K&N Filter performance

warp2diesel · **Posted:** Sat Oct 31, 2009 11:28 am

From: http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=17362

This was after 80 000 kms of a K&N which was regularly cleaned and reoiled using their kit.

This Guy's post and photo speaks for its' self.

I use ProGuard 7 on both my CRD and my wife's TDI.

No engine is immune from dirt in the engine, keep it out and it will last longer.
To quote Hugh Mcguinness Author of several turbocharger books, "The only engines that do not need air filters are Airplanes that never land and Ships that never come to port"

gsbrockman · **Posted:** Sat Oct 31, 2009 11:58 am

warp2diesel wrote:

I use ProGuard 7 on both my CRD and my wife's TDI.

X2 on the AFE w/ProGuard7.

It meets Cummins' specs so it's good enough for the ol' RAM 3500 MegaCab. The CRD is still running aftermarket paper filters.

Greg

CRDMiller · **Posted:** Sat Oct 31, 2009 4:47 pm

I can second the elevated wear on the crd with a k and n, i used a drop in and experienced elevated Aluminum and Iron (several times more than normal) and that was only for 6k miles out of 9 on the oci.

The dirt in my intake wore the piston skirts and liners at the thrust faces, producing aluminum. and iron.

I will never again use a k and n. It did sound better with it though.

I used it because i had it handy and my brand new wix was covered in mud. After i got the uoa i bought a amsoil, and it looks like wix but blue (meh) and it's supposedly easy as heck to clean off, so we'll see.

I'll probably go back to napa gold/wix.

mikey1273 · **Posted:** Mon Nov 02, 2009 1:23 am

I used K&n in several cars I had. I traded in my Outback with a drop in K&N still installed. It did make a slight improvement in power, fuel usage and it sounded good but I never knew that It would wear out the engine faster.

I did not put one in the CRD, This time I am trying the Amsoil filter. sp far I like it I will see how it cleans at the next oil change.

CRDMiller · **Posted:** Mon Nov 02, 2009 8:41 pm

I dont think k and n is horrible, heck i had a cai on my 95 4runner and with flow masters it sounded great!

However, they do let in more dirt. There is no argument there.

Will it destroy your engine? no, i'm sure you can go 200k+ miles on an engine that would normally do so, if you drive normally. Again, i had a cai with a k&n filter on my 4runner for years, it had 244k when i sold it, ~200k of that was with the cai and when i sold it it, it ran great.

But with a diesel, it flows so much air, all of the time, that using a filter that filters less crap, is exacerbated. It's a significantly bigger issue with a turbo.

You don't need it, and it, does not help you, so why use it, that logic alone is good enough reason to not use one. It would be nice if we had a bigger air filter, though.

Really, since we have wet liners, it's not a huge deal to rebuild, but it is not cheap.

Based on my personal experience I would not use a k and n, on anything I really cared about.

I had a bad uoa, wear wise, but the oil was in great condition, the only thing i changed was my filter, and it was a k and n.

Diggerfreek · **Posted:** Mon Nov 02, 2009 8:48 pm

I would like to know what that guy's turbo look liked. That engine should have Sh*ted out 2 turbos or more before that type of wear would have happened....

liquidxit2 · **Posted:** Thu Nov 05, 2009 1:06 pm

See Im going to have to disagree a little here. I dont have ground shattering proof or mathmatical equations or anything. But I do have real world experience with several turbos and internals running on K and N filters. My Eagle talon and previous DSMs all have run K and N filters and after running for many many miles I notice zero damage done to impellers, housings or any overall damage like endplay or side to side play. 7 years on a K and N with hard use and no failed or damaged engines or turbos.

warp2diesel · **Posted:** Thu Nov 05, 2009 1:35 pm

....I won't use the filter any more. I saw the pin holes of light coming through the K&N filters I used to use.
That is why I quit using K&N.

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Thu Nov 05, 2009 4:03 pm

start with this

http://duramax-diesel.com/spicer/index.htm

and then if you have questions
do an oil analysis test after running K&N filter vs an oil change where you used a good paper filter

the wear isn't always as obvious - sometimes it takes a while to show up

mikey1273 · **Posted:** Thu Nov 05, 2009 4:32 pm

I see the amsoil filter did not fair well either but its not the same and the EA series filter I have is it? I think they used to sell something that was more like an oiled foam like uesd in lawn mowers and such.

DarbyWalters · **Posted:** Thu Nov 05, 2009 4:41 pm

Just a note that the graph above...there is only a 3.13% diff from the best to the worst. That being said...less contamination...better wear...and as noted by previous post, our diesels run a bunch more air ALL THE TIME...

As for a bigger air filter setup...the Dakota Trucks that ran the 3.7L had a larger stock airbox and about 5hp increase...just have to fit a bigger stock type box...

The newer Amsoil Ea Filter increases flow by increasing filtering area. There are many more pleats that a stock paper filter and each pleat is deeper...

Diggerfreek · **Posted:** Thu Nov 05, 2009 7:26 pm

Now I'm not saying that the K&N's let in more dirt, HOWEVER, again, you are going to blow a turbo up before you get any type of wear like that. It looks like excessive piston slap due to any number of things such as a defective vibration damper, If the engine has a counter weight set up like a deer motor, the weights could be out of phase due to some one not timing them correctly when a timing belt was done, OR I would be it was chipped which was causing an over fueling issue. If you look at the tops of the pistons, you can see that they are eaten away. Now if it is fueling, it is going to cause excessive pressures and temps. Looks like the "marks" in the liners are due to the piston cooling jet not being able to keep the piston cool which cause the piston to expand and deform causing cracks on the face and cause excessive wear on the lines....

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Thu Nov 05, 2009 8:09 pm

Well - I'll say the K&N lets in more dirt - I just pasted one graph - there's an entire report and
that's the ISO/SAE test they use to measure air filters.

however - it wouldn't surprise me if it had a chip and that was the root of the problem - but the K&N wasn't helping anything.

K&N Filter performance

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