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AH oiling the air filter

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davidb

davidb

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I give up trying to use the "Search" feature. I recently saw some comments on the type of oil to use in the stock air filters, but can't seem to find the reference. At the risk of repetition repetition, any suggestions on the subject would be appreciated.

With thanks
DB
 
30 weight
Dip and drain
 
What's your thoughts on using K&N's air filter cleaning /oil kit on our air filters?
 

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I tried the round K&N filters on my 62 tri-carb several years ago but as I recall the space was too tight to fit the front filter, and I ended up giving them to a Volvo friend of mine who used them on his 544. Maybe I could have adapted them, but apart from washing and waxing, and posing for the camera, my technical skills are limited. I have those cheap pancake style filters on now but am going back to stock.

Elrey - what do you run on your tri-carb?

Just incidentally,and speaking of K&N, I switched to their oil filters (#2009) a while back (I mounted a spin-on housing back in the Jurassic period) and found them to be excellent, altho a bit more expensive than Wix or Fram, etc.

Thanks to those who replied, and in my case for all of you who patiently take the time to respond to both the usually really dumb and occasional technical questions - otherwise I'd be driving a Mazda Miata.

Cheers
Dave
 
My tri-carb engine is presently sitting on a stand in my shop, sporting the chromed round domed expanded steel mesh w/foam insert air cleaners that Moss offers. They fit with a minor [thumb pressure] adjustment to one of the mesh covers. When I reinstall the engine into my soon to be finished chassis it will be adorned with Coopers steel ribbon filled filters as original. I plan to oil them with the same oil used in the engine and transmission/overdrive.
 
AUSMHLY said:
What's your thoughts on using K&N's air filter cleaning /oil kit on our air filters?
Click to expand...

K&N oil is very thin--it looks like Marvel Mystery Oil--that's why it can be sprayed. I suspect the thinner the oil, the quicker it drains off the 'steel wool' filter media. The tribal wisdom in aircraft maintenance is that straight-weight, viscous (100W) mineral oil sticks to cylinder walls the best and is preferable in summer or when engines aren't run very often. If not tack oil, then thick dino oil is probably your best bet. Heck, maybe gear oil would work pretty well (it smells bad, though).
 
Three questions guys.

1. What is recommended as a cleaning product for the mesh filters?

2. What oil did BMC recommended to be used on the mesh screen?

3. What happens if no product is applied to the screen after cleaning?

Good to know these things.
 
1. Petrol
2. Engine oil
3. No filtering and may get rusty.
 
I soak my orginal wire mesh filters in kerosene (i worry that gasoline could harm the finish which is a hammered silver)then after soaking and swishing them around in the kerosene I blow them out and let them dry a while then oil them with 30 weight. The kerosene didn't even take the cooper stickers off.
Bob
 
Bob_Spidell said:
AUSMHLY said:
What's your thoughts on using K&N's air filter cleaning /oil kit on our air filters?
Click to expand...

K&N oil is very thin--it looks like Marvel Mystery Oil--that's why it can be sprayed. I suspect the thinner the oil, the quicker it drains off the 'steel wool' filter media. The tribal wisdom in aircraft maintenance is that straight-weight, viscous (100W) mineral oil sticks to cylinder walls the best and is preferable in summer or when engines aren't run very often. If not tack oil, then thick dino oil is probably your best bet. Heck, maybe gear oil would work pretty well (it smells bad, though).
Click to expand...

I don't know about the K&N filter oil, but I have an itg foam filter (from Denis Welch) for my two HD8s that uses a spray-on oil. itg's oil uses a solvent to make it thin enough to spray. When the solvent evaporates, the oil that remains is sticky. To clean, I use a degreaser from Costco (smells like 409) and rinse with water.
 
Might be a good choice. Since it's blended for foam's larger pores it can be stickier; I think K&N oil can't be too sticky else it would plug the finer treated cotton--I believe that's what it's made of--media.

I think any oil would work--oil bath air filters work pretty well and I believe they're still used on some tractors--it's getting it to stick on the metal media that's key.
 
Oiling the Air Filters

Revisiting this thread.

I read somewhere "oil eater" 50/50 with water is a good cleaner, degreaser for the wire mesh.

Seems Dino Oil is recommenced on the clean wire mesh after.

Any thoughts about spraying the mesh with a cooking spray product like “Pam”; which is basically canola oil and Soy Lecithin. I read about it here:


http://www.austin-healey-stc.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/AHSTC-Tech9.1.pdf (last page)
 
Oil Eater is a very good cleaner/degreaser.

The use of Pam reminds me of going on a boat cruise in Hawaii where the boat used biodiesel made form used deep fat fryer oil. Somehow, most of the passengers had a craving for french fries after the cruise.
 
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