Amsoil air filter?

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I have a new corvette and my first oil change will see Amsoil syn and Amsoil oil filter installed. The Amsoil dealer told me I should also consider putting in an Amsoil air filter as the foam will filter much better then the factory paper filter. Opinion?
 
I think the foam will work better than paper also, since foam is thicker and allows more more spots for the dirt to get caught. But because of the design of the foam, with the many twists and turns that the air path has to travel, it can still allow good airflow, but the dirt particles get trapped more easily.

I'm going to be putting a cold air induction kit on my Firebird soon, and I will definitely find either a foam cone air filter for it, or will buy one of the foam filter wraps to cover the filter with.
 
They are good filters but my only complaint with them is they are messey to clean and handle.

I have used them in the past and have one in my 2001 GMC truck since new and it made a big mess. It had been in the there for some 6+ months. I had not been using the truck much in the summer. One day I used it and was driving back in the garage when I saw some oil on the floor. When I looked under the truck I noticed the right front in and outer fender skirt area was all wet with oil. It was not apparent at first where it was coming from. I went to the GMC dealer and they told me the fitler was leaching oil. Sure enough the inside of the box was all wet and leaking out along some bolt hole and traveling all over the place for some time. There must have been several oz of oil that I had to clean up. The filter was new when it went in and I had never touched it. I think they should come up with a better design.
 
They are excellent filters. My oil analysis reports on both cars have shown near zero silicon (an indication of dirt getting past the filter).

They should not be messy or leak if oiled correctly. Both Amsoil foam and K&N filters can be messy if they are really saturated with oil. My suggestion: If the filter seems too oily, give it a good shake or squeeze it to remove excess oil. Both filters I got from Amsoil were just fine without too much oil but if they are over oiled shouldn't be hard to dry them out a bit.

[ January 05, 2003, 10:58 PM: Message edited by: mormit ]
 
quote:

Originally posted by mormit:
They are excellent filters. My oil analysis reports on both cars have shown near zero silicon (an indication of dirt getting past the filter).

They should not be messy or leak if oiled correctly. Both Amsoil foam and K&N filters can be messy if they are really saturated with oil. My suggestion: If the filter seems too oily, give it a good shake or squeeze it to remove excess oil. Both filters I got from Amsoil were just fine without too much oil but if they are over oiled shouldn't be hard to dry them out a bit.


Also another thing to do is to let it sit on a paper towl for a day after you oil it. Make sure the filter is situated as it will be in the filter housing. This will let the excess come off.
 
Let sit for a day or two? So I have to buy 2 filters?

They are messy, plain and simple. I threw all 3 of them away, the one for my 2001 GMC, 2002 Trans Am and 99 Lumina. The two the leached oil had not been touched by me, they were they way they came. I fhave used these filter since they first came out but the last few years the quality has gone down the tubes. They are way overpriced for the type of material. Inever had any problems with the round type but the panel fitlers are the ones I am using. Another thing the one for my 2001 GMC is not a good fit, no matter how hard I try to get it to fit, I have to force it in the air box, the metal screen inside the form is about 1/8"+ too big all around. The distortion is evident in that it won't sit flat. I mentioned this the the tech staff but they showed no interest in the problem, just sent me another filter exactly the same. The filter I got for my Tran Am (TS83) was only about 1" thick and cost around $36, whereas the one in the truck (TS123) is over 2" thick and cost the same, gr 6 price codes.

btw
They told me the filters submerged into the oil bath at the plant and then run thru a wringer to removed excess. Not working...

[ January 06, 2003, 12:07 PM: Message edited by: Mike ]
 
I use a standard paper filter during the cleaning/re-oiling process. They rarely stay on for a week so can be used this way forever.

David
 
quote:

Originally posted by OneQuartLow:
I use a standard paper filter during the cleaning/re-oiling process. They rarely stay on for a week so can be used this way forever.

David


I agree,

I always make sure that the filter dries for at least 2 days before oiling, then reoil let it sit over night and put it on the next day. I usually tell the folks to keep their paper filter when they buy the Amsoil one just for this purpose.

I know it's a pain in the arse, but I guess thats the price we pay!
 
Not worth the hassle. I had them on three cars, all three eventually fell apart after about 3 years due to heat or washing. Messy to deal with, oil in the air intake but most important of all, when I went back to the paper OEM elements there was no difference in my oil analysis results as to silicon.

My opnion only, not worth the hassle and no difference in performance over OEM. Peformance on the air side, ie: more flow, well that is debatable but to me the hassle and filtering ability are more important
 
i been using donaldson's air filters in both my 98 ford interceptor and my 98 ford expedition..they filter 99.9% according to the engineering spec. sheet donaldson sent me..all their filter's do that...i tossed my k&n's made maf filthy and i get more hp with these filters..i also use delvac 1 5w-40 with synergyn's additive package added to inc. additive package...this is a great site!!! i just love all the info. here from knowledgeable people...
 
