Oil for foam air filters

[Whimsey]

I was just thinking, I know it's dangerous

, would chain & bar oil be better than motor oil when oiling OPE foam air filters? My thinking is that it is more tacky than motor oil and might hold onto dirt better than motor oil in the foam.

Whimsey

 

[abycat]

I think your theory is correct. I've heard of 2 stroke oil being used as well.

 

[OneEyeJack]

I use Red Line 2-stroke racing oil for the foam pre-filter on my Honda mower.

 

[Tdbo]

I use whatever I have laying around.
Serves the intended purpose.

 

[Whimsey]

Originally Posted By: Tdbo
I use whatever I have laying around.
Serves the intended purpose.


I have lots of bar & chain oil laying around as well as motor oil

. So of the two I have which is better suited for trapping dirt?

Whimsey

 

[Tdbo]

Originally Posted By: Whimsey
Originally Posted By: Tdbo
I use whatever I have laying around.
Serves the intended purpose.


I have lots of bar & chain oil laying around as well as motor oil

. So of the two I have which is better suited for trapping dirt?

Whimsey


Well then, use the bar and chain oil.
I have 30 W and 10W30 laying around, thus I use that.
My LawnBoy, Weedeater, and blower couldn't care less.
However, the manual (Form #3325-494, Rev A) for my LawnBoy (Model#10552) specifies 30W oil for this purpose, as indicated on p.16 in Figure 29.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

I use Bel Ray Foam Filter Oil. It is the most tacky stuff out there, one bottle will last you TWO lifetimes. Highly recommended. That said I'd opt for heavy chain oil (it often comes in two weights, summer and winter) as the chain oil should be tackier than engine lube.

 

[WankelRotorHead]

I use heavy bar oil (15w-50), seems to work just fine.

 

[JHZR2]

I'd be worried about that, given that the tackiness of the bar and chain oil may not properly wet the filter pores. I don't think sticking on particles is a big concern, and I've never seen signs of dirt ingestion. I'd be concerned if the b&c didn't absorb well into the filter media though.

 

[Revving2Redline]

I ran the amsoil foam cleaner/tack spray on my monsterflow/cattman foam filters. This is one product amsoil made that worked great during my youth as a import car guy. Hit up Pablo he might be able to order some for you. It is the real deal and does help with filtering too.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

I don't oil foam filters anymore. I add 2 layers of kitchen type paper towel to the filter, change the paper every year, the filters last forever. I have an ancient push mower with the little metal can with a foam filter stuffed in it. Before paper towels, the foam would be caked with dirt at the end of the season, now, with 2 layers of towel in the can under the foam element, I just replace the towels and a gentle wash of the foam with a little dish soap and that's it. My rider with 15hp B&S has an large oval paper element filter. It would be plugged at the end of the season. When I changed the oil, it would be orange, the color of the local dirt. now, I wrap the filter with 2 layers of paper towel and the filter lasts 3-4 seasons. The oil comes out dark amber and clear. It looks so good, it could go another season. The push mower gets ~ 10 hours a year, mostly cleanup. The rider ~80 hours/yr. I run M-1 TDT 5w-40 and the engine burns NO oil. This is a 1997 model and I stopped recording hours some years ago at about 1200 hours.

 

[iluvhonda]

k&n filter oil

 

[jhellwig]

Originally Posted By: iluvhonda
k&n filter oil


No. That stuff doesn't work very well on foam filters. To gummy to soak in real good.

Use whatever oil you put in the engine. It doesn't need anything special.

 

[AnthemBassMan]

I just use either motor oil or transmission fluid. Whichever bottle I happen to have nearby. But regularly washing the filter and re-oiling when dry is key.

L8R,
Matt

 

[Merkava_4]

I use 10w30 to oil my foam filters. Seems to work very well since the oil in the crankcase stays clean practically forever.