Got rid of my K&N Air filter

[opfor2]

After much agonizing reading I decided to replace my K&N air filter in my 90 K-5 with the evil low flow paper air filter. I used the Fram CA 326 air filter not my first choice but at $ 4.65 at Wal-Mart I couldn't bitch too much. What sold me in replacing the hi-flow K&N with the standard paper air filter was the fact that paper just filters small dirt particles better than the oil soaked cotton will. I’m not rich so engine longevity is more important than hi air flow and the possibility of engine damage. I really never did see the mileage or horse power gain that K&N hyped on there web site so I guess it really wont matter. But I know that my engine will last longer. Any comments on this switch?

Dan..

 

[RubberFloorMat]

i noticed a good SOTP gain and about 2-3 mpg...

just me tho.

 

[mike reeh]

yeah I think anything that makes it past any air filter aint gonna hurt the engine much... a little dust is really no match for whats inside there... as long as your oil & oil filter are changed regularly you should be good to go.. you could almost run NO filter if it werent for small pebbles and stuff like that....

thats my 2 cents, of course.. YMMV

mike

 

[79cheyenneblazer]

I put on a k&n and noticed a large difference in place of my stock air cleaner. My k-5 is naturally VERY cold natured, but I ordered my k&n and put it on in the cold weather, and it actually ran better, started easier, and kicks down better. Not to mention the beautiful howl a finely tuned quadrajet makes with a k&n sittin on top of it. I have been told the only thing that the high flow air filter would really harm is a turbo diesel. I heard they will eat up the turbo, but that was mainly on rock roads and very dusty conditions. Just my $.02

 

[ntsqd]

I've run a K&N on my glass bodied dune buggy for years. I do NOT like it, but have not found a practical better solution. The entire time I've had it on there it has had grit stuck in the oil on the base of the filter, on the INSIDE! Clean it and as soon as some of the oil from the filter coats the steel filter base the grit is also there. Tried greasing the top & bottom of the filter element thinking the grit was getting past it there. Didn't make any difference. Same with cleaning the oil & grit off the base, but not cleaning the filter itself. As soon as there's an oil coating on the base the grit is detectable too.

I will not buy another one for an off road vehicle.

Real off road air filters say "Cyclopac", "UMP", or "Donaldson" on the side of them.

 

[Skigirl]

I just replaced mine too, only because I had the wrong size for the new carb I had to install while stuck on a road trip.

Weird thing was that part of my problem was there was SAND in my carb. A lot of it. Like half a teaspoon. I hadn't been wheeling in mud or sand, just driving around during heavy rains last January. '

I had the K&N in the stock air cleaner housing. Now I have a paper filter and no more stock housing. Maybe the K&N filter was just jumping around in the housing so sand got around it.

 

[surpip]

i would be willing to bet that from most of the "seat of the pants" guys,I could sneak into your truck and replace your K&N with a fram or a AC delco filter and you would never know

 

[Desert Rat]

i would be willing to bet that from most of the "seat of the pants" guys,I could sneak into your truck and replace your K&N with a fram or a AC delco filter and you would never know

There ya go, a blind test using a "placebo filter"...........