Air Filter Maintenance

When most OE engine air filters get dirty, your only option is replacement, and the next stop for that dirty filter is the landfill. And if you buy another ordinary paper replacement filter, you’ll just be doing it again in about 15,000 miles. When you consider that many people hold on to their vehicles for 100,000 miles or more, that’s many expensive new air filters and a lot of old air filters clogging the landfill. You can put an end to this cycle, save money, and help preserve the environment with a performance air filter.

The gains in power and fuel mileage you’ll realize by letting your engine breathe better with a performance air filter are well-documented elsewhere on our site. Here we want to expand on the other great attribute of a performance air filter – the fact that they can be cleaned and reused again and again. A performance filter may be a greater initial expense, but when you eliminate replacement costs and need for disposal it’s a bargain in the long run and allows you to leave a smaller footprint on the environment.

No matter which brand of performance air filter you choose, you’ll find that it can be used for many thousands of miles before cleaning is even necessary, far longer than the useful life of the average OE paper air filter. But eventually the filter will require servicing and we have everything you need to do it. We offer dry, non-oiled filters and oiled filters. Dry filters are generally made from synthetic materials while oiled filters are usually made of cotton gauze or woven cotton. Both types can usually be cleaned (always refer to the filter maker’s instructions) with the cleaning products you see here, but cotton filters must also be oiled to create the stickiness that enables the cotton’s microscopic fibers to trap dirt.

We offer cleaners and degreasers from the top brands, including many proprietary formulas designed by the filter manufacturers specifically for their filters. These come in aerosol and spray bottles as well as refill containers. Always use the type of cleaning solution specified for your air filter. The cleaner lifts dirt from the surface so it can be rinsed away, and on oiled filters removes the old filter oil. Although you should always refer to the filter manufacturer’s cleaning instructions, in general the filter should be tapped gently to remove loose dirt and debris, then sprayed with cleaner, which should be allowed to soak in for about 10 minutes. Finally, rinse the filter from the clean side out to flush out the dirt.

Once cleaned, dry synthetic element filters should be left to dry thoroughly before reinstallation, but oiled cotton element filters must be re-oiled to enable optimal dirt-trapping capabilities before being put back into service. We have a complete selection of filter oils, including proprietary filter brand formulations in aerosol, spray bottles, squeeze bottles, and refills, as well as complete recharge or restore kits that include both cleaner and oil. Once the filter is dry, apply oil along the crown of each pleat, and then allow the oil to absorb into the filter element. Wait 20 minutes and then apply oil to any light areas where oil was not absorbed. When the filter is properly oiled it should be a uniform color.