wat do u wash your air filter with [Archive]

Fear-Nuttin

10-22-2006, 06:54 PM

You can use gas as others suggested, but most bike shops sell filter cleaners. A soft brush and compressed air works well. After cleaning the foam part of the filter let it dry, then oil the foam filter. You can buy this at the bike shop also.

flauge

10-22-2006, 11:43 PM

Originally posted by redzoomer
No-Toil x2

fox17

10-23-2006, 05:39 AM

gasoline. works perfect. i know twin air makes a filter cleaning kit for them. i personally use a k and n in my bike but dads and all the others are foam.

BAWB

10-23-2006, 06:24 AM

Simple green, purple power or if I dont have any of it around I use really hot water and dishwasher detergent (the powder stuff) Works great on my uni, sparks nad stock filter. I never thought about gas.. I thought maybe it would eat away the glues in the foam overtime :huh

flauge

10-24-2006, 06:14 AM

Originally posted by BAWB
Simple green, purple power or if I dont have any of it around I use really hot water and dishwasher detergent (the powder stuff) Works great on my uni, sparks nad stock filter. I never thought about gas.. I thought maybe it would eat away the glues in the foam overtime :huh I've also heard that gas will break down the glue, thats why ive never used it. I think im gonna stick with no-toil tho, it cleans the filter the quickest to me, just as long as you use no- toil oil.:)

GPracer2500

10-24-2006, 10:30 AM

I use UNI foam filter cleaner.

250r4life

10-24-2006, 11:11 AM

Originally posted by GPracer2500
I use UNI foam filter cleaner.

and H20:D

BigFish

10-24-2006, 11:50 AM

On unis, I always use gas first, and then go to hot water and some dawn...

...u could prolly use anything to clean a foam filter.

firefighterjosh

10-24-2006, 09:03 PM

I can't belive no one has said this.....

DO NOT USE GAS. Gas eats the foam.

I use Dawn Dish Soap and Water. Then Spray some Klotz oil on it.

10-24-2006, 09:27 PM

lmao at people saying they use "pump gas" why not say "gas"?

i use klotz 118 octane fuel because im rich b!tch! :p

simple green :chinese:

10-25-2006, 08:00 AM

I have a K&n filter so i use k&n filter spray cleaner and it works good.
For my foam filter i used to have i used what ever was in the house like 409 or w/e.

hks308

10-25-2006, 09:21 AM

i just use k&n recharge kit on my stock 400ex filter.

10-25-2006, 09:31 AM

You have to watch what you put on your filter. Some stuff will eat away at the filter and some other stuff ends up staying on the filter after its cleaned and will eat away at the oil for the filter which you dont want.

300exOH

10-25-2006, 09:35 AM

Originally posted by hks308
i just use k&n recharge kit on my stock 400ex filter.

Just so you know K&N filter oil is NOT intended for foam filters. You really should use a oil designed for foam or it will not give the protection against dirt/dust that it should.

Personally I like to use dish detergent/water to clean my foam filters and the K&N recharge kit for the gauze filters.

hks308

10-25-2006, 09:40 AM

so you think i should get a new filter now?

300exOH

10-25-2006, 09:49 AM

Originally posted by hks308
so you think i should get a new filter now?

I would think that if you cleaned it properly and re-oiled it with the proper stuff it should be fine.

krt400ex

10-25-2006, 10:45 AM

i use that K&N cleaner. it works awsome one foam filters too. spray it on, and rinse it out...then let it dry and that is it

yellow400ex05

10-25-2006, 02:27 PM

Some warm water and pine sol, then let it soak overnight, and let it sit to dry. For my k and n on my 250 i use the recharger kit.

BigFish

10-25-2006, 07:33 PM

"I can't belive no one has said this.....

DO NOT USE GAS. Gas eats the foam.

I use Dawn Dish Soap and Water. Then Spray some Klotz oil on it."

...Peoples been using gas to clean filters since like the 1800s. I've never seen someone's foam filter get ****ed up by gas. I've been doing it since I started riding in the late 80s, and I learned from the OG mxers back in the day how to clean a filter. I'm sure its not the way the filter companies want u to do it (b/c heaven fordid if u don't buy their filter cleaner), but hell, gas works, and it works better than anything. ;) :macho

firefighterjosh

10-25-2006, 07:37 PM

Originally posted by BigFish
"I can't belive no one has said this.....

DO NOT USE GAS. Gas eats the foam.

I use Dawn Dish Soap and Water. Then Spray some Klotz oil on it."

...Peoples been using gas to clean filters since like the 1800s. I've never seen someone's foam filter get ****ed up by gas. I've been doing it since I started riding in the late 80s, and I learned from the OG mxers back in the day how to clean a filter. I'm sure its not the way the filter companies want u to do it (b/c heaven fordid if u don't buy their filter cleaner), but hell, gas works, and it works better than anything. ;) :macho

Maybe I am wrong but I have always been told gas eats foam.

outlaw450r

10-25-2006, 07:46 PM

I just throw mine in the washing machine with my riding clothes, comes out looking like new.

400eXr1d3rZ

10-25-2006, 07:54 PM

Originally posted by firefighterjosh
Maybe I am wrong but I have always been told gas eats foam.

It supposedly eats the glue that holds the foam to the rubber peice.

BigFish

10-25-2006, 08:17 PM

^^^^^^^^^^thats prolly true if u leave it in gas for a few days.

As soon as u dip the filter in the gas, its almost instantaneously clean. I then wash it in dawn and water to get all the gas out. Let it dry and then oil it. I'm not saying thats the right way but it works for me.;)

ninja

10-25-2006, 11:31 PM

I've been using no-toil and just did a load of filters in the washing machine. Easist cleaning i've ever done, they came out looking brand new!!!