I personally don't care for Amsoil's air filters. I was told that with oil based filters like AMS/K&N, certain people have found oil getting into the throttle body and setting of a computer sensor. In these cases, you would have to clean the TB out with cleaner.
 
Buster, Paper elements are always going to be simpler but the problem of oil in the TB is an installer error. They're using too much oil, or not removing excess. Don't let that keep you away from oiled filters. As with most things, doing it right is a matter of luck, experience, or training, often in that order.
smile.gif


David
 
Mikey and Spectator, I had leaching problems on the Amsoil filter I bought for my Dodge Dakota 4.7L truck straight out from the box. Plus it is a planer (flat) design with a metal cage built into it so you can't wring the darn thing out without bending the cage. Also the glue around the out side edges that hold the foam to the rubber seal is lifting also. I cleaned and reoiled it and blotted as much excess as could but it still leached anyway so I put the stock paper filter back in. mikeyoilnutt
frown.gif
 
Mikeyoilnutt, suppose I should edit my "installer error" to "installer or manufacturer".
frown.gif
Yep, a fully caged filter could present oiling problems.

The foam is actually coming off? That's bad, especially for a reusable filter.

David
 
I've heard mixed results from K&N and Amsoil filters.

I went with Accel Kool Blue air filters because they resembled K&N's (pound for pound) and were about $10 cheaper.

The Kool Blue I bought for my 5.4L SOHC V8 was the same size as the K&N for the same applications. There's no excess oil bleeding out, and any dirt in your TB could have come from the crankcase breather tube. Most engines that have excessive blowby tend to spew out engine oil and that collects on the TB. As for silicon content - I haven't heard of a single normally aspirated engine failing due to excessive parts wear.

K&N and Accel filters do not void manufacturer's warranty, and Ford even used K&N filters as OE filters on some of their SVT models (blue instead of red)
 
OneQuartLow, The foam is lifting because the glue does not run evenly around the edges of the filter. As much as it cost I thought the quality would be better. mikeyoilnutt
 
I had the very same problem with the panel filters in my Lumina and 2001 GMC. The GMC one was the worst of the lot.

The quality control in really bad for the $$ they charge. They used to be a good filter.

They could make it a really good filter if they would just improve the seal and the metal cage. I cut myself on the one in my truck, the metal in sandwiched between the foam and not formed around the edges. Trying to blot the oil oil, I used to pieces of plywood, with the filter wrapped in an old towel and put a concrete block on top of it to remover the excess oil. What a pain in the a$$, people don't want to do this. The dealers need to put pressure on them to improve these. I complained but they never responded.

From looking at the last few of these I have had, it appears they have sheets of foam and then cut it to the size needed, not even nicley formed around the edges.
 
I personally have had good luck with dual foam air cleaners. I had one in my 95 truck until last month when I went to an extremely large open Donaldson paper element. My wear numbers for silicon were low on analysis with the foam filter and I had no oil migitation. I will agree that the cleaning and re-oiling can be messy. I have found over the years that the reason that the foam starts to disintegrate is the type of cleaner used to clean them. I ONLY use a D-Limonene product. Schaeffer's sells a Citrol II which has a higher percent of D-Limonene than I use. Foam and certain cleaners do not work together, they seem to react with the foam and make it brittle. If you are using any other cleaner such as gas, carb cleaner, stoddard solvent, diesel fuel/kerosene and most dish washing soaps you will have a problem. Also the D-Limonene should be used at a diluted rate recommended for normal cleanup.

The next part is messy so wear painters latex gloves. After leaving the foam filter to dry for 24 hours, spread an oil such as Amsoil's foam filter oil (Not motor oil, gear lube or trans fluid) thoroughly through out the filter. Work it in very well, roll and unroll it several times. On the final time roll it in an old tee shirt, and the squeezing action will remove any excess oil. Then unroll the filter and blot it lightly with the old cotton tee shirt. Proper cleaning and reoiling is the key to foam filters.

Fit and finish problems I can't address because the ones I have were great. But on any Ford product that has a flat panel filter, nothing fits worth a darn including the factory paper ones, it is the cheesy air boxes with tabs that hold them shut that break. So don't expect to cure that with a foam filter or K&N for that matter. Find a good aftermarket air box and filter that will seal properly.
 
I have the Amsoil TS-83 air filter in my 02 Camaro Z28 and it works fine.

This is the same air filter for the 97-03 C5 Corvettes.
 
I have always had good analysis results from my Amsoil Two-Stage air filters on the Burbs, so I guess I'll keep them until they fall apart.
 
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