I just got an AMSOIL air filter and had thought that there would be a foam strip on the top/bottom of the mounting edges of the filter to help get that air-tight seal to keep any dirt out of the engine.
Am I mistaken? Otherwise it seems that the filter may not seal that well at all, but that is hard to verify once the filter is in the airbox.
This is a filter for my 2003 Subaru WRX. I'll see if I can snap some pictures of it later...
No foam around edge of AMSOIL Air Filter?
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HOPEFULLY you hvent used that POS filter.
Run to the nearest Post Office and get that thing in route back to WI where it came from.
My self and 3 others got roped into that Amsoil trap last year and after ** 8 months ** we finally got our money refunded. I have all their run around eMails at home on another computer as well as long distance phone charges that I paid for trying to get them off their assets and put a credit back on my CC....yep ONLY TOOK 8 Months !!It will be a cold day in Texas July before I ever spend a dime with the likes of that bunch. What a shame to have to threaten to spend $1800 to sue for a $60 credit .......:shakinghead:
Anyway ....the filters are junk and will collapse with-in 200 miles just like 4 I have personal working experience with.
SS/LS
quote:
Originally posted by Dave: I just got an AMSOIL air filter and had thought that there would be a foam strip on the top/bottom of the mounting edges of the filter to help get that air-tight seal to keep any dirt out of the engine. Am I mistaken? Otherwise it seems that the filter may not seal that well at all, but that is hard to verify once the filter is in the airbox. This is a filter for my 2003 Subaru WRX. I'll see if I can snap some pictures of it later...
Dave - please post what part # it is. Is it a TS74?
I can't picture that filter is my head - but all the filters have foam edges so I'm not exactly following you.
I'm not sure how you ordered it, but if it was through a dealer, what is he saying? I'll try to help you if I can - if it isn't right Amsoil will take it back. I have never encountered any issues that some others have posted about our custmer service. If you don't want it you can get your money back.
Lonestar wrote:
quote:Please tell me the car, the part #, the conditions. I have NEVER had or seen an Amsoil airfilter do this. [ November 16, 2002, 11:06 PM: Message edited by: Pablo ]
the filters are junk and will collapse with-in 200 miles
There is no gasket like on paper filters if that is what you were expecting. If you have the correct size, the sides of the filter should compress at the edges of the airbox giving a very good seal. Don't have one in front of me but the softer foam (grey) should be larger than the more coarse (black) foam in the middle. That extra inch and a half of softer foam material should compress to form the seal.
I've been running Amsoil air filters on both of my cars for almost six months. Pretty happy with them. Oil analysis on both cars showed near zero silicon....actually, one did read zero. I'm thinking about taking vacuum readings to try to measure pressure drop over the Amsoil and paper filters. I'll let ya'll know if I get around to it.
[ November 16, 2002, 11:40 PM: Message edited by: mormit ]
quote:well sorrie to hear that....good thing u were watching ur filter...if i may ask, what kind of filter are u using right now? im looking into another filter..maybe holley but not k & n
Originally posted by SSLoneStar: HOPEFULLY you hvent used that POS filter. Run to the nearest Post Office and get that thing in route back to WI where it came from. My self and 3 others got roped into that Amsoil trap last year and after ** 8 months ** we finally got our money refunded. I have all their run around eMails at home on another computer as well as long distance phone charges that I paid for trying to get them off their assets and put a credit back on my CC....yep ONLY TOOK 8 Months !!It will be a cold day in Texas July before I ever spend a dime with the likes of that bunch. What a shame to have to threaten to spend $1800 to sue for a $60 credit .......:shakinghead: Anyway ....the filters are junk and will collapse with-in 200 miles just like 4 I have personal working experience with. SS/LSquote:
Originally posted by Dave: I just got an AMSOIL air filter and had thought that there would be a foam strip on the top/bottom of the mounting edges of the filter to help get that air-tight seal to keep any dirt out of the engine. Am I mistaken? Otherwise it seems that the filter may not seal that well at all, but that is hard to verify once the filter is in the airbox. This is a filter for my 2003 Subaru WRX. I'll see if I can snap some pictures of it later...
I ordered 4 of the TS123 air filters for my Tahoe, Silverado, & two for my brother-in-law.
When we installed these filters with the foam seals they would push down to the bottom of the air box. When this happens the joint where the top of the air box mates to the bottom where the seal around the factory filter goes is left with no seal at all. Dirt can get sucked in there an goes straight to the engine. The Amsoil catalog shows that the TS123 has a lip seal, when in fact it has the wide foam seal.
When I tried to return these filters they would not give me my money back, stating that the commission credits had already been paid and there was nothing they could do. My Amsoil sponsor did everything possible to get them to give my money back to no avail. He called just about everybody at Amsoil that he knew and basisally got no help.
Finally, after 2 or 3 months of haggling with these people I got them to trade out the price of the filters which I had returned to them earlier for engine oil. Even after all this I wound up paying shipping & tax on the filters I originally bought plus the shipping and tax on the oil that they traded me. So in short I got ripped off. I'll never by another Amsoil air filter. Especially since what I've been reading on this forum about them falling apart.
westex39,
It sounds like you pushed the TS123 filter in past the mesh screen that should divide the two halves of the air box. I have been running this filter since 1999 on my 5.3L and have moved it to my 2001 6.6L Duramax Diesel. All of my oil analysises and friends who run this filter have always had low silicon numbers. I know that the instructions that come with the filters are not the best.
