Chrysler: Question about used air filter

K&N filters are a gauze or cloth material so they will stand up to washing.
Paper filters are just that, some have a slight wax content to trap dirt
but no matter what when you wet paper sooner or later it falls apart.

Unless you live in a dust bowl changing filters every 5000 miles isnt
needed. Do it once a year unless you are putting a lot of miles on. I find
up in the New England area that the dust from the road chemicals and sand in
the winter collects worse than dust in the drier months. I change all my
vehicles air filters each spring after the roads have cleared with the
spring rains.

--
Mike.............................................. ......
"Opportunities are spawned from crisis"
"Arashikage" <no> wrote in message
news:HNYdb.33604$e.nsc.no...
Replaced the air filter on a '78 318 2bbl recently. A $10 paper filter of
the same type as the one replaced. Time between changes about 1
year/5000miles.

I put the used filter in a bucket of water with some detergent and let it
soak for a while before flushing and drying it. My question is as follows:

The old filter now looks clean, but has it somehow "lost its filtering
powers" in the abovementioned process?

I know K&N make a big deal about their filters being washable, but as far as
I can tell, so are the cheap paper ones.

"Rufus T. Firefly" <org> wrote in message
 
washing. 

So as long as the filter isn't falling apart (it stands up against the
pressure from a vacuum-cleaner) it's OK to re-use?
 

Yeah, I know. It was done in the process of trying to get better milage.
Turned out that the fuel gauge was the problem, low-fuel warning light came
on with aprox. 30 ( of 74 ) liters in the tank.

On Mon, 29 Sep 2003, Arashikage wrote:
 

Of course not. Air filters load-up with dirt long before they physically
begin to break down ("fall apart").

The rule with a proper OEM-type "paper" air filter is if you can easily
see sunlight or the light from an incandescent household bulb through the
filter when you hold it up to the light, it's OK. If not, replace it.

DS

"Daniel J. Stern" <umich> wrote in message
 

Yes, but this used filter had been washed, and most of the dirt (apparantly)
went with the water.
You can see sunlight through it.

Arashikage wrote:
 

Sunlight? Maybe the answer to the OP's question is, can you
see sunlight through a New Filter? - RM

On Tue, 30 Sep 2003, Arashikage wrote:
 

Throw it away. "Paper" air filters cannot successfully be washed. When
they get wet, the "paper's" structure changes so it's no longer an
effective or efficient filter. This is not just writing paper we're
talking about here!

DS

<< Yeah, I know. It was done in the process of trying to get better milage.
Turned out that the fuel gauge was the problem, low-fuel warning light came on
with aprox. 30 ( of 74 ) liters in the tank. >>
____Reply Separator_____
Huh? What does the low-fuel light coming on have to do with gas mileage? Fill
up the tank, divide the gallons to fill up into the miles put on the vehicle
since the last fill up.
It doesn't matter if lights come on, bells ring, whistles blow.
They have no effect on miles per gallon.

"TOM KAN PA" <comic> wrote in message
 
Fill 
vehicle 

Yeah, I know. I *thought* I had poor milage beacuse of the warning light.
The air filter seemed rather dirty so I just replaced it without checking
the actual milage like you describe.
I could buy around 10 air filters for what a tank of gas costs here in
Norway.
I ended up with 0,137 liters per km on mixed highway and city driving, which
I found acceptable for a '78 lebaron.