K&N airfilter let dust in my motor

[lansing400ex]

I just rode 52 miles of trail this weekend and the dust was flying. So I knew I needed to clean the airfilter. I pulled the K&N with an outerware off. I looked in the boot to the carb and found a fine coating of dust in the boot. I pulled the outerware off the filter and it was loaded with dirt. I cleaned the filter and changed the oil before the ride. I also looked in the boot and it was clean. I've heard K&N filters would not work for chit in dusty conditions. Now I have my own proof. I guess I better change the oil again and find a different brand of airfilter. I'll have nothing good to say about K&N again. Anybody see this kind of a problem with other airfilters after a long dusty ride?

[kaneman23]

This is a big debate among many automotive enthusiasts as well with the KN filters. People freak out when the see dust has gotten past their filter. Really its not a big deal because the particles are so small and they just burn up in the motor and don't cause damage (ie. scoring, seizure, etc.). Now, in cars/trucks its a little different and more sensitive because of the MAF sensor. If the KN filter or any other filter for the matter isn't seated properly and passes dust the MAF gets dirty. When this happens your vehicle's performance will suffer and more then likely you will have to replace the MAF because they are very fragile and hard to clean. Personally, I wouldn't worry about it. You should buy an outerwear for your filter for extra protection if you are that concerned.

[Dave400ex]

I have rode in Dust for a very long time and have never got Dust in my Air Boot. Do you put your Filter Clamp on tight? When I say tight I mean TIGHT. Also use some Contact Cleaner, wipe it around the black part that goes in the boot, put some dust on the black thing where the contact cleaner is. Mark Baldwin wrote that in the ATV Sport Mag. and said it holds the filter better.

[Ricky g]

Seems like k&N would be good for racing and not trail riding, maybe you should get a foam sleave and put it over your k&N filter, then spray it with air filter oil to catch the dust better, Outwears arn't worth much for stopping dust, they're good for keeping water out.

Ricky g

[Dave400ex]

I`m not sure if this matters but, try Oiling your Filter better and put more on. I put a lot on mine and let it sit for a day to dry.

[skemp]

A Uni filter will be arriving at my doorstep in a few days. I don't trust my K&N anymore. It is all bashed up anyway, and there are holes starting to show up in the gauze. I just don't like the fact that there are chunks of dirt and bits of leaves ending up in the air boot. I ride very hard, and the filter has taken a beating, but I just don't want to worry about it any more. Any flow difference between the K&N and Uni is of no importance to me. Better than having dirt in my motor.

[Glamis400ex]

I ride in the sand/dust continually, in the deserts here in the southwest. I have never had a prob with dust in my airboot....ever. And before all you pipe up and say, well, it's just sand, your right. Sand in combination with heavy dust will eat your motor up. Sand will tear everything up prematurely and gets into EVERYTHING.

I am very anal about having a clean filter and outerwear, if I was getting crap in my motor, would I still be using it?? ...Nope...

just my 2 cents...

Glamis

[Castor-426ex]

my filter and outerwear are good...never any kind of stuff in the boot...well besides water...lol damned snorkel!!!!

[Pappy]

Originally posted by skemp
A Uni filter will be arriving at my doorstep in a few days. I don't trust my K&N anymore. It is all bashed up anyway, and there are holes starting to show up in the gauze. I just don't like the fact that there are chunks of dirt and bits of leaves ending up in the air boot. I ride very hard, and the filter has taken a beating, but I just don't want to worry about it any more. Any flow difference between the K&N and Uni is of no importance to me. Better than having dirt in my motor.


if there are chunks of leaves and dirt in the airboot....how big of a hole do you have in the filter??????:huh

i run k&n...always have....and over the past 1o or so years i have never seen a k&n with holes in it on my quad. if it has a tear in the gauze, it needs replacing. dont blame the filter because you wont get a new one.

no flame intended...just responding to the info you gave.:p

[kaneman23]

If I had that much crap in my air boot I would change filters as well!! :) Mine has just a very light coating of Dust and it doesn't concern me. Now if it were sand, leaves, or dirt I would be worried. Those are large enough particles to score the cylinder/sleeve. I have a KN filter on everything I own and I have never been let down by them.

[Doibugu2]

Clearly if you have leaves in your boot something is severaly wrong. How is a leave going to get sucked through your snorkel into the airbox, past your outwears, threw your filter. That is nearly impossible if you have everything installed properly.

Besides you say your filter is all bashed up, what did you do to it? That may be your problem, you don't take care of the filter. How well did you oil it? Your supposed to clean it after every ride, are you doing that?

Not trying to be a prick, but how long has K&N been around, how many people are using them on this site with no problems?

[yamaha1470]

do all of u have ur airbox lid off?

[phatswinn]

i have a k&n and i love it, i wont use a prefilter either, have u ever tryied to suck thruogh it? its very restrictive, i also run a open airbox lid, it gets dirty but ya just bring some of the oil with you so when ya go on a break u bang the dirt off the filter and oil it again, and ur fine. i ride in very very dust conditions and rarly ever notice a film of fine dust in the airboot, the dirt on the filter actually helps it filter out the smaller stuff like the fine dust, thats why i just bang it off and re-oil it

[CG's]

Was there oil on the filter?! If a filter has no oil on it the filter is worthless! My friend has a knN filter and he runs it with his air box lid off in very dusty conditions most of the time. He filter has been flawless. MOST foam filters are junk (low CFM's) compared to KnN. If you get a foam filter make sure you put oil on it or you will have the same problem!!!

