K&N Air Filter Question
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 26,196
Likes: 0
From: Orlando FL
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
Originally Posted by All2kool
A K&N does not filter as well as a good Fram, so expect a dirty intake. K&N is not what it is cracked up to be. Invest the money in Supreme gas instead.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 5,141
Likes: 7
From: Metairie Louisiana
Check out this article from Vette magazine.
http://www.vetteweb.com/tech/vemp_06...ngine_buildup/
9rwhp from the MAF housing.?
I bought my K&N new off ebay for $30. Well worth it to me.
http://www.vetteweb.com/tech/vemp_06...ngine_buildup/
9rwhp from the MAF housing.?
I bought my K&N new off ebay for $30. Well worth it to me.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,218
Likes: 2
From: Plainfield IL
Originally Posted by rickreeves1
Check out this article from Vette magazine.
http://www.vetteweb.com/tech/vemp_06...ngine_buildup/
9rwhp from the MAF housing.?
I bought my K&N new off ebay for $30. Well worth it to me.
http://www.vetteweb.com/tech/vemp_06...ngine_buildup/
9rwhp from the MAF housing.?
I bought my K&N new off ebay for $30. Well worth it to me.
Good article.
Safety Car
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 3,651
Likes: 5
From: Atlantis
Cruise-In I Veteran
The K&N filters have been PROVEN to filter better when they get dirty.
They have been proven to FLOW BETTER when they are DIRTY.
When they are CLEAN they don't filter as well and DON"T flow any better than a clean paper filter.
Recap:
1) They don't 'outflow' a clean paper filter
2) They do outflow a dirty paper filter (a clean paper filter will too)
3) THey don't filter better than a paper filter they filter 'less'
4) THey FILTER better the dirtier they get (Paper Filter Does Too)
5) K&N depends on being 'oiled' correctly to work correctly (Paper Filter doesn't need oiling)
How many of us EVER run a dirty filter on our Vettes?
None of us would be my best guess.
So... if you aren't going to do regular maintenance and change your filter then the K&N is the one for U.
Otherwise, buy yourself THREE paper filters and 1/2 tank of gas with the K&N money.
They have been proven to FLOW BETTER when they are DIRTY.
When they are CLEAN they don't filter as well and DON"T flow any better than a clean paper filter.
Recap:
1) They don't 'outflow' a clean paper filter
2) They do outflow a dirty paper filter (a clean paper filter will too)
3) THey don't filter better than a paper filter they filter 'less'
4) THey FILTER better the dirtier they get (Paper Filter Does Too)
5) K&N depends on being 'oiled' correctly to work correctly (Paper Filter doesn't need oiling)
How many of us EVER run a dirty filter on our Vettes?
None of us would be my best guess.
So... if you aren't going to do regular maintenance and change your filter then the K&N is the one for U.
Otherwise, buy yourself THREE paper filters and 1/2 tank of gas with the K&N money.
4th Gear
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
K&N Filter oil problem!
Originally Posted by Biker
Back on topic... Someone on a different message board I visit said he used a K&N in 1994 Impala SS with the LT-1 mill. The airflow through the filter picked up a small amount of oil and coated the O2 sensor, giving the engine chip a corrupt reading. This was discovered when the car was being dyno tuned. Anyone ever hear of this problem?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 9,715
Likes: 27
From: Kempner Texas
Originally Posted by Biker
Back on topic... Someone on a different message board I visit said he used a K&N in 1994 Impala SS with the LT-1 mill. The airflow through the filter picked up a small amount of oil and coated the O2 sensor, giving the engine chip a corrupt reading. This was discovered when the car was being dyno tuned. Anyone ever hear of this problem?
I installed a new K&N out of the box, with factory applied oiling, on my 86. A while later, maybe a month or so, I had Diacom hooked up and running and noticed my BLMs readings were at 108.
Next came several days of trying to figure out why they had changed so dramatically from the 126/130 readings I had been getting. After checking all I could think of, I finally removed the MAF and sprayed the sensor wires with carb cleaner.
BLMs returned to normal.
I then removed the K&N, washed off the factory applied oil and re-installed it without any oil. I checked several times over a period of a few months and the low BLM problem never returned.
I can only attribute the low BLM readings to the oil on the filter migrating to the MAF wiring. I'd never had a BLM problem before installing the K&N.
Just my experience.
