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K&N Air intake HELP!

GauchoMD

GauchoMD

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Santa Barbara, CA (sometimes NY)
So, I installed a new Flowmaster exhaust, Rusty's 1 inch throttle body spacer, and a large K&N air filter/air tube on my 1996 XJ two days ago and ever since then my car does seem to have more power, but when I accelerate at full-throttle my car will kind of hesitate, but not right away, it does so almost like you are changing gears on a manual transmission and it took you a second too long to let out the clutch. Does that make any sense? Anyway, it is a 4.0L with automatic trans, and it has never done that before. I dont know if it is because of the throttle body spacer or the air intake, but I am scared my transmission may be going...does anyone have any ideas? Oh, also, my air intake makes this quiet and subtle yet annoying whistling sound when I accelerate. Is that normal? Yeah, I know, stupid problems to have. I would appreciate any help, input, and ideas...thanks!

Jason
 
So ya know, The K&N is one of the worst Filtering filters available. It lets in plenty of air but at the expense of filtering ability. Sure you can let it load up with crap and then it will start to filter but by then you have run a bunch of dirt through your engine. A better filter that might be available to fit the K&N tube is the AEM dry media filter or the Amsoil Ea series filters available in cone styles. The air whistling sound is normal with most aftermarket air tubes, at least ones I have been around or used. Not sure on your hesitation issue, but good luck.
 
K&N filters really do suck, he's right. :)

My jeep hesitated when I put a throttle body spacer on. I took it off and threw it in the trash. ;)
 
the whistle is likely from your TB spacer. maybe remove the battery cable and let the computer reset to adjust to the new amount of air flow and TB Spacer...Since the K&N does allow for more air flow, the computer is probably freaking out that its getting much more than its used to. So just reset it, massage the valve cover, talk to it, and try it again
 
Leave it stock ;)
 
I would like for someone to elaborate on the fact that K&N filters allow dirt to pass through into an engine. I would like to hear facts and something concrete supporting these statements other then...well they suck because thats what I have heard or read on the internet blah blah blah... Not sure if everyone is aware that K&N filters are the most successfully and most widely used filter that there is to offer.
 
Yea, there are lots of ppl who have mentioned that they see dirt particles in their intake and TB while using a K&N. There are lots of other threads on why K&N sucks. Post discussions there. Lets keep this thread about Jasons issue.
 
I know, lets move it to mod tech where it belongs.:banghead:
 
sjd78 said:
I would like for someone to elaborate on the fact that K&N filters allow dirt to pass through into an engine. I would like to hear facts and something concrete supporting these statements other then...well they suck because thats what I have heard or read on the internet blah blah blah... Not sure if everyone is aware that K&N filters are the most successfully and most widely used filter that there is to offer.
Click to expand...


Do You have any concrete information to support Your claims? I can only tell you that what I stated is my personal experience And "what I have heard or read on the internet". I Was once a defender of K&N until I moved to the desert and witnessed the dirt that would end up passing through the K&N filters on my vehicles and end up coating the inside of my intake tubes. That was years ago and prior to the articles you can find on the internet. YOu can search the internet (don't know what other resource to tell you to use for this) and find articles from tests that were run and found out that K&N doesn't filter very well but Does flow well. Running off road in the deserts or mountain trails here in Cali you are always in a cloud of dust unless you are the leader. You can use whatever you want and probably get away with it for quite some time but I know what I know and I Won't pay money for a filter that barely does what it is mainly supposed to do and that is FILTER the dirt from the air.
Sorry for the continuing hijack.
 
I use K&N filters on almost all of my off-road toys. I like the ability to maintain them rather than use and despose.
A key to using any of the gauze element filters is oil. Most people don't keep them oiled enough. K&N doesn't help the matter by suggesting that the filter doesn't need much maintenance. On a street driven only vehicle they claim you only need to clean it every 50,000 miles. Right!
In my F-250 I use a K&N in the stock airbox and in the stock form (flat.) I clean it every year of so.
On my dune buggies I clean them after every trip and I also run outterwears. These are an open mesh fabrick that helps keep sand off of the oiled surface. I would recommend running an outerwear on your conical air filters too.
When I replace my stock type filter on my Cherokee I will replace it with a stock type K&N.
Rick

BTW What was this thread about anyway? ;)
 
Tests show that paper element filters, like the stock ones, filter better than the aftermarket cone filters, like the K&N and others. No point just mentioning K&N, that style filter from any manufacturer does basically the same thing. Tests don't show that those filters are bad, just that they don't filter quite as well as a paper element filter.