[ridered86]

all this talk of air filters reminds me that mine needs clean'in, oh by the way its a k&n and have not had any probs.

[lansing400ex]

I'd like to clear up a few questions. Yes, the air filter was oiled and there was an outerware over it and no airbox lid.

I called the local Honda dealer and spoke to the parts manager who I've done alot of business with. He claimed that the factory airfilter and twin air filters have done the same thing on other customers machines that he knows of. This quickly ended my desire to just get another brand filter. I deicided to get creative instead. I cut the top of the air box lid off so just the outer frame remained. I took a piece of foam around a 1/4 inch thick and laid over what was left of the airbox lid. I then took some thin metal I cut with tin snips and created a frame to hold the foam on. Four pop rivets later and I now have a filtered air box lid. I oiled up the K&N with K&N oil. Slipped the outerware on and put it back in the airbox. I oiled the foam lid with PJ1 oil and put it on. Now all I need to do is some dusty trail riding with someone in front of me to test it out.

I just didn't get as far with the customers car I was working on today but what the **** I had more important things to do at work.

[skemp]

I never said the filter was at fault, it was decent at filtering when it wasn't all bashed up, but there was always a thin film of dust in the air boot after a long, dusty ride.
Actually, there were small bits of what looked to be leaves in the inside of the filter and lots of grime and sand in the air boot at one time. I took out the filter, and sure enough, there was a hole poked through the gauze and mesh about 1/4" in size. One of the supports in the bottom of the airbox must have poked it when it got jostled around once. Like I said, I ride very hard and jump a lot. The filter, like everything else takes a beating. K&N just isn't for me because it doesn't have any flex to it.
And to say I don't take care of my stuff is very far-fetched. I check over every little thing after every ride, and you guessed it, I clean my filter as well. Nothing usually gets by me, and I caught this one when I happened to be riding it for a short amount of time, took a very hard landing, and took the seat off to take a look for cracks and what not. I had been riding in the woods for a while beforehand, and then came out to the track to jump. I am sure there were just leaves sitting in the airbox and when the hole got poked into it, they got sucked in. Oh yeah, I had the lid off because I broke my stock one and had one on order. If the lid was on, there wouldn't have been much crap in the airbox.

So sorry if I was unclear before, but I wasn't blaming the K&N for the large amounts of crap in there, but the way I ride. I guess it probably seemed like that was what I meant. Well look at that, I just wrote yet another novel. I just like to type. :blah

[flying400ex]

Hey Lansing400ex! I am from lansing too, where do you go riding around here? I have a track we should get together and ride sometime.

[cheetah]

I don't trust K&N either. I use a UNI and to me the power gain just isn't worth the risk. My UNI does a good job and have nothing to say but great things.

[Ralph]

whats an airfilter?

[Chef]

My K&N has been great, and it doesnt even have a PreFilter on it. It did have one on it, then I found out it was ripped, and havent put one back on yet. It worked in this dusty crap though

[wheeltrax]

How is the power with the UNI's? I was thinking about getting that or a K&N. I just have seen some problems with the K&N's.

[whipit]

I would NEVER run a K&N filter in anything other than winter conditions when everything is frozen here and there is no dust, because they do NOT filter the air even half as thoroughly as oiled foam. Some would say they SUCK......suck dirt

[Rastus]

hmm...

I'd bet my bottom dollar something was wrong with your filter...
There's no way peices of leaves would get through.

it being all beat up, etc. Doesn't help either....

What info do you have to support this whipit?

No filter is going to stop every particle...

I suggest someone do a test with a UNI filter...and then the same conditions with a K&N.....

I've been using K&N filters for 7 years in 2 and 4 stroke motors..if it's maintained properly,, grease around airboot,, etc etc, etc, it will do it's job. Not saying lansing that you don't know what your doing or pointing fingers...but most issues with airfilter problems are poor maint. on them...not the filter but the rider is at fault..;)

[timewass]

I like UNI more for trail riding.

[Dave400ex]

I used to run a K&N, but I am now using the stock filter once again. I didn't feel any power loss what so ever between the two, but my airbox is stock. If you run with no lid the K&N would add some, but it also wouldn't protect as well as a foam. I will use foam always from now on. I am going to get a No-Toil.

[Martin Blair]

I ride in dust all the time arroudn her in the summer, just cover up your damn airbox most of the dust gets caught in the snorkle, never ahd any problems

[Chef]

Originally posted by HN400exracer
I ride in dust all the time arroudn her in the summer, just cover up your damn airbox most of the dust gets caught in the snorkle, never ahd any problems

Dude, this is a 2 year old thread.:huh

[Steve77]

ooops...old thread

[redroost85]

I have run K&N's in all my quads and have nothing but good things to say about them. I swear by them...not at them, lol!:D

[Rescueme]

The dust problem sounds like you did not have your boot tight around the carb. also try putting a thin layer of grease around where the boot and carb go together. this will make a better seal and if the seal is a little loose the grease will attract the dust.