250r4life

10-26-2006, 12:19 AM

Originally posted by Kickstarts_Suck

i use klotz 118 octane fuel because im rich b!tch! :p

ha ha ha ha.... oh man its been a while since something on here made me laugh like that

250r4life

10-26-2006, 12:21 AM

Originally posted by hks308
so you think i should get a new filter now?

no... your filter is fine... if anything the K&N cleaner was too mild...

if the k&n cleaner works good, then great, still use it and i cant imagine it hurting anything. however, i WOULD NOT use k&N OIL on a foam filter... they are 2 completely different concepts...

foam filters need foam oil, and they need to be good and oil to be able to breath properly.

250r4life

10-26-2006, 12:24 AM

Originally posted by BigFish

...Peoples been using gas to clean filters since like the 1800s. I've never seen someone's foam filter get ****ed up by gas. I've been doing it since I started riding in the late 80s, and I learned from the OG mxers back in the day how to clean a filter. I'm sure its not the way the filter companies want u to do it (b/c heaven fordid if u don't buy their filter cleaner), but hell, gas works, and it works better than anything. ;) :macho

since there were so many bike back in the 19th century :D

guess what though- gas today is considerably different then gas back in the 80s... ask your parents...

i rarely use my UNI, but i would never clean it in gas...

TrapZ400

10-27-2006, 12:46 PM

A lot of people have been telling me to use gas to clean it. Does this work and does it harm the filter?

1fst400

10-27-2006, 03:13 PM

I use gas. I have a coffie can full of it and just dunk the filter in and give it a swish. then ring it out and let it try for a while, sometimes I blow it out with air.

I have found that just spraying the foam filter oil on my foam filter doesent do a good job. I Spray it then put it in a plastic bag and squeazy the foam/oil around. It seems to get the oil in the whole filter not just the top surface.

AtvMxRider

10-27-2006, 03:18 PM

Originally posted by redzoomer
No-Toil

AtvMxRider

10-27-2006, 03:19 PM

Originally posted by TrapZ400
A lot of people have been telling me to use gas to clean it. Does this work and does it harm the filter?

Gas breaks down the glue that holds the filter together

HondaEXrider22

10-28-2006, 12:04 PM

Originally posted by firefighterjosh
I can't belive no one has said this.....

DO NOT USE GAS. Gas eats the foam.

I use Dawn Dish Soap and Water. Then Spray some Klotz oil on it.

Ditto

rooster_20

10-29-2006, 06:45 PM

Gas will be ok, I haven't ever heard of anyone actually having their filter come apart due to cleaning it with gas.

450r517

10-30-2006, 04:36 AM

Mineral Spirits is the best I have seen to clean a foam filter with. It will not eat it up like gas. And it also pretty cheap. You can get it at Wal-Mart or any hard ware store. You can put it in a gallon glad bag and slosh it around real good and then just rinse it with soap and water and is good as new.

NikNacs67

10-30-2006, 02:53 PM

I've got a 6 year old Honda Rancher with 31,000 miles on it which means it has over 100 cleanings on the filter and not one time have we used anything else besides GAS to clean it. The glue still holds and looks the same as the day I bought it. Now on my 450R, I just cleaned it for the 1st time last week and I used Fast Orange. It works like crap on cleaning filters which is odd because I spray the 450 down with it and let it sit for 5 minutes, spray it down with hot hose water and it takes all the dirt and grease right off.

400exrider707

10-30-2006, 06:08 PM

Gas will most definitely eat the glue on your filter. I have personally seen first hand a UNI filter fall apart because of being dipped quickly into gas. No it wasn't left in very long, and yes it did fall right apart. The glue just was no match for the gas. DO NOT USE GAS!!! Or just go ahead and use it, and then have it fall apart while your riding and see how your engine likes that.:rolleyes:

I cant get over how many people use gas, and then what is even better is that they are now recommending it for others to use. IT WILL tear apart your filters.

250r4life

10-31-2006, 06:59 PM

people crack me up...

the air filter has to be one of the most overlooked items, and one of the items not given the attention it deserved... to me the air filter is probably the most essential regular maitenance object... it cracks me up how people clean them, and how often they clean them...

the filter is the 1st thing i look at when my friends take me to help them buy a used bike. if its like a raptor, i check and make sure they have the pro desgin kit on it, and ask how long theyve had the pro design on it, and also check and see what kind of shape the filter is in- if it is cleaned and oiled... its a great sign as to how the bike was maintained...

i have 4 K&Ns and 1 UNI for my R... i dont go more than a day on a filter without cleaning it... i definately dont use gas...

250r4life

10-31-2006, 07:00 PM

think about the crap that gas eats through... put gas is random objects, like a styrafoam cup, and see what happens to it... or stick other items in gas, and see what happens to those items...

rooster_20

10-31-2006, 07:08 PM

I brush my teeth with gas ho.

Live2Ride300

10-31-2006, 11:36 PM

I run and UNI and K&N Filters. The UNI filter I use either UNI cleaner/oil or Spector Foam filter cleaner/oil. The K&N I use the recharge kit.

You can't beat a uni filter for the price. I have always keep a couple spare uni's cleaned and oiled in a ziplock bag ready to go.

If you think about about what your dirty air filter looks like, think about what could have made its way through your carburetor through your ports, past the valves and into the combustion chamber.

A simple cheap mod for your bike - buy an extra air filter and keep it clean so that when your buddy calls you up Saturday night and wants to ride sunday, you don't have to stumble around and clean your air filter the night before.

vze2hnvz

11-02-2006, 08:39 AM

I have never used gas on any foam filter I've owned. I've always used kerosene/diesel fuel. It's a much higher flash point solvent than gas. Never harmed the foam or the glue. Matter of fact, if my memory isnt shot, old Honda XR manual's from the 80's recommended it.