Change it out or keep it in?

[jj51702]

Hey all,
2007 4Runner v6 114k
Air filter is a Fram from Walmart and has 16k on it
Should I Change it out? Toyota recommends 30k yet it already looks quite dirty. This is a bit puzzling because i live in a city near the coast. Let me know what you think. Thanks

 

[Donald]

Its cheap enough, I would change it.

 

[dgn]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Its cheap enough, I would change it.


+1

 

[Sayjac]

Looks can be deceiving with an AF. They become more efficient with use, I'd leave it for the 30K miles.

If you're interested here's a link to member who used a filter minder restriction gauge to determine his AF change. Why I say leave it. Might want to pay particular attention to Jim Allen's comments.

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ub...K..warning,_GRA

 

[2010Civic]

That doesn't look that bad. I would leave it in for a while longer. Maybe replace it at 20 or 25k?

 

[mclasser]

If light still shines through, it's good.

 

[bubbatime]

Leave it in. Turn it upside down and tap it on the ground to get out the big chunks.

 

[nwjones18]

I rarely take out an air filter without putting a new one in myself. I'd change it.

 

[CT8]

Put a new one in.

 

[OneEyeJack]

Survey sez, either change it or don't change it.

Seriously, if in doubt change it. They are cheap enough and are very under rated in the scheme of maintenance. Also, as suggested, check it frequently and shake it out when you do. Oh, and keep the inside of the housing clean.

 

[maverickfhs]

Originally Posted By: mclasser
If light still shines through, it's good.


+1, also use some air to clean it. Seems fine to me, not terribly bad or anything.

 

[jj51702]

Thanks for all the input. Seems like I have both camps gridlocked on what to do. I did lightly hit it on the ground to get the debris out when I checked it. Any other thoughts?

 

[Kira]

I don't think it's a gridlock per se.
1) We saw a beautiful picture of a used filter approximately half way through its service life.
1a) Just like cut open oil filters, there's no way to know anything without some kind of empirical testing.

2) One camp advises reinstallation to get "the 30" out of it.

3) Another camp says to replace as you've already removed the used one.

4) The silent minority (me) says to replace with quality new and refrain from touching it for the service life (30K) in order to spare the cheap plastic parts of the air cleaner's box and gasket wear and breakage.

 

[mjoekingz28]

Wait for the crowd that says to run it for a hundred thou.

Don't tap on the ground. You could damage the seal, element or just introduce dirt or concrete debris into the media.


You are a funny guy OneEyeJack!


Survey sez, heh heh

 

[CR94]

Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Wait for the crowd that says to run it for a hundred thou.

Don't tap on the ground. ...
...and don't attempt to clean it by hitting it with compressed air. That's highly counterproductive, as has been documented in other threads.

There's nothing necessarily wrong with "running it for a hundred thou," unless you frequent dusty areas often enough to clog the filter significantly. I've run filters farther than that without problems. However, the media split on a nearly new filter my brother got from a VW dealer, allowing dirty air to bypass freely.

 

[rrounds]

Without a restriction gauge your just guessing if you should change it out or keep it.
Here is my post on my S2000 that I put 90k miles on the filter and I still didn't have enough restriction to change it out because of it being to dirty.
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthr...ilt#Post4224252

ROD

 

[mjoekingz28]

Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Wait for the crowd that says to run it for a hundred thou.





First time quoting myself, I think.


But I told you they were coming

 

[jj51702]

Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Wait for the crowd that says to run it for a hundred thou.





First time quoting myself, I think.


But I told you they were coming


Lol thought you were joking

That s2k filter looks awesome for 90k.

Thanks for everyone's input. I just put it back in and will run it for another 5-6k.

 

[rrounds]

That S2k filter has been all over the 13 western states, from the highest to the lowest roads in N. America and a lot in between.
You should get a restriction gauge so you know when to change the filter out. Every ORT I drove in the last 35 years had one, if its good enough for my $100k+ truck its more than good enough for my under $30k cars. The only reason I changed it out was because it was 6 years old and that is about as long as I'll keep a filter on a car. Some have a 4 or 5 year time limit but I have not found any of my filters to have failed in my six year service limit.

ROD

 

[maverickfhs]

Originally Posted By: rrounds
That S2k filter has been all over the 13 western states, from the highest to the lowest roads in N. America and a lot in between.
You should get a restriction gauge so you know when to change the filter out. Every ORT I drove in the last 35 years had one, if its good enough for my $100k+ truck its more than good enough for my under $30k cars. The only reason I changed it out was because it was 6 years old and that is about as long as I'll keep a filter on a car. Some have a 4 or 5 year time limit but I have not found any of my filters to have failed in my six year service limit.

ROD


Curious, how much does it cost to buy a restriction gauge? Thank you.