Jake
Last edited by JAKE; Dec 7, 2006 at 03:06 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 9,715
Likes: 27
From: Kempner Texas
Originally Posted by Fuzzy Dice
I see this from time to time...simple explanation is he over oiled his filter...more oil is not better but some don't realize it...it will gum up your TB and wreck havoc with your IAC as well...
Repeat after me..."do not over oil my K & N".....
Repeat after me..."do not over oil my K & N".....
You must remember, I installed my K&N air filter right out of the box; no oiling was done by me.
Jake
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Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,218
Likes: 2
From: Plainfield IL
Originally Posted by JAKE
I had a similar experience, only the K&N oil coated the MAF wires.
I installed a new K&N out of the box, with factory applied oiling, on my 86. A while later, maybe a month or so, I had Diacom hooked up and running and noticed my BLMs readings were at 108.
Next came several days of trying to figure out why they had changed so dramatically from the 126/130 readings I had been getting. After checking all I could think of, I finally removed the MAF and sprayed the sensor wires with carb cleaner.
BLMs returned to normal.
I then removed the K&N, washed off the factoru applied oil and re-installed it without any oil. I checked several times over a period of a few months and the low BLM problem never returned.
I can only attribute the low BLM readings to the oil on the filter migrating to the MAF wiring. I'd never had a BLM problem before installing the K&N.
Just my experience.
Jake
I installed a new K&N out of the box, with factory applied oiling, on my 86. A while later, maybe a month or so, I had Diacom hooked up and running and noticed my BLMs readings were at 108.
Next came several days of trying to figure out why they had changed so dramatically from the 126/130 readings I had been getting. After checking all I could think of, I finally removed the MAF and sprayed the sensor wires with carb cleaner.
BLMs returned to normal.
I then removed the K&N, washed off the factoru applied oil and re-installed it without any oil. I checked several times over a period of a few months and the low BLM problem never returned.
I can only attribute the low BLM readings to the oil on the filter migrating to the MAF wiring. I'd never had a BLM problem before installing the K&N.
Just my experience.
Jake
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 9,715
Likes: 27
From: Kempner Texas
Originally Posted by Biker
I don't get it. Did the filter oil affect the integrity of the wiring connections?
Best I can figure is the oil applied a coating to the MAF air sensor wires which lead to inaccurate data being sent to the ECM. Once I sprayed the wires and removed the coating, things went back to normal.
Readings were fine, then the K&N was installed and they went haywire. I cleaned the MAF wires and removed the oil from the filter and things went back to normal.
I'm still running the K&N but without any oil and the problem hasn't recurred.
Of course, what would you expect K&N to say when questioned about the problem the oil causes; it's all about reputation and sales. Would you honestly expect them to say "Yes, our oiled filters causes MAF equipped cars to experience problems"? To do that would effectively remove them from the "MAF" market and there are literally millions of MAF equipped cars on the road, not just Vettes either.
Jake
Last edited by JAKE; Dec 7, 2006 at 03:15 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 24,337
Likes: 25
From: San Diego , CA Double Yellow DirtBags 1985..Z51..6-speed
Originally Posted by JAKE
I'm still running the K&N but without any oil and the problem hasn't recurred.
Yep. K&N is cotton which is why it flows good oil is what cathces the dirt.
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 103
Likes: 0
From: Stockton CA
Yes, bingo that happens I run the K&N set up on my 96LT4 6 speed. It makes a difference it can coat the sensor, but you need to maintain it, yes the car is quicker, it gets more air, but if you get rid of the according to the valve body you will see some interesting increase inperformance as well.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 24,337
Likes: 25
From: San Diego , CA Double Yellow DirtBags 1985..Z51..6-speed
Originally Posted by Biker
Is the tradeoff in having to periodically clean a MAF worth the extra airflow a K&N yields?
The first question you should ask is, does the K&N give any extra airflow?
And if it does, is it worth the tradeoff of passing more dirt/dust into the motor?
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 22,209
Likes: 12
From: OBAMA IS HITLER
I dumped my K&N and open lid to the basement of my house over a year ago. IMHO its not worth the cost, nor the headache, for a street driven modified car. Its made a cool noise and that was just about it.
I got it to begin with when I joined the forum, and read all these dumb threads from folks who just installed them and really had no idea what they were talking about. Such is life on the CF at times. Then you learn.
I got it to begin with when I joined the forum, and read all these dumb threads from folks who just installed them and really had no idea what they were talking about. Such is life on the CF at times. Then you learn.
