Has anyone done this yet? I've had them for 2 1/2 years and I figured I should clean them out. I know you can just wash out the K&N and "re-oil" them or something, should I do the same thing with the Vortex air filter?

Thanks,
99 C5 M6

 

Don't know if it was the correct thing to do, but I had some old K&N cleaning spray laying around and used it. Seemed to work fine. I did oil it afterwards. Wasn't sure if I was supposed to. No problems. Seems to work fine. I've done this twice in 10,000 miles.

 

Ernie at BPP told me to use the regular K&N cleaning and oiling supplies, so I'm pretty sure the standard K&N cleaning and oiling processes are good, too.

Kevman

 

I just got done cleaning my Donaldson (now Blackwing) last weekend for the first time. I used the cleaner kit for the Blackwing offered in the forum mall. The cleaner came out in small spurts, so useing the cleaner was a pain. I wasn't sure if I got good coverage with the cleaner so I went over it again with Simple Green (I heard about this on the forum some time ago) - much easier to use and seems to clean better. After Simple Green, you just spray water from the inside out with low pressure to rinse and clean. I sprayed with the supplied oil but couldn't tell if I was getting good coverage so I just kept spraying (ended up using about 3/4's of the can). The next morning there was a huge puddle of oil under the car so I guess you don't need to spray on that much - the filter must "wick" itself into full coverage. I heard that the filter oil is mineral oil. If the Vortex is a reuseable filter, my guess is that it should be cleaned the same way and reoiled.

JohnS

 

After two years of use and no cleanings - I would just buy a new one for piece of mind.. :yesnod:

 

Thanks guys. I'll see if I can pick up the K&N filter cleaner kit and give it a try.

I checked out the K&N website and they say to clean it about 30k to 50k.

Quoted straight from their website :

19. How do I know when to clean the filter?

The general rule of thumb is that the filter needs to be cleaned when the dirt build up gets as thick as the wire mesh. The usual interval is 30,000 - 50,000 miles depending on driving conditions. We recommend that you check your filter about once a year in normal usage.


20. Can I use anything other than K&N cleaner and oil?

We recommend that you only use K&N oil and cleaner. K&N air filter oil is a compound of mineral oil blended with special polymers to form a very efficient tack barrier. We have performed tests on numerous oil combinations and our blend has the required properties for maximum flow and filtration. Petroleum products such as transmission fluid and motor oil will soften and destroy the rubber sealing edges. Our cleaner is a non-detergent degreaser. Solvents and gasoline will harden the rubber seals causing the filter to distort (shrink). A mild detergent can be used in a pinch, but care should be taken to fully rinse it out. Rinsing detergent out of a filter is similar to getting soap out of a sponge; it¡¦s not that easy to do. Always make sure the filter is completely dry before re-oiling.