castro

Hi everyone, I have been running a K&N air filter in my 92 z28 for a few years. Today I was doing research on oil filters and I came across a post that mentioned how these air filters actually allow oil to escape and can damage MAF's etc on cars. Seeing as the filters are oil coated this is plausible. So has anyone else heard of this?

BC GTA

Yes if you over oil the K&N filter. A few months ago my mechanic replaced my MAF sensor and told me of this problem. The instructions which came with my K&N filter indicated cleaning and reoiling the filter at 50,000 miles I believe. When I do clean the and reoil the filter I will apply the oil sparingly.

castro

Wow very interesting! I haven't oiled mine yet as I have not run 50k yet but its somewhat troubling if this also applies to the way they come from factory.

BC GTA, did you oil yours or did the problem arise from the factory oiled one?

castro

Found this...

http://www.knfilters.com/MAF/massair.htm

"We are aware of the “urban myth” (K&N News Story) created by a few dealerships that a vehicle's MAF sensor can be contaminated by K&N filter oil. No evidence has ever been provided to support this “myth” and three years of diagnostic testing by K&N has shown that not only is this allegation not real, it is not even possible. In our opinion, it is an excuse for a dealership and/or the vehicle manufacturer to avoid a legitimate warranty repair. In the last 4 years, we have sold over 10,000,000 lifetime air filters and received only a few hundred calls from consumers who are having dealership or service provider challenges. We believe that Dealership's or service provider's real incentive may be to discourage the use of reusable products so they can sell disposable products over and over. In order to provide consumers with added comfort that they will not be placed in a bad position by an improper warranty denial, we offer our Consumer Protection Pledge. "

BC GTA

I can not say if the way the filter came from the factory causes this problem. I beleive my mechanic was referring to some people over oiling their filters. My MAF sensor was not replaced due to over oiling the filter. I have not had my K&N filter for 50,000 miles yet so it has not been cleaned or reoiled yet. I was surprised by the amount of miles these filters can go without cleaning and reoiling but that is what the instructions said, so who am I to dispute what K&N provided with their instructions. Furthermore, I live in a city with very clean air.