Snorkels?

[MidOH]

I'd lose the k&n. Last time I tested one, it allowed dust through.

If you have dirtbike air filter goo, smear some behind the filter on the tube. If any dust makes it though, it might leave a trace on that goo.

 

[Crayoneater]

I'd lose the k&n. Last time I tested one, it allowed dust through.

If you have dirtbike air filter goo, smear some behind the filter on the tube. If any dust makes it though, it might leave a trace on that goo.

I will have to try it out, I heard that some people had issues with filters not sealing completely in side the airbox. I could look into the air filter grease to eliminate that possibility. I had a 86 vw golf never had any issues with dirt getting past the K&n filter it had. It had a mechanical fuel injection with the fuel distributor on top of the air box and a plate that would regulate the fuel flow based on the air being pulled past it. It needs to be cleaned every few months (as per the manual) because of oil blow by never found any dirt on it or the screen the sat in front of the plate. 9 years it ran up and down the same dirt driveway. The filer on my golf was sandwiched between the upper and lower half of the air box, where my 4runner just slides in.

I will definitely check it out.

 

[smritte]

The K&N free flow filter, UNI and another that comes to mind were designed a long time ago when air filter and intakes were very restrictive. Today, most cars see no benefit from them other than being rebuildable. If you want to see if the filter actually benefits you, install an air filter restriction gauge into the intake tube. Their about $20 on amazon. I run these on all of my vehicles.

The only modern vehicle that benefited was my TJ (thanks Jeep). The auto industry was forced to build the intakes properly to be more efficient. This also was revamped later when they were forced again to make them efficient with an air cleaner that is dirty during normal replacement intervals. This stated happening in the early 90's and evolved again in the middle to late 90's.

If you want to see if its letting dirt in, run an oil analysis with Blackstone Labs. In my area I get silty dirt. The K&N may as well be a screen door. The dirt shows on my oil report but isn't there when I run a paper air cleaner.

The question is though, is this actually harmful and how long will it take to harm my engine? I personally think it takes a long time to do noticeable damage and this normally turns into a multi page argument on the web.

The real question that no one seems to ask is, how did dirt go from the airstream into my oil? There's only one path, past the rings. My oil analysis shows a huge increase in silicon (dirt) with a K&N vs paper. I personally like my engines having great compression as long as possible.

Different people will have different results based on where they drive. There is no one size fits all.

 

[LionelJeeper]

I'll throw in my own two cents on this. I have a snorkel on my 2000 Wrangler. I bought it after hydro locking the motor after what seemed like a minor water hole. Problem is Wrangler's air intake is right down front that can make it easy to take in water. Would a snorkel had made a difference who knows for sure, but I'm guessing yes. To be honest it was my inexperience with 4x4ing at the time was the real issue. I could have approached the obstacle better. In addition a snorkel only help with air intake. The other half is making sure breathing tubes and electrical system are also as waterproofed as much as possible.