Westex39,
My experience with the foam air filter was the falling apart and crumbling (ingesting into the engine). After a call to Amsoil, I sent it to Superior. As a person of integrity, it did not sit well with me when their "technical department" accused me of improper cleaning. I carefully followed their instructions to a T! Judging from your experience and others on this board, this is not a customer focused company; its driven to build the pyramid and extract maximum profits.
quote:Based on this input I see how you could come to this conclusion. I keep reading how no one could get a refund, no one could send the product back. What's with this? I've had customers do it with no difficulty - doesn't happen often - but I have had customers just plain order the wrong product - sent back, money credited.
this is not a customer focused company.
quote:I call BS on this one - Mobil, Shell, Valvoline, et al, are only in business for human good and Godliness. Come on, it's a business. Amsoil hasn't raised prices in 2+ years....but still they need to be profitable. The products are worth the money, despite these Air Filter gripes....I have been chatting with several HONEST dealers since I have read these complaints and NONE of us have even seen a crumbly Amsoil Air filter. If you want to gripe , let's talk about AJ's margin vs. dealer margins, that's a rip!! [ November 17, 2002, 06:05 PM: Message edited by: Pablo ]
its driven to build the pyramid and extract maximum profits
Not to bash a site sponser or anything but Amsoil leaves much to be desired in regards to finacial support from any hard working person`s wallet.
The filters are junk and they fall well short of anything deemed Performance.Make them Refund your money by reporting them to the State Att. General and BBB.
SS/LS
I ain't doubting what everyone's saying, but I've used AMSOIL Air Filters on Camry's, Avalons, 350 Chevys, and Lexus' and I have never had a problem with them. Are you sure they are being installed correctly? I just put one in a friend's ES300 today and I'll admit, it is a tight fit (especially if you try and put it ![[Frown]](images/icons/frown.gif)
in upside down) and you have to be very particular to make sure it all gets put in place correctly...IF I think about it, that "particularness" is why I'm so fond of AMSOIL. ![[Big Grin]](images/icons/grin.gif)
in upside down) and you have to be very particular to make sure it all gets put in place correctly...IF I think about it, that "particularness" is why I'm so fond of AMSOIL. OK, I took some pics. Yes, it's the TS74 air filter. I picked it up from [email protected]
Here's a link to the pics, let me know if the filter is normal or not. The AMSOIL filter definately fits looser than the stock filter.
AMSOIL TS74 vs stock
Warning, the pictures are large (about 500k each).
Dave,
The way the Amsoil air filters are designed, the lip of the filter should pinch between the upper and lower portions of the airbox to form the seal. The wire mesh provides structural support out to the edge of the filter, to keep it from buckling under suction. This filter looks to be the same dimensions as the OEM paper filter, so I don't see why there is an issue. The seal on the OEM filter actually fits into the space between the upper and lower air boxes, so it is going to be a tighter fit with the airbox open then the Amsoil filter.
I have a hard time understanding the issue a few folks are having with these filters falling apart prematurely, unless they got a bad batch of polyurethane foam. The Amsoil filter on my 1990 Audi 100 lasted for 10 years/140k miles and as many cleanings before the foam got brittle. Considering I paid $25.00 for it, I was satisified with that ....
Try cleaning them in 8 oz of simple green mixed with 2 gallons of very warm water, then rinse in warm water, gently squeeze out most of the water and blot dry with paper towels. I like to service these in warm weather and let them air dry while I do the rest of the oil change service
Avoid solvent cleaning of any kind ....
TooSlick
As good as the photos are, it is still difficult to see what the difference/problem is.
I see a lip. I do see a slight dimensional difference. Is this the issue?
What is Greg saying?
quote:I have had my dual foam since 1996 with no problems. I clean it once a year and I use a D-limonene product diluted with water. It is not harmful to the foam like most cleaners. A good product for this is the Citrol II from Schaeffer's and when totally air dried I use the Amsoil Foam filter oil. The Schaeffer's Citrol II contains almost 98% D-limonene with no harsh chemicals or solvents. The Amsoil Foam filter oil has the proper ratio of tackiness. Oil migitation to the sensors is more prevalent using the KN oil if over oiled. On the foam after I oil it I can squash it in a small ball and extract excess oil and get a very even distribution of the oil in the foam.
Originally posted by Gebo:quote:I think we may have just hit on something????
Originally posted by TooSlick: Dave, Avoid solvent cleaning of any kind .... TooSlick
I have the foam filter in a 1993 Lumina 3.1L, 2001 GMC 5.3L and a 2002 Trans Am 5.7L. Each oen fits likes a glove (not an OJ glove either).
I have neve seen one fall apart. Like anything you have to maintain it properly and I'd bet thats part of the problem? Most won't admit that.
I have a TS83 air filter on my 02 Camaro Z28 and it fits very well.
I had an S-type air filter on a 00 Malibu LS and I could never get it to fit quite right. So I just use the stock air filter for this car.
EDIT: Yes....they have a TS128 air filter for the Malibu now...just ordered it.
[ November 18, 2002, 04:02 PM: Message edited by: Todd ]
Thanks for all the feedback, guys.
My main concern is that the TS74 does fit a bit looser than the stock filter, hence my worries that it may not provide a great seal. I am not worried about the foam holding up, I suspect that those who do have the foam disintegrate are using harsh solvents to clean their filter. Simple green sounds like the perfect cleaning agent, I wonder why AMSOIL doesn't make any detergent suggestions...
I will pull the airbox out of the car to get a better look at the fit to ease my mind. Another option is to add some foam weather stripping around the bottom edge of the filter to make sure there is good contact on the top edge, but will the foam weather stripping hold up to the heat in the engine compartment?
Another idea is to wipe a bit of oil around the top lip of the filter and after installing the filter, uninstall and check for an even bead of oil around it.
I'll let you know how it ends up.
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