>> out, if it looks dry I'll reapply a light coat of filter oil.

[MetrickMetal]

Y'all clean da air filter? A K&N Air Filter's filtering capacity improves as it gets dirty; when clean it will allow larger dirt particles through do to pore size. I knock the dust off mine once a year and use compressed air from the inside >>> out, if it looks dry I'll reapply a light coat of filter oil.

I don't wash my K&N filters very often at all on both my bikes and my vehicles, and I inspect them once a year and usually they just need a light respray with oil.

From K&N's website.

The dirt particles collected on the surface of a K&N element have little effect on air flow during much of its service life because there are no small holes to clog. Particles are stopped by layers of crisscrossed cotton fibers and held in suspension by the oil. As the filter begins to collect debris, an additional form of filter action begins to take place because air must first pass through the dirt particles trapped on the surface.  That means a K&N air filter continues to exhibit high air flow throughout the life of the filter while it is accumulating dirt


If you have not experienced a decrease in mileage or engine performance, chances are your filter is fine and does not yet need cleaning.  To be more specific, the filter does not require cleaning if you can still see the wire screen on the entire air filter regardless of how dirty it may appear. When the screen is no longer visible some place on the filter, it is time to clean it. When used in normal paved road, street or highway conditions, our replacement air filters that fit in the factory air box should require cleaning every 50,000 miles and our large conical filters on an intake system should require cleaning every 100,000 miles. When used in dusty or off-road environments, our filters will require cleaning more often. We recommend that you visually inspect your filter once every 25,000 miles to determine if the screen is still visible. 

[timsatx]

Damn, that would mean checking it (for me) every couple of years.