[Batou]

i'm getting a k&n air filter soon, and i've taken out my old one...which seems to have cracked and won't fit right... is it ok to drive around for a couple days without a filter?

all city driving, i haven't seen much dust or large particles that could get through the grill and all the way up the snorkel...

opinions?

 

[graftdesign]

i'm getting a k&n air filter soon, and i've taken out my old one...which seems to have cracked and won't fit right... is it ok to drive around for a couple days without a filter?

all city driving, i haven't seen much dust or large particles that could get through the grill and all the way up the snorkel...

opinions?

I don't think its a problem for a couple of days provided you're not in a very dusty area. Of course filters are there for a reason so driving without one too long is bad. The dust essentially acts as a micro-abrasive and can prematurely wear out the engine internals.

 

[jhodg5ck]

cities are dirtier then you think. I would not drive around w/o an air filter for more then a quick test run.

You should be able to get a replacement from your local mcparts store.

Jonathan

 

[Batou]

thanks for the input!

i'm getting the k&n from kragen tomorrow... i just needed to use the car today to run errands.

 

[guarddog]

I've done it before, but it was an old Chevy Impala. That being said, I was young and trying to get more 'power' out of the car.

I wouldn't do it now, though. The likelihood of something getting in the engine is so small, but not really worth the risk. As mentioned above, just get an inexpensive one until you get your K&N.

On that note, when you clean your K&N and re-oil it, be aware that the oil can get on your MAF (Mass Air Flow sensor), and possibly make your car run differently. I don't know if its an issue on Mercedes but it definately happens on Ford Mustangs. Not a big deal, you can get some contact cleaner from Radio Shack to clean off the sensor wires, just wanted to let you know in case your car runs differently in the future.

 

[jhodg5ck]

No MAF sensor a la Moosetangs

However, over oiling is a Very common thing on K&N's. I usually put a very light run of oil, let it migrate overnight and see where that gets me.

Jonathan

 

[guarddog]

No MAF sensor a la Moosetangs

However, over oiling is a Very common thing on K&N's. I usually put a very light run of oil, let it migrate overnight and see where that gets me.

Jonathan

At least you didn't say "Rustang" or worse.

Might need that CD sooner versus later.


.

 

[Batou]

no biggie, she's basically on her last run anyways... white clouds of billowing smoke every time i start 'er up or rev her too quickly.

 

[dave420]

K&Ns are a myth (I have heard lots of evidence on this... in addition, Jonathan does not use them and he rebuilds engines...). Stay with the factory setup.

Dave

 

[Batou]

really?

the brand i have now is FRAM or something like that...

 

[NüR-SPEC]

K&Ns are a myth??? no there not! they certainly do exist. hahaha..

but seriously. let's not beat a dead horse. why even debate this topic when the difference between a drop in factory replacement K&N and a Hengst/Mann filter is maybe a couple of horsepower. if you wat more power and your looking to improve upon the factory system, look at aspects such as ambient air sourcing and flow restrictions. i've completley redesigned my induction system. i have a massive K&N filter boxed in right behind the passanger side of the bumper. it is in the direct path of ambinet air through the front bumper, it's fed by 3.25" polished aluminum piping, then to a highly efficient VW mk3 ABA digiant induction boot. however, there are reasons why i did this.. first off, the main restriction with the factory system is the narrow inlet of the airbox. the factory filters flow pretty well from what i can see. what i've done is allow the engine to have a higher 'reserve' of ambient air with no turbulant restrictions. on another note, the factory source on side of the radiator is great. the cooling fan is constantly drawing in ambient air which is readily available to the snorkel. but the mechanical cooling fan is a heavy, parasitic, lump of rubbish. especially on the highway where it causes a rick of turbulance that not only reduces the efficiency of the radiator, but also slows you down and reduces milage. by replacing the mechanical fan with an lectric unit, you rid of that problem, but then you no longer have a constant draw of ambinet air to the induction snorkel... so, you look elsewhere like i did. i wish i had the camera to take some pics of my system for better understanding, but all i hae right now is a cameraphone..

 

[guarddog]

Well, if you're going naturally aspirated, all these little things might give you a few hp and a bit of torque. To really get serious numbers you'll have to switch out pistions for high compression, do a valve job, port and polish lower intake, full exhaust, etc, etc.

OR

.

 

[300se126]

Well, if you're going naturally aspirated, all these little things might give you a few hp and a bit of torque. To really get serious numbers you'll have to switch out pistions for high compression, do a valve job, port and polish lower intake, full exhaust, etc, etc.

