Breathin' easy, Air filter maintenance

Common foam type airfilter

Every type of engine, either combustion or otherwise, requires filtered air to maximize its longevity and performance. In this article I will go through some air filter basics and recommended practices that will in turn give your ATV a long and relatively trouble free life.

As far as ATV air filters go each filter is unique to each machine but the function is exactly the same unfortunately because of engineering constraints some are easier to service than others, but that should never be an excuse to be lax on air filter maintenance.

Air filters can be made of different materials but three are most common, paper, cotton gauze, and foam all are suitable for the job but each has certain advantages and disadvantages which are as follows. Note: this analysis is my opinion based on personal experience and fact.

Pleated paper is the most inexpensive versus the other medias mostly because they are cheap to manufacture. Pros: inexpensive, one time use, decent filtration. Cons: not moisture resistant, air flow drastically reduced when dirty, clogs easily in dusty or sandy conditions.

Cotton gauze is generally the most expensive. Pros: almost infinitely reusable, moisture resistant, uses oil as the carrier for filtration and carries the dirt away when cleaned, durable, air flow stays constant even when dirty. Cons: requires special oil for cotton gauze filters only likewise with the cleaner, messy cleanup, long filter drying time (typically overnight), easily over oiled causing air flow problems resulting in jetting and performance problems, clogs quicker than other reusable filters.

Foam is generally priced in the middle depending on brand and type. Foam is unique in the fact that their are two different styles, single stage and dual stage. Single stage is one layer of foam (cheaper) with one size of cell and dual stage is two layers (more expensive) of different sized cells. Pros: almost infinitely reusable, moisture resistant, excellent air flow even when dirty, dual stage filters offer double the surface area than paper, cotton gauze and single stage foam, virtually impossible to over oil thus reducing the risk of jetting and performance problems, easier to clean relative to cotton gauze. Cons: requires special oil and cleaners for foam filters only, messy to clean, drying times are reduced but however they still require the better part of a day to dry, can be torn easily if mishandled.

As stated above there are 3 basic types of filters with all advantages and disadvantages, but now lets discuss the frequency of cleaning. Paper of course cannot and should not be cleaned they are designed as a one time use. The other two types should be cleaned at similar intervals. Every racer I know including me cleans their filters after every ride or race. Some may have differing opinions but mine is that I want maximum performance and filtration for each and every ride, but for those that think every ride is too time consuming for their schedule I suggest every 3 rides max. Any more than that and your probably pushing the ability of the filter to properly filter the air and provide maximum airflow.

Cleaning your filter will vary slightly depending on the type you have chosen but here are some basic guidelines and remember to follow the manufactures directions for properly cleaning the filter. Both types of filters will require a cleaner designed for that type of oil and media so first make sure you have the proper cleaner and oil before you start the job. Use the cleaner liberally all over the media and let it set for a few minutes. Thoroughly rinse the filter getting all the old oil and dirt out of the media, do not use high pressure water or air as this will damage the media, especially cotton gauze filters. Let the filter completely dry (foam filters can be wrung out) naturally. When reapplying the the oil make sure you get an even coat of oil on the media, be careful with cotton gauze filters not to over oil, foam filters can be wrung out of excess oil. Now the most important step let the oil “tack” for about 20 minutes. This lets the solvents or carriers in the oil evaporate leaving the sticky oil that that does the filtration behind before use.

Installation tip: use a little water proof grease (I prefer a marine grease) around

Filter rim grease

the filters lip or the intake snorkel to prevent water of dirt from entering where the filter seals to the intake tract.

A few words about brands of filter oils and cleaners. Honestly there is very little difference in the performance of one brand to the next but it must be noted that especially with cotton gauze filter oil and cleaners you MUST use the same brand of cleaner as oil as mismatching brands here will make cleaning a pain and an in compatible cleaner will not break down the oil completely leaving some residue in the filter, thus reducing its service life. Foam filters are a little more forgiving in this area as most cleaners will break down other brands of foam filter oils but for optimum cleaning performance use the same brand of cleaner as the oil. The companies making these oils specifically design their cleaners to clean their oil and not other brands. The one brand of oil/cleaner that I can think of that HAS to be used with its own brand is No-Toil. It has been my experience that only No-Toil cleaner will only break down No-Toil oil and likewise No-Toil cleaner will not break down other brands oils. One other thing to note, DO NOT use gasoline or other solvents to clean your filter as they will deteriorate the glue and media reducing the life of the filter.

The biggest take away from this article is that air filter maintenance is the most important part of basic ATV maintenance and engine performance because it all starts with clean air.

Last 5 posts by Jon Rhodig

• Take control, adjust your controls that is - August 20th, 2010
• Product spotlight, Tie Down Strap Sack - July 20th, 2010
• Ride with the Junkman, Webster Pass - July 10th, 2010
• Ride with TheJunkMan, Slaughter House Gulch - June 22nd, 2010
• Responsibility of the trail leader - June 16th, 2010

Related Posts

• Responsibility of the trail leader
• GNCC ATV Racing: Borich Wins At Muddy Loretta's
• Bringing new riders into the sport
• Can-Am GNCC ATV Racing: Round 4 Pirelli Big Buck Breakdown
• Reality TV Takes On Quad Racing With 'ATV-24/7'