K&n Style (oiled) Air Filters Not Good For Skylines ?

[Wacky Dee]

my trusted mechanic (popular among SAUers) mentioned last time I should get rid of my k&n style of panel filter which is oily and replace it with a cheapass paper one and just change the paper one every few months.

he reckoned the oiled filters are no good on cars such as skylines that rely on AFMs because very small particles of the oil from the filter will reach the afm and affect it...

What's everyone's opinion on that? I thought the k&n type of oiled panel filters were quite popular ... While we're on the topic, how much does a good pod filter + enclosure cost on average?

[jase-r34]

Gday mate,

I have been told exactly the same thing by a few mechanics..... but I have been running my K&N panel for about 12 months now with no dramas at all.

I just give the AFM a clean every time I clean the filter and seems to be going along nicely!

I'm not sure about other guys experiences but in mine it seems to be fine.

[RBwhatever]

Yeah I've been running K&N filters for more than 2years now without drama's. If you're worried just spurt some electrical contact cleaner on your afm hot wire.

But otherwise there's no problem with using them, and there's enough people on here to tell you the same.

[Lippo]

It only becomes a problem usually when people use too much oil on the filter and the oil then covers the afm element. Thats why you often get told not to use these types of filters. If you know what your doing then it wont be a problem.

[GTR-N1]

When I had my R33 GTR, I substituted my paper panel filter with a K&N oil filter without suffering any problems.

However, as the earlier post said, there are risks to be considered when using an AFM filament nearby.

So the rule is; If using AFMs, attempt to use dry filters such as APEXi or Simota and others.

With my current car using HKS F-Con Pro-V ECU, there's no AFMs so an oil filter such as HKS or K&N is acceptable.

Yes I'm aware that HKS filters have a dubious reputation for a) filtering and b) flow

[Kujotk]

mine came with an oiled type from japan, old one that was falling appart into my afm, i heard the same thing regarding the oil clogging up the afm and causing probs.... anyway got one of those very common apexi dry ones, it works a treat but if you dont put too much oil i can't see how it can be a problem to your afm..... also how much oil is too much??????? thats where my main prob was so i thought id play it safe and just use the apexi.... also when i researched this topic 6 moths ago i was told that cops especially hate the oiled ones because its way too different from the original nissan type and they recon they catch fire.... i also heard similar cop stories comming from the dry ones.... anyway choice is yours but i recon the apexi one is the go for a person who has less time to deal with oiling and cleaning air filters....

[gfunkk]

ive used the same oil based k&n filter for 2 years and never had any AFM problems

[08yannch]

i have had my K&N oiled pod filter for about 12 months and i have had no problems with it

K&N for life

[rev210]

Use it properly and you don't have any dramas at all.

[jantolis]

My afm's died shortly after i re-oiled my filter. Maybe this is why they got stuffed(might have only been 1 of them that got stuffed). Is there anyway to fix this by maybe spraying them with something??? Just something incase the afm's aren't dead.

[TurboX]

Call me irresponsible, but I usually spray the element with metho and light it with a gas lighter for a few seconds.

Done this many times with good results. Your experience may differ ..

[Deano45]

My afm's died shortly after i re-oiled my filter. Maybe this is why they got stuffed(might have only been 1 of them that got stuffed). Is there anyway to fix this by maybe spraying them with something??? Just something incase the afm's aren't dead.

As keymaker mentioned earlier in this thread you spray the element with electrical contact cleaner. If that doesn't fix them, the other thing that could be wrong with them is that you have dry/cracked contacts between the meter and the plug. There are threads on how to fix this, but a quick summary. If you open up the square cover on the AFM and re-solder the pins, it may fix the problem. Then re-silicone the cover back on to waterproof it. Did this on my brothers car to fix them.

[jantolis]

As keymaker mentioned earlier in this thread you spray the element with electrical contact cleaner. If that doesn't fix them, the other thing that could be wrong with them is that you have dry/cracked contacts between the meter and the plug. There are threads on how to fix this, but a quick summary. If you open up the square cover on the AFM and re-solder the pins, it may fix the problem. Then re-silicone the cover back on to waterproof it. Did this on my brothers car to fix them.

Yeah i have already opened the afm's up and resoldered the joints to the plug. Might try the electrical cleaner tomorrow morning.

[jantolis]

I tried the electrical cleaner and just put in my afm's and they seem to work perfectly again. Will try go for a bit of a longish drive just to make sure they are working properly and don't break down again. It must be the air filter that stuffed it up. What else could it be??

[RBwhatever]

I tried the electrical cleaner and just put in my afm's and they seem to work perfectly again. Will try go for a bit of a longish drive just to make sure they are working properly and don't break down again. It must be the air filter that stuffed it up. What else could it be??

You may have been a little enthusiastic with the oil.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using K&N filters. They have a long and established history of being tried and proven to be one of the best filters money can buy that gives you the best flow and filtration. Anyone that says K&N are rubbish will be heartily laughed at. (ps. jantolis this statement/s is not directed at you).

Use the filters properly and maintain them properly and they are worth their weight in gold.

[2LV8ETR]

he reckoned the oiled filters are no good on cars such as skylines that rely on AFMs because very small particles of the oil from the filter will reach the afm and affect it...

I may be the odd man out here, but mine actually killed the AFM. I was not able to raise it from the dead with contact cleaner or PC spray. Nothing helped. I Had to replace it.

It gave me an excuse to replace it with a Z32 though!

Now I use an HKS pod and wash the filter in with my clothes. I replace it every 3 washes though.

Works for me.

[jantolis]

You may have been a little enthusiastic with the oil.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using K&N filters. They have a long and established history of being tried and proven to be one of the best filters money can buy that gives you the best flow and filtration. Anyone that says K&N are rubbish will be heartily laughed at. (ps. jantolis this statement/s is not directed at you).

Use the filters properly and maintain them properly and they are worth their weight in gold.

lol.... yeah i think i was just a bit enthusiastic. It's just that it said to make sure that every little ripple thing should be oiled. I think i was going to slow when spraying it on. I know this for sure becuse when i take my air filter out i still get little pools of oil building up in the air box. Might have to try again when i get a chance.

When i first got it and it was factory oiled the filter was absolutley awesome. Definatley still recommend it even after my bad oiling dilema.

[(OO)SKYLINE(OO)]

Don't go too overboard with the oil spray.

You only suppost to do a light spray just to catch the smaller particals so they do not go penetrate through the filter.

I do recommend it as I am using it atm and is doing fine.

[GTScotT]

another k&n oiled panel filter here for a bit under a year, no problems at all

[RBwhatever]

The K&N recharge kit i bought a couple of years back didn't come with the spray on oil but rather a squeeze bottle. It does make it more difficult and time consuming to apply, and it does make it more likely to over oil. You've just got to remember your oiling a porous material and the oil will capillary action through it.

So even though you might not initially cover all the nitty gritty areas it will soak through. If it doesn't soak in even after the little waiting period, the flow of air when you drive around will help assist in spreading the oil through.