Guys I don't have the blackwing cleaning kit, really need to clean this well and was wondering what is suggested. Should I just buy the kit? Can you get it separate?

Thanks

 

Buy the kit. It's like $15 and it will last you for years. Many places have it. Like here.

 

Whatever you do don’t use any compressed air on it, it will permanently damage the filter.

 

I have used compressed air on mine a couple of times with no damage. I have the kit so I just use the cleaning spray thats in the kit then rinse it out with a hose and then blow it out. (I wouldn't suggest using high pressure , but as I said I've done mine twice now with no damage). I've heard you can use "Simple Green" cleaner on them if you don't have the cleaner from the kit.

 

Buy the kit. Its not that much and will last for a long time. Which reminds me, I need to check my filter, probably due for a cleaning.

 

You don't need a kit! I use Simple Green and water and clean with a soft brush. Let dry, reoil with a mixture of mineral oil and alcolhol in a spray bottle.

 

I'd recommend the cleaning kit - it has a good cleaner and the right oil for re-oiling the filter. Plus it is not expensive.

 

The Blackwing & K&N etc. type air filters uses an oil-impregnated, cotton-gauze filter element surrounded by a wire mesh.
The gauze itself is not a tight enough weave to trap the micron size required to protect the engine from dust and dirt.
This is why it flows air so well compared to a paper filter, It’s also why they oil the filter to help trap the dirt.
If you use compressed air to dry or clean the filter you will alter the weave of the gauze thus harming the filters ability to trap very small dirt particles. This damage to the filter cannot be repaired once it is done.

 

You are incorrect. The K & N uses a cotton gauze, but the Donaldson Blackwing uses a synthetic fabric. Using a low pressure air, just guessing but say under 30 or 40 PSI (and when I do this I do it from a distance not putting the air nozzle right up to the filter but keeping it maybe 10 or 12 inches away) will not harm the fabric or damage it in any way to keep it from doing it's job.

 

I’m sorry but I still disagree, the K&N may be cotton and the Blackwing synthetic. I still feel that a person can do damage to both of them with compressed air. After all were talking about dirt in the 5 to 10 micron size, you would need a microscope to inspect it when your done. That’s why they tell you to let it air dry before re oiling after cleaning.

From there website, look at the rinse section.


The Donaldson BlackWing filter is a specialized high performance air filter for the Corvette. It contains a Donaldson proprietary filter medium, advanced air filtration technology, and a uniquely formulated oil for high performance.

The average purchaser of the Donaldson filter probably will never need to clean it within his or her lifetime. Unless of course the race it in a 2000 mile Baja race or something similar to that.

Typically, Corvettes are driven in rather clean environments and the Donaldson filter will sustain enough air flow to support 600 HP with 300 grams of dust loaded on it. That's 2/3 of a pound of dirt!! You would have a hard time pouring that much dirt over the filter and getting it to stay on the face of it without falling off.

But, Just in case . . .

Pre-Cleaning:

After removing the filter from the vehicle, carefully remove any large debris (i.e. leaves, etc.). Caution: hitting or tapping the filter to dislodge dirt or other debris may cause damage to the housing or the filter media. Caution: use of any other cleaner (i.e. K&N) will decrease the efficiency of the filter media and potentially cause harm to your engine. ***NEVER USE SOLVENTS OR GASOLINE***

Application of Cleaner

Place the filter in a suitable container or on newspaper to contain any cleaner run-off. Position the filter housing to minimize the amount of dirt and cleaner solution that may pass through the filter media into the inside of the housing. Apply the special cleaner to the dirty side of the filter. Make sure you use enough cleaner to saturate the entire filter media. The dirt and oil will immediately begin to breakdown. Allow the cleaner to soak for at least 10 minutes.

