Cleaning tips for a K&N air filter?

Question

Dont want to pay for a re-charge kit and thought someone had a cheaper solution

Answer 1

Use a low pressure water hose and lightly spray it the reverse way that the air comes in. This is to push all the dirt particles out. Try not to use too much pressure. The reason K&N filters work so well is because of the oil they have on them to trap dirt particles better. You may still need to purchase the oil for it to work at its best. It doesn't have to be K&N brand, there are cheaper $6 oil sprays in the performance section of your local auto parts store. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

use the re-charge kit!! some detergents will harm the fibers of the filter. almost like putting too much bleach in the washing machine, will disolve fibers.

Answer 3

The K&N recharge kit is the best option in my opinion for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, you will invalidate any warranty you've got on a K&N by using any non-K&N cleaning solutions and oils.

Secondly, the K&N will need a specific grade of oil in order to work.  The oil is specifically formulated to impregnate the cotton later within the filter and stay there.  An oil that's too thin has the risk of coming out of the cotton when in use and contaminating sensors within the air intake system.  Also, the reason a K&N uses oil is to allow it to filter air by trapping dirt in it's oiled cotton layer.  With the wrong oil you won't be getting the same level of filtration, so might as well not bother using a K&N at all.

Thirdly, without the recharge kit, you may over oil the filter which also increases the risk of contaminating sensors.

Cotton-gauze filters are notoriously fussy when it comes to maintenance and my preference would be for a good foam air filter like Pipercross or True Flow.

Answer 4

YOU MUST USE THE K&N SOLUTION KIT OR YOU MAY CONTAMINATE THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR WITH OIL IF YOU USE SOMETHING ELSE AND CAUSE ROUGH RUNNING THE MFA SENSOR IS USUALLY LOCATED IN FRONT OF THE AIR FILTER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BUY THE RECHARGE KIT THEN JUST GO BACK TO THE CONVENTIONAL FILTER AND SAVE YOUR SELF THE HEART ACHE.