Mustangmaster

Go to this page and scroll down to chapter 11. Then check this page. The last one is K&N's letter about warranty info about dealerships saying the K&N filter voids warrantees.

I do have a K&N drop in filter in my V6 2006 Mustang and am worried about the MAF getting dirty/oily and dropping the performance of the car. What do you folks think about having the K&N filter, installing it, cleaning it when it gets dirty but never oiling it again? K&N says overoiling or not proper cleaning is the only problem we could have with the filter.

07GT

First of all I do not have a K&N in my 07 mustang, but I have ran them on many vehicles with mass air flow meters. I always remove them when I go for service for fear they will throw it out and put in a paper element thinking the K&N is a dirty paper filter. I had a 94 Ranger V6 that I put a K&N in and it developed problems due to a dirty mass air flow meter sensor wire. Ford changed the maf but I think it could have been cleaned, that was before I had heard of this problem. It was ran as sent from K&N and never reoiled, so I do believe that they can possibly cause mass air meter problems. I am not saying the k&N caused the problem, just telling you what happened. I currently have a K&N on a 2000 F150 with 38k miles and a 97 Lexus with 90k miles. The F150 filter was put on at 10 miles and the Lexus at 27k. Both have never been cleaned. That's right I have 63k miles on the Lexus filter and I have never cleaned it. And get this, The Lexus ran a slightly better 1/4 time with the K&N than it did with the factory brand new Lexus paper filter, back to back on the same day within minutes of each other. That being said I don't run a K&N on the 07 because I believe they are much more sensitive to changes in air flow, and I will eventually go a C&L CAI and a tune.

Mustangmaster

So does the C&L CAI have an oiled filter? Also, from what you are saying, the problem may actually be a mass air flow sensor that's too sensitive in Mustangs. If you do clean the K&N in the Lexus and F150 will you oil it or not?

07GT

I don't know if the C&L filter is oiled or not. I am not saying the maf sensor is too sensitive. Do I wish it had a wider range in it's lookup table, sure, don't all of us hotrodders wish we could do anything we want and not have issues. I think they keep the tables tight for emmissons reasons. Yes absolutely I will oil the K&N filter when I clean it. Do not use a K&N oiled filter without oil! Also know this, I am not recommending this filter cleaning interval! As far as not cleaning the filter goes sometimes I do things just to learn. If I had a K&N on a vehicle that I took to the track, I would and have in the past kept it clean. The Lexus is just one vehicle and not representitive of all vehicles. Other vehicles may be more sensitive to dirty filters.

TinPony

Very interesting....... My dealer ( Citrus Ford-Ontario CA ) sells the K&N CAI's in their parts department. When I saw their display I asked the parts counterperson, "does that affect the warranty?" he replied, "no, not at all"..........

starman

Great info. I too use a K and N filter. After several posts on this board, one from a kid who says he works for Ford, all due respect, I checked my air intake and filter area. I found no residue and the area is completely dry from any "oil" or gunk. The above link pretty much sums up what I believe is the truth (listen to it yourself, chap 11).

I have found that many dealers have no idea what they are talking about and this is why I do minor maintenance myself. I will keep the K and N and bypass the BS.

Fourth Horseman

I've found that most people have problems when they over oil the filter. Follow the cleaning instructions and oil them sparingly and you'll be ok. If you over oil and your mass air flow meter becomes fouled you can clean it with spray electrical contact cleaner. Been running a conical K&N filter on my Marauder for a couple of years and haven't had a single problem. I clean it and re-oil it once year just to be safe, but I'm always careful to not get carried away re-oiling it.

06GT4RAD

I would agree with just about everything in this post with the exception of using the Electrical parts cleaner. While it does work they actually make a MAF Cleaner that cost close to the same as the Electrical Cleaner and it is specifically made for MAF Sensors. I have been running K&N/Cotton Gauzed Filters for many years and never have i once had a problem with them fouling the MAF wire. Most of the times i have heard this have also been caused by over oiling of the filter.

Richard

Fourth Horseman

Good to know about the MAF cleaner, thanks. I might pick up a can just to have around... just in case.

CainMotorsports2102

K&N filters are notorious(sp) for causing MAF problems. When the filter is shipped a ton of oil is used. I reccomend to anyone that runs K&N to wash their filter to remove the oil then oil it themselves with a MAF safe oil very lightly and just to stay on top of it. Either that or go with the AEM dry flow filters or GREEN. Your still probably safe warranty wise, just remove the filter beforte going in.