flatbedin Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 (edited) I'm running a K&N with an outerwear and no lid on the airbox and I keep noticing dirt/dust in the intake chamber. I bought a new K&N before we rode this past weekend and tonight I see dirt in the intake again. I've resealed the pro flow adapter with new o-ring and silicone and have also resealed the plastic chamber where it splits. The intake boots are good and the clamps are tight. Is this dirt passing thru the filter? I could put a lid on the box I guess, but part of the box is melted away next to the pro flow adapter where the trinity pipes got too close to the plastic. This means the lid wouldn't seal the top completely anyway. What about a foam filter? Are they better at not letting dirt thru? How much difference is there in power between a lid vs. no lid and a K&N vs. foam? Finally, what is the best filter setup for wet muddy trials in the winter and dry dusty trails in the summer? Lots of questions. Thanks in advance. Edited January 19, 2010 by flatbedin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamaha04 Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 iv always herd not to run a K&N because they dont filter small enough fine sand and dift can pass right through. alot of people run foam pod filters. oiled. i though the outwear was supose to help but i guess not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbooker82 Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 The outerwear keeps the big stuff out of the filter. Is the filter oiled properly? It could be low on oil and letting dirt through. I dont have any problems with my K&N's letting dirt through. Do you have a boost bottle or crossover tube? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottd480 Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 iv always herd not to run a K&N because they dont filter small enough fine sand and dift can pass right through. alot of people run foam pod filters. oiled. i though the outwear was supose to help but i guess not. I have gone through exactly what you are describing. I refuse to run K&N's anymore, because in my experience they always pass a little bit of silt. Didn't seem to matter how well I oiled them either. If you take that K&N and look towards a bright light through it, you'll see lots of pinpoints of light...they really are quite porous. I don't trust them, and will only use a good 2-stage foam filter. These clean the incoming air a LOT better, and don't seem to detract from the power...at least it's worth it to me whatever small tradeoff might exist. Why dust your motor when you don't have to? Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broncbob Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 (edited) I run K&N's in the dunes, and I NEVER see any dirt by pass. I also clean and oil mine after every weekend and I oil Heavy. The best way I have found to oil my filters is to spray the oil on, then leave standing for a few hours to let the excess oil drain to one side and then clean up the extra. I also run outerwears, that keeps stuff from sticking to the filters, and makes cleaning them faster. I recommend that you clean and inspect them when dry. You may have a hole in them that isn't obvious. You may want to remove your air box and tape over one side and shine a flash light around it and look for any leaks. If you want to have a good read on the different types of filters, check out the site bobistheoilguy.com. He has a good comparison on the different type of filters. Edited January 19, 2010 by broncbob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatbedin Posted January 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 This K&N was brand new before we rode this past Sat., preoiled from K&N. In the past, I have found it very easy to over oil these filters. If I put more than just enough oil to turn it red, then the quad runs like crap (won't rev). I do have the stock crossover (no boost bottle). Just to clarify this is not a pod filter setup. It's a single filter clamped to a pro flow adapter. I've been wondering what you sand guys use for filters. Maybe the K&Ns that seem to not pass thru any dirt are all pod setups. Are they finer mesh material? Is is possible to use extra oil on them and not choke the engine? Seems like I remember reading on a diesel forum a while back about someone, who had switched to a K&N filter, saying the silicon (dirt) content in their oil analysis had gone way up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bansheesandrider Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 I won't run any thing but a K&N with an Outerwear in the sand, but I have been told that a foam filter is better in the mud and dirt. That being said, I have seen sand granules work their way through a foam filter. My carbs, intakes and the 2 into 1 adapter on the filter are always clean on my bikes, I run the big Toomey style 2 into 1 filter with a K&N filter instead of the foam filter Toomey uses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broncbob Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 This K&N was brand new before we rode this past Sat., preoiled from K&N. There is your problem right there, K&N doesn't put enough oil on them! Over oiling shouldn't be a problem! If you let these sit with the open end up for a few hours, to a day, the extra will run off, then you just wipe it off. As you get used to oiling the filters, you get a better Idea of how much to use. But I all ways have to do some clean up on mine. Filter maintenance is not a last minuet thing with these filters, it's a planed affair. I normally do it right after I get home from a trip. Mine never run longer than one trip with out being cleaned, some times that's just a few hours, some times it's a week worth of riding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baker Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 imo k&n=junk, more air=more dirt, dirt in carbs=not good, my shee came witha k&n i just bought a toomy 2into1 filter and ill swap my k&n for a outerware for the toomy kit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamaha04 Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 (edited) personally i don't like K&N like said before hold it up to a light. just get a foam filter and be done with it. i own a diesel. 06 cummins. you should never use an oiled filter on a turbo-ed motor. the turbo will suck the oil right out of it and through the turbo. not good. i know owr banshees dont have turbos but there still alot of suction coming from the carbs. atleast with the foam filter you only oil the first layer. i have personally seen a bike get choked out with sand in the carb within 5 mins in the dunes he was running a K&N pods oiled with outerwears. i dont want to start a pissing match but this is just what i have experienced and is my opinion Edited January 20, 2010 by yamaha04 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatbedin Posted January 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 personally i don't like K&N like said before hold it up to a light. just get a foam filter and be done with it. i own a diesel. 06 cummins. you should never use an oiled filter on a turbo-ed motor. the turbo will suck the oil right out of it and through the turbo. not good. i know owr banshees dont have turbos but there still alot of suction coming from the carbs. atleast with the foam filter you only oil the first layer. i have personally seen a bike get choked out with sand in the carb within 5 mins in the dunes he was running a K&N pods oiled with outerwears. i dont want to start a pissing match but this is just what i have experienced and is my opinion OK, I want to try a foam filter. Which one works best? Do most run an outerwear with the foam filter? Will the oil from the foam filter clog up the outerwear? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatbedin Posted January 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 (edited) There is your problem right there, K&N doesn't put enough oil on them! Over oiling shouldn't be a problem! If you let these sit with the open end up for a few hours, to a day, the extra will run off, then you just wipe it off. As you get used to oiling the filters, you get a better Idea of how much to use. But I all ways have to do some clean up on mine. Filter maintenance is not a last minuet thing with these filters, it's a planed affair. I normally do it right after I get home from a trip. Mine never run longer than one trip with out being cleaned, some times that's just a few hours, some times it's a week worth of riding. Maybe over oiling shouldn't be a problem but it is for me. The last time I cleaned and oiled the filter, I put plenty of oil on it and let it sit overnight. Quad ran like crap, so that's when I decided to try a new filter (pre oiled). Maybe I'm not running the right filter. It's a K&N YA-3502. Seems like it's borderline on having enough flow for my banshee. Is there a larger higher flow filter that will work? Edited January 20, 2010 by flatbedin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broncbob Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Maybe over oiling shouldn't be a problem but it is for me. The last time I cleaned and oiled the filter, I put plenty of oil on it and let it sit overnight. Quad ran like crap, so that's when I decided to try a new filter (pre oiled). Maybe I'm not running the right filter. It's a K&N YA-3502. Seems like it's borderline on having enough flow for my banshee. Is there a larger higher flow filter that will work? If you want a lager filter, just go to any K&N dealer and take a spin through the catalog till you find what you like. They are listed with the dims in the catalog, so you just have to find the right size to fit you carb, and the rest to fit you taste. Every one I know runs K&N filters, and the only problems that I have ever seen has been filter loss, as in the dam thing fell off. All of the testing that I have read has been that the K&N stops just as much dirt as a foam filter. The problem with the foam is dirt sticks to the oil, and makes it's way through the filter faster than with a K&N. I ride mostly sand, and it clogs a foam up in no time flat. You can help this a bit with a outerwear, but the sand just cakes onto the outerwear and makes it a pain to clean, and shortens the life of the outerwear quite a bit. It also kills flow, fast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87sheerips Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 never had a problem, and to be honest, my K&N filters are pretty ragged out. Be sure to clean and oil them regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seabass Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 (edited) I run a K&N with a modified lid. Take an old outerwears and split it so it opens up flat. Take the stock lid and cut the top out. Lay the outerwears over the top of the box and clamp the modified cover on. Keeps extra dirt out without restricting air flow to much. That, along with regular cleaning and oiling works for me. Never had a problem. Edited January 21, 2010 by seabass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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