k&n filter problems

[tigerdog]

went for a nice long trail ride today.
and when i got home i cleaned my wheeler as usual.
then pulled filter to check it ,it was nasty
that didnt concern me nearly as much as all the crap in the intake
tube, lots of sand.
i run the filter with a prewrap and i have an outerwears cover on my alluminum air box .
has anyone encounterd this problem?
any suggestions on how to stop the dirt from getting by the filter?
thanks for any suggestions
:eek2:

[BIGRED400]

I tryed every possible setup w/K&N and never could keep dirt out of my intake tube, I've tryed greasing the seal, running up to 2 Outerwears, ordered a special foam Outerwear for it,finally I switched to a UNI and have had no problems since, I live in Fla. and it can get awful dusty here at times , not blasting K&N some people love them,and it may work for them in less dusty conditions,but a look inside the intake tube is the truth, I have too much money in my 416 for it eat lunch because of letting dirt inside my motor.Do a search on K&N or airfilters, you'll find a heated battle on this.

[04'400ex'er]

Lots of people say they have this problem. I personally haven't. Did you clean the filter before the ride? If so, did you forget to oil the filter? Did you use K&N specific oil? Did you make sure the filter was on good at the bottom, because sometimes it is hard to get the boot over the flange. I would say clean the Filter throughly with K&N cleaner, wipe the dirt out of the boot, Oil the filter well, Mount the filter making sure you have it sealed all around, and grease around the seal. Then apply the outerwears. You should not have this problem again if you take your time and perform these steps carefully.

[muff]

I had the same problem with my K&N, I found the way to keep dirt off the intake tube is to buy a UNI ;)

[daimon1054]

K&N sucks, I have never seen one that did not do damage to a motor. You have 3 ways to get more air in
1 larger pores in the air filter, K&N, but larger holes let in dirt there is no way around it.
2 Larger filter eliment, more surface area means more clean air on the 400EX the eliment is very large and in fact will flow way more air than even a modded motor can use. UNI also makes a good filter.
3 Open up the intake track,this is the best way to get air into you motor. Remove the airbox lid and add an outerwears cover or some of the vent plugs made by other mfg's. This will get the most air in and is the best option. What I would do is buy a new air box lid, gut the center section out then glue in and outer wears cover. Then when in muddy conditions put the stock lid on.

[400_ex_man1987]

have u ever washed ur filter. I wrecked my first K&N filter because I dint clean it properly. I have heard that from other people to

[daimon1054]

Trust me when you race for money you keep things clean and in good shape. I had 2 K&N filters one was clean and in a plastic bag so the oil could dry and I put a new one in every race and they still suck! Every race that I know that ran K&N filters had motor damage when they tore down. For pros that rebuild after every few rounds it is no big deal but for the racer or rider than has to make a motor last a season it is the worst choice you can make.

[tigerdog]

i clean and oil the filter after every ride ,
i use only k&n cleaner and oil
this is the second time ive found dirty intake tube
i run the aluminum air box and can not put stock lid on it
so i installed the stock filter,rode it around the yard
and ran the same. so i dont think all that jet work was wasted
if the stock filter does the job and doesnt change the jetting than it must flow fine. that means k&n meet your new trash can.
bike is four months old ,cant afford to damage motor yet.
thanks for help guys , i think the foam filter will do a better job.
time will tell.

[JRDrider22]

i have never had a proble mwith mine. but i also take care of it. after everyride i also take the boot off to see if any dirt is in there. i also take the boot off the carb and see if any dirt got in there as well. i throughly wash the filter after everyride and use k&n spray to oil it.

[cals400ex]

Originally posted by tigerdog
i clean and oil the filter after every ride ,
i use only k&n cleaner and oil
this is the second time ive found dirty intake tube
i run the aluminum air box and can not put stock lid on it
so i installed the stock filter,rode it around the yard
and ran the same. so i dont think all that jet work was wasted
if the stock filter does the job and doesnt change the jetting than it must flow fine. that means k&n meet your new trash can.
bike is four months old ,cant afford to damage motor yet.
thanks for help guys , i think the foam filter will do a better job.
time will tell.


make sure you regularly oil the foam filter with foam filter oil. the oil is what traps the dirt.

[stonerider250x]

mine used to let a litttle in the air boot but when i started clean it and oiling it with the k&n suff after everyrace it stopped. if u dont oil ur filter ur gonna get dirt in ur boot

[tigerdog]

just installed new uni filtr ,i like the way it attaches better.
closer to stock setup with one lip inside intake tube and one lip outside.ithink it will seal well.


i always oiled thecrap out of my k&n still got birt in intake tube.
i do ride in some severe conditions tho

my K&N has never let dirt past my filter...i race hare scrambles in mud, dust, all types of conditions...if u got a bad@$$ bike...u need a filter with high flow that can get the job done...if ur not wanting to take care of ur k&n then ur gonna get a messed up bike...if u switch filters...u restrict flow more for better filtration when the k&n filtration is fine...for me anyway...but i also run an outerwear over the airbox...and an outerwear over the filter...so i got 2 of them...never lets nething by:macho

[quadkrazy400ex]

can you tell the difference between power when you go from a K&N to a UNI?

do you have to rejet?

[OregonEXrider]

I am very satisfied with my white bros air filter. It is even cheaper then uni's and comes with it's own oil.:cool:

Originally posted by *********400ex
can you tell the difference between power when you go from a K&N to a UNI?

do you have to rejet?

i c u live in hays...u wanna go riding sometime?

[tigerdog]

just did the swap tonigt havnt had it out for a ride except in yard seemed fine will get out in the middle of the week then will know for sure:D

[BIGRED400]

Originally posted by 04'400ex'er
Lots of people say they have this problem. I personally haven't. Did you clean the filter before the ride? If so, did you forget to oil the filter? Did you use K&N specific oil? Did you make sure the filter was on good at the bottom, because sometimes it is hard to get the boot over the flange. I would say clean the Filter throughly with K&N cleaner, wipe the dirt out of the boot, Oil the filter well, Mount the filter making sure you have it sealed all around, and grease around the seal. Then apply the outerwears. You should not have this problem again if you take your time and perform these steps carefully.


I do rountine maintenance before every ride,cleaned and oiled w/K&N product ,greased the seal and all that monkey business,tryed every combo,w/ up to 2 Outerwears and even a foam type Outerwear from GT Thunder and still had dirt in my intake, went to UNI ,no dirt ,case closed:devil:

[tigerdog]

finally got back on my wheeler and wet for a good ride, got it good and filthy!!!
well as usual checked and cleaned air filter because the alluminum air box has no lid; so i pulled off the uni filter and looked in the intake tube and it was spottless!!
in my oppinion k&n filters are only good for filling trash cans.
i wont buy another one.
the uni took all the same crap, mud ,dust,water runs and worked perfectley. very happy with this one.
do yourself and your bike a favor and trash the k&n they belong on autos not dirt toys.....:D

[JDiablo]

filter wars?:( or no....but yea UNI all the way

[sparkplug300ex]

Originally posted by JRDrider22
i have never had a proble mwith mine. but i also take care of it. after everyride i also take the boot off to see if any dirt is in there. i also take the boot off the carb and see if any dirt got in there as well. i throughly wash the filter after everyride and use k&n spray to oil it.









same here ive never had trouble with k&n take care of it and it will work fine

[ewalker302]

UNI all the way!

Or spend twice as much for a k&n that may let dirt into your engine.

easy choice.

:bandit: