how often should you "recharge" your CAI air filter.

 

Depends on where ya live and how fast it gets dirty. I live where there's always dump trucks kicking up dust so I'll clean mine every time I change my oil.

 

Just look at the filter... If it looks dirty then clean it. MachRanger is right, it does depend on where you live and how much dust and dirt your car is around. I usually clean mine every 2-3 thousand miles.

 

what do you need to do to clean it?

 

you should only have to clean it every 20k or so. the filters actually work better with a little dirt on them.

 

proven fact on dyno.all you need to do is knock out the loose dirt and don't reoil it.i have 40000 on my 05 gt with steeda cai and have only shaken it out not oiled it.just dynoed and came out to 292 hp,289 torque.thats with the cai,mac axle backs,and preditor 91 oct.tune and tweeked on dyno.i think it wask&n years ago that did the test.this is going to bring'm out of the woodwork but it works.i live in phoenix where it's always dusty.[sm=smiley20.gif]

 

The ones I have seen, the manufacturers recommend every 50K on their filters. If you clean them too often, you will eventually damage the cotton lining in the filters and make the filtration worse. I know for a fact that K&N garentees their filters for 1 million miles, but only if you stick to the 50K miles cleaning schedule. Also, frdfrst is right, I've read quite a few articles that say these filters work better with a little bit of funk on them than they do clean. Personally, I tap it to get the loose stuff off every 2 oil changes, and then wash every 25K, simply because I also live in an area with alot of construction, dump trucks and farms. Also, never use compressed air to try and blow the dirty off. You will ruin the filters. Thats an expensive mistake I made once on my Supra.

 

I ahve a some pantyhose over mine and it keeps the
cleaning to a minimum. Kinda like a precleaner.

Just so everyone knows,
NEVER USE COMPRESSED AIR TO CLEAN AN AIR FILTER. [:@]

 

Because it is easy to over-oil you need to be careful.
Also, some get impatient with the drying time, and reoil too soon.
2 options:

Have an extra filter ready to install so that you can let the first one dry prior to oiling.

or...and this is my choice.....just replace the filter after 50k miles and not worry that you over-oiled and fouled the sensor.

My replacement is sitting here ready to go.
A new filter every 50k miles = pennies a mile.

 

Yea, AirFlowSensors are expensive. New filter after 50K miles
is cheap, cheap insurance.