I run a K&N on my Jeep, but I won't run one on my truck, it has a very large aftermarket paper element filter. My Jeep doesn't see that many miles, but I want my Power Stroke to last for a very long time.

And I agree with the comment about letting your computer have time to recalibrate to the new mods, and see what happens. I don't have any experience with throttle body spacers.
 
Thanks everyone who has tried to help...what happened to my post though?? It says "moved" :( Um, yeah, so I read in this month's issue of Jeep Magazine (there is an article about "bolt-on power") and their take on the throttle-body spacer is "...while their theory is sound, so is the whistle they can create..." So I guess the whistle I am hearing may be from the spacer. Hmmm, thinking about tossing it, or at least removing it to see what my car drives like with just the air intake and my flowmaster exhaust. We'll see...
 
GauchoMD said:
Thanks everyone who has tried to help...what happened to my post though?? It says "moved" :( Um, yeah, so I read in this month's issue of Jeep Magazine (there is an article about "bolt-on power") and their take on the throttle-body spacer is "...while their theory is sound, so is the whistle they can create..." So I guess the whistle I am hearing may be from the spacer. Hmmm, thinking about tossing it, or at least removing it to see what my car drives like with just the air intake and my flowmaster exhaust. We'll see...
Click to expand...

The Nov 06 JP mag did a comparison on aftermarket air filters and the K&N was the worst in terns of keeping dust out.
 
Yes, disconnect the battery for at least a couple of minutes and let the brain wipe. Expect possible rough idle and sputtery running for the first minute or so when you hook it back up and start it. Yes, KnN filters DO suck, but then, who wants a filter that dont? :D A properly oiled and common sense maintained KnN works just fine! Ive got flat ones on my ThumperXJ, and my Office F250 both. Thumper sees alot of sand and dusty dirt use, and my Office sees alot of dirt roads as well. I usually clean and reoil Thumps after every heavy offroad jaunt, and my Offices every two months. Ive yet to find any foreign material in my intake tubes. Incidentally, TB spacers do very, very little up and beyond the whistle.
 
sjd78 said:
I would like for someone to elaborate on the fact that K&N filters allow dirt to pass through into an engine. I would like to hear facts and something concrete supporting these statements other then...well they suck because thats what I have heard or read on the internet blah blah blah... Not sure if everyone is aware that K&N filters are the most successfully and most widely used filter that there is to offer.
Click to expand...

Convinced yet?
 
I will refer to "oiled gause" air filters....I saw the first ones in when...ummm 1975 or so....about that time the dirtbike companies were using thin green foam rubber "air filters" because the crappy air boxes let water in too easy. The foam filters wore out after just a few cleanings and reoilings...

Enter oiled gause.....I made a blue ton of money rebuilding cranks and boring cylinders from the crap that came thru those filters...I built custom fiberglass air boxes for MY bikes with a "snorkel" that came up under the tank and used paper filters....I could run a whole season on a crank and my cylinders lasted unless I leaned out and cooked a piston....well I did tend to tune to the ragged edge....anyways...READ THE SIG!!!!
 
cracker said:
Convinced yet?
Click to expand...

Not at all! I will never be since I have been running these for years...in the desert...in California on vehichles and ATV's. I try and run a prefilter whenever I can just to keep the larger particles out of the filter element and to keep it flowing freely. NEVER ONCE had a problem with anything passing through. I guess if you neglect a K&N style filter for long periods of time and let the dust and dirt build up and dry out/absorb the oil then you are asking for trouble but with proper mainenance they will last a long time and keep everything out as a filter should. One thing is for sure, you are going to find as many people who have had great success with them as you will find who dislike them for one reason or another...or because that is what they read on a forum!
 
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