Rinse Procedure

After the filter media has been allowed to soak, begin rinsing the filter with luke-warm water from the inside of the housing. Continue rinsing until the water passing through the filter is clear. This may take several minutes. *** It is imperative that a thorough cleaning is performed ***. A touch up wash is recommended after the initial wash has been performed. Never use compressed air or hot air guns to dry the filter. This can damage the filter media.

Inspection and Drying

Gently shake any excess water form the filter and inspect the filter media for signs of damage such as tears, or cracks in the housing. If there is any damage to the media or the filter housing, the filter will not perform as designed and serious engine damage could occur. It is imperative that the filter media be completely dry before re-oiling. If the filter media is not completely dry, the oil that prevents engine-damaging particles from entering the engine cannot be applied correctly and damage to the engine could result.

Re-Oiling

After the filter media is completely dry, apply the filter oil evenly over the entire filter media surface. Wipe any excess oil from the filter housing and re-install the filter assembly into the vehicle. ***Caution: Never use any other type of filter oil. The filter oil is specifically formulated for synthetic filter media. Other oils (i.e. K&N) will not provide the same level of performance as the supplied oil and damage to the engine could result.

 

There are those that say using any reusable filter is a recipe for disaster. Claiming if it allows more air to flow it allows more dirt in and there are people that claim using compressed air on these type filters is also going to cause more dirt to get through by damaging the fabric, and I'm would think the cotton guaze fabric would be more prone to this than a synthetic fabric.


This is taken from the sales description of the Donaldson Blackwing on SLP's website
"The Blackwing™ uses 100% synthetic filtration media called Synteq. The fibers are extremely uniform and very small, allowing the filter to flow more air and trap smaller particles than do ordinary cotton and oiled-cotton "performance" filters."


Yes you could do damage to the fabric if you used a very high pressure and put it close to the filter. You could damage your own skin if you didn't use common sense. I not advocating using air to blow out dirt or debris I'm saying you can use it to help aid in drying after you have cleaned it. And I have done so without causing any damage to the filter and I have proof.

Unless you use a catch can on your LSx engine you are going to have a small amount of oil in the intake caused by the PCV system. If there were dirt getting through the filter some of it would get in this oil causing it to be gritty. As I said before I have used air to help dry dry the filter after cleaning on two occasions on my personal car. The other day I removed my throttle body to replace it with one that I had polished. There was not grit in the oil in the intake.

You will not damage the filter or impede it from doing its job by using compressed air on a Donaldson Blackwing (unless you were to use real high pressure and put the nozzle very close to the filter causing damage to the filter) but most people have enough common sense that they shouldn't need to be warned. But I guess not everyone is born with common sense.

I have done it in the past and will continue to use compressed air to aid in the drying of the filter after I clean it without any worry of damage to the filter and will recommend it to others?

 

Well of course the Blackwing site tells you to use nothing but their oil, they want to sell it to you!

 

That sounds like a great way to service it. And you could even put food coloring in the oil mix to make it any color you want. Wait... that sounds like a product idea...
Scott

 

is corvette garage the cheapest place you guys have found it ?

 

DING DING DING!



Simple green is non-acidic and biodegradable --- DO NOT USE K&N CLEANER! It's not made for the same media as BW --- It will damage your filer since BW is synthetic and K&N is paper.

Just my .02¢

Dave

 

why gamble and not follow manufacturer's directions? $280 unit, why scrimp on $15-20 for a cleaning kit?

as far as applying compressed air..... we're talking about filtering particles measured in microns. damage could occur that's not visible to the eye. again, worth the gamble?

I have yet to clean my blackwing but when I do it will be by the instructions. I've cleaned and reoiled several K&Ns and dried them by positioning them in front of a fan...... and not be in a hurry

 

thanks for reminding me - I prolly need to clean mine. I use the Blackwing kit

 

You gotta clean these things?

 

Because you don't need it, that's why you don't use it!

 

It's not expensive to buy their kit, don't be cheap to the point of stupidity.
It's only one of the most fragile and important parts of your engine.