Or just give up on natural aspiration! But back to the point of this thread... FOD can shut an engine down permanently, and it doesn't have to mean shoving a golf ball down your throttle body either. Multiple studies confirmed that FOD caused by buildup of VERY small particles, often over VERY short periods of time, caused numerous catastrophic failures on the first-generation Audi 2.7T V6, and caused Audi to totally rework their induction system and biturbo plumbing to avoid this. They were writing out checks for ten, sometimes twenty grand to owners whose otherwise well-maintained, properly cared-for automobiles were shitting the bed left and right. The moral of that story is, DON'T drive without proper particulate filtration on your intake. You may think that a few grains of sand would only cause a failure in a straw-that-broke-the-camel's-back scenario, but if that straw were forced directly into the camel's spinal cord at 200mph - you get the point.

 

[Batou]

Well, if you're going naturally aspirated, all these little things might give you a few hp and a bit of torque. To really get serious numbers you'll have to switch out pistions for high compression, do a valve job, port and polish lower intake, full exhaust, etc, etc.

OR

.

i think my engine just died from looking at that...


what do you guys think of this: take some womens pantyhose, and attatch it over the area that the filter usually is at... blocks dust and lets more air in right?

or am i just being really really cheap... haha

 

[guarddog]

Well, I would say cheap, but depends on how you obtain the pantyhose...




.

 

[p100]

K&Ns are a myth (I have heard lots of evidence on this... in addition, Jonathan does not use them and he rebuilds engines...). Stay with the factory setup.

Dave

I have reached the same conclusion over the years and I do not use these filters. I can buy decent quality disposable paper filters for all my vehicles for about $ 10/piece. They last at least 10k miles each. So where is the great savings when you pay $ 45 -75 for a K&N filter? You must also buy an oiling kit for them, which cost additional $$. And they do not filter as well as paper filters, which means more engine wear. And there is no possibility of MAF contamination with dry paper filters either.
As a general rule, I overoil everything, so K&N filter use would create a problem for me.

BTW, my boat and jet ski do not have air filters. Marine engines typically do not have them. All they have is a metal screen to keep out big stuff.

 

[NüR-SPEC]

omg.. seriously. this isn't worth debating over a few hp, but lets break this down one more time..

disposable filters such as Hengst are appx $20. the K&N i bought was $55 and i can clean it over and over again. million mile warranty. not to mention, the recharge kit i got for FREE with the purchase of my filter will last about 10 years. and if you think your motor has an electronic MAF sensor, then you probably don't have much room to speak about the topic to begin with. K&N filters do filter just aswell as a paper filter, but because it's made of cotton fiber, it flows a bit better. anybody who manages to over-oil a K&N shouldn't even be opening the hood, let alone modifying the engine.

Batou, DO NOT us panty hose. many people get that idea, but they don't filter as you'd think they would. they are actually more restrictive than a paper filter. not to mention, a customer of mine a few years back had a wonderful engine failure when the pantyhose managed to make it's way all the way to the exhaust valve of cylinder #3 where it melted.

when it comes to filtration, don't skimp on your merc. for a ski-doo, ITBs or carbs without filters are just fine.. there's not much dust and road debris on the ocean. i've used, ITBs, mikunis, and webbers on racecars, but the motors are always stripped down after about 10-20K miles for a rebuild anyway..

 

[Batou]

=O

that makes sense.... yea, i think it's time to replace to a paper... i'm not sure if she's a keeper yet... =[

 

[NüR-SPEC]

well, it could potentially be a keeper. sounds to me like you at least need a head gasket set to solve the smoke problem. if your gonna be waiting for your K&N then a Fram should only be a couple bucks. might aswell use it in the mean time. dust from the hoodpad and other little debris can get in, so it's worth the $10. then when you want to clean your K&N in the future, you'll have that paper filter to put in while your waiting for the K&N to dry.

and i appologise if i came off as an asshole from my last post, but some arguments just seemed rediculous.. no MAF to worry about on a 126, and if we want to complain about oil and crud in the induction system, why are we overlooking the PCV which recirculates blowby and oil vapors? thats 100x more oil than a properly oiled K&N is inducing..

 

[Batou]

no worries... everyone has their opinions, some are just more outspoken than others ;]

i also removed my hoodpad to help disappate heat, and also it kept falling off.... not a problem right?