Can I get an air filter at an auto parts store. And what oil am I looking to lube it up with. I have suggestions of "air filter oil". Can I also get this at an auto store. AND.. can you recommend a slovent to clean the old one.
thanks
First of all, I don't recommend using ANY type of solvent to clean fabric (K&N / cotton gauze type) air filters; the solvent might damage the fabric, or cause problems with the filter oil... even worse, the solvent could cause contamination elsewhere, so keep the use of it to an absolute minimum. Take the time to read this FAQ from K&N:
http://www.knfilters.com/faq.htm
which will help to answer any questions you might have about details I don't cover here... Pay close attention to # 10, # 15, # 17, # 18, # 20, # 21, # 22, & # 27, even if you don't want to read all of them...
Do you know what the effects of the new filter will be? Since you'll probably be flowing a LOT more air into the engine, are you prepared to rejet the carbs? Increasiing the airflow without rejetting to increase the gasoline to compensate leads to daylight through pistons, burned exhaust valves, $$$$ engine repairs, and all kinds of problems you DON'T want to create...
For cleaning most oiled filters (cotton gauze or foam rubber), I'd advise using the manufacturer's recommended products and methods, at least until you've got some hands-on, real-world experience under your belt...
OTOH, once you know how to care for (clean) and feed (oil) your aftermarket filter properly, you can try this method... If you don't have any of the recommended filter cleaner handy, common liquid household dishwashing detergent will usually do a good job for you (NOT the stuff you put into a dishwasher, the stuff you wash your dishes and hands with). Rinse the filter off with a garden hose first; be careful to dispose of the oily runoff properly... Then, simply put a few drops of the liquid soap into a bucket that is big enough to hold the filter, with some extra room to move it around. Keep in mind that you need to get ALL of the detergent OUT of the filter, and dry it COMPLETELY before you oil it; if you don't get all the soap out, the detergent residue will break down the filter oil. If you don't dry the filter COMPLETELY, oil won't stick to the damp areas, and I've seen MOLD growing on a filter that was installed while the filter was wet; the guy responsible for that was putting his MC into storage, and figured the filter would dry out inside the air box. He PLANNED on re-oiling the filter BEFORE he ran the engine again, but things didn't work out the way he wanted...
Let the filter soak in the soapy water for a while; I usually soak it for at LEAST an hour while I attend to other chores, though I've been known to leave REALLY dirty filters soaking overnight... After that, dunk the filter in and out of the soapy water to help cleanse it; do a thorough job... Turn the filter over several times while you do this to be sure to get it completely clean, then empty the dirty / soapy water (again, dispose of the stuff properly), rinse the bucket to remove any residue, then soak the filter a SECOND time in CLEAN, cool water for another hour MINIMUM... Change the water if it gets cloudy / dirty... you can speed things along by rinsing the filter under running water from the INSIDE of the filter to the OUTSIDE... I'll admit, I use the garden hose when I'm in a rush, but THEN you have to let the filter air dry COMPLETELY, which can take a while... It won't hurt to shake the excess water out of the filter, as long as you don't bend / damage / distort the wire mesh or general shape of the filter itself...
When I first began cleaning aftermarket filters, I'd hold them up to a bright light, to be sure there were no oily / dirty spots left on the filter. After doing that a few times, I got better at seeing the oily spots without the aid of a bright backlight...
Once I'm sure the filter is CLEAN, I put the wet filter onto a pile of old towels to let the water drain out of it; after 24 hours, I turn the filter over and let it drip / drain for a second day (which is why I prefer to own two identical filters for each motorcycle; one is always clean and ready to be installed, so I can still ride while I'm servicing the dirty filter). This might seem excessive, but again, you can speed things along simply by putting the filter in sunlight for a while. When the fabric is damp to the touch, I turn the filter over, so that any excess water that has pooled in one area will drain away from the saturated area, which seems to allow the filter to dry more thoroughly (OK, so that might qualify as overkill, but I try to cover all the bases...)
Whatever else you do, do NOT use compressed air to dry the filter (you can distort or ruin the filter media), do NOT use a shop heat gun (or your wife's old pink hair dryer, which you've covered with duct tape and stenciled with the words "SHOP HEAT GUN"), and do NOT put it in the CLOTHES dryer (yes, I have a friend who did this; the divorce is almost final)...
After the filter has dried for a few days, I oil it, which is another task I prefer to take my time with... Spray-on oil is MUCH easier to work with than those pesky little bubble-paks; you simply spray the OUTSIDE of the filter with oil (do NOT try to SATURATE the filter; apply a LIGHT coat of oil, then put the filter where the oil will drain any of the excess oil you might have applied into the drier fabric areas. Doing this will prevent you from wasting your filter oil... IOW, once you've applied some oil to the filter (again, don't overdo it; a little goes a long way), place the filter on a piece of clean cardboard (all real mechanics stockpile clean cardboard, right?), and put the oily part of the filter UP, so the excess oil will drain DOWN with the help of gravity, distributing the oil to the drier areas of the fabric. Doing this helps to even out the amount of oil on the filter; otherwise, you'll have some areas saturated with oil, and some areas will still be relatively dry... do NOT oil the INSIDE areas of the filter, unless you have SPECIFIC instructions from the manufacturer to do so...
BTW, there is a DIFFERENCE between FABRIC filter oil, and FOAM filter oil; do NOT confuse the two... FOAM filter oil is used on the foam rubber / synthetic / man-made sorta-plastic stuff air filters (Uni-Filter, for example), while FABRIC filter oil is used on the cotton gauze (K&N type, among others) air filters... make SURE you buy the right filter oil for your type of filter... if you aren't sure what you need, take your filter to a local MC shop, or the closest dealership, and get some advice. It won't hurt you to spend a few bucks to help keep the doors open; people always want the lowest prices they can find, but there are times when you NEED OEM parts, or good advice, and the dealership can be the best place to turn to... For the most part, FOAM filters LOOK like they're made of foam rubber, so it is easy to tell the difference between a foam filter and a gauze filter, once you've seen a few...
Just for the record, I've ALSO had good luck with foam filters in various applications; Uni-Filter makes a damn good foam filter product, though K&N cotton filters are probably the standard for the gauze type...
Well, I hope this information helps you; if you have any questions, we'll try to answer them, otherwise, good luck with this. I switched over from paper filters to gauze and foam filters a LONG time ago, and I doubt I'll EVER use a paper air filter again...
