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ElantraClub - For Elantra Owners and Enthusiasts _ Power Zone _ DANGER: K&N Filters
Posted by: boner007 Feb 13 2006, 02:39 AM
Alright, i purchased a K&N filter for my 2005 elantra; a week later my check engine light turns on. My Car begin to drop rpms, while idling, and then shoot up to 2,000, continually. So I took it to the dealer, and I had to get a new MAF sensorbecause the oil from the filter got onto the tiny needle in the sensor. So, just a warning for future buyers of this type of filter. It doesn't happen to all the cars, but to some.
Posted by: Seinster Feb 13 2006, 03:05 AM
Please say whether this was with a CAI or SRI?
Posted by: boner007 Feb 13 2006, 03:16 AM
This was on the stock air box. Im checking out spark plugs right now. Which do you think are the best?
Posted by: Seinster Feb 13 2006, 05:45 AM
That is very suprising then!
I'd recommend from hearsay, NGK copper plugs, or NGK Platinum G-Power plugs.
You won't notice any performance increase if that's why you're changing them.
People recommend changing the plugs every 12K miles if you're in harsh conditions, or drive like a madman. Otherwise 30K miles will suffice.
Check out the maintenance log for further clarifications:
http://www.elantraclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=6544
Posted by: Ishtar Feb 13 2006, 06:09 AM
Cheesecloth between the filter and the airbox prevents this from happening!
Posted by: Tirolerpeter Feb 13 2006, 08:22 AM
I have been using the K&N filter for over three years and nearly 50K miles with no problems. Is it possible that the one you installed was excessively oily? When you wash and re-oil the filter, you have to be careful not to use too much oil. Has anyone else experienced this?
Posted by: elantragt Feb 13 2006, 08:30 AM
I've heard instances of this happening but only due to over-oiling by consumers. I don't think it's a fault of the filter at all. They need to be lightly re-oiled, not soaked. In boner007's (Oh man I'm not even going to ask about his screen name 
) case it's possible it was a faulty filter though.
Posted by: mtlelantra Feb 13 2006, 08:53 AM
Over 3 years means you probably have pre-MAF engine in which case it wouldn't matter. Dang MAFs are pretty sensitive buggers, unfortunately...
Posted by: silet Feb 13 2006, 09:07 AM
I've had the K&N panel filter in MAP and MAF Elantras, with no problems at all. You over-saturated the filter. It happens a lot. You only need a light dusting of oil on the filter. I've had mine on my 05 for 25 K and I cleaned only once so far.
A word of caution: MAF is more sensitive to this problem so don't saturate the filter. You only need a light coating of oil on it to work!!!
Posted by: Dave666Thomas Feb 13 2006, 11:45 AM
You could also clean your Maf if you ever over oil your filter, use non residual electronics cleaner on the Maf. This works also if you just have a dirty MAF which could lead too idle problems.
Posted by: captthundarr Feb 13 2006, 12:29 PM
I just added a K&N and helped a local youngsert clean and oil his filter.The instructions(i knkow ,they have purty pictures)warns of over oiling and that
it may damage MAP/MAF sensors.Just light ,even coat.
Posted by: boner007 Feb 14 2006, 03:59 AM
I had just put it on. So It must have just had a little too much oil on it straight from the box. I took it to get serviced and they suggested I put the stock back on. "If you keep the K&N filter and the same things happen, the warranty will not cover it again." Is what they said.------ Ya'll Heard of the Tornado? I had an 85 Maxima and i saw the difference in Gas and Power. But I put the TURBONATOR.com on my Elantra.... and well I really dont feel any power difference, but it does help out on the Gas. But my opinion, WASTE OF $!!!
Posted by: Doohickie Feb 14 2006, 08:48 AM
Regarding the tornado: http://www.elantraclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=4317&hl=tornado
Posted by: Dave666Thomas Feb 14 2006, 10:41 AM
or for $$ (which you can paypal to me) I will send you on a diet, the more weight you lose the better mpg you get. Its win win, you get to spend money, I get money, and you save on gas 
Posted by: Bobzilla Feb 14 2006, 10:45 AM
Dave, do you take paypal?
Posted by: silet Feb 14 2006, 10:47 AM
Enough gents! Keep it on topic!
Posted by: Bobzilla Feb 14 2006, 10:49 AM
OK, OK. I know my old man has K&N on his 98 GMC van, which is also MAF. Not a problem. You just have to not overoil. I've had K&N's on every vehicle I own, except the trick and that's just because I haven't gotten around to it.
Posted by: Dave666Thomas Feb 14 2006, 11:04 AM
I have a K&N on both my cars and I have not had a problem with either, even after cleaning and re-oiling them. I spray just a light coating of oil on them and let them sit for a bit before I return them to the car.
But like I mentioned earlier, if you have a MAF you can always clean it with Non-Residual electronics cleaner that they sell in auto part stores. Some people also say you can clean it with carb cleaner and brake cleaner, but I (in all my automotive knowledge ) will stick with electronics cleaner.
Posted by: hgoalie85 May 7 2007, 03:58 PM
What type of oil is used to oil an air filter?
Posted by: Vampyrate May 7 2007, 04:03 PM
i had a K&N drop in when i first got my car (first "mod) and when i went to CAI, the MAF was gone
Posted by: Bigs May 7 2007, 06:54 PM
They sell special kits for K&N. I also recommend to get that kit as they also sell the cleaner for it!
Posted by: hgoalie85 May 7 2007, 11:35 PM
What about the other brands of filters?
Posted by: Bigs May 8 2007, 06:51 AM
Well, I'm not sure of other brand. I went with K&N because of their good rep.
Posted by: RHINESEL May 8 2007, 11:54 PM
K&N by their design use oil to trap debris. Periodically (every 50k I believe) you clean it and reapply a special oil. The recharge kit isn't that expensive and does numerous recharges.
There are other filters that operate dry (no oiling). AEM makes a high flow one I believe that ElantraGT has.
Most of the cone filters you see on Ebay included in a SRI or CAI are cheaper filters that do not require oiling.
Posted by: Silent Wolf May 8 2007, 11:56 PM
Then are those non-oiled ones washable?
Posted by: cobas May 8 2007, 11:59 PM
I have a K&N panel filter that I re-oiled early at about 20k miles because it um... got dirty. Tried to make it light and even like the instructions say, let it dry overnight, had no problems.... but I also don't have a MAF sensor so I'm not sure what I'm contributing here. Not much, I think. Yeah.
Posted by: fgummett May 9 2007, 10:19 AM
...it is washable and does not use oil
Posted by: Bitterman May 26 2007, 06:40 PM
) will stick with electronics cleaner.CRC makes a Mass Airflow sensor cleaner. It's about $6-7 for an 11 oz can and from what I've read people said it works very well. Definitely worth a try first instead of spending a lot of $ on a new MAF sensor right off the bat.
http://www.crcindustries.com/files/MAF%20Flyer%20FINAL%202.pdf
Posted by: jayguy173 Aug 25 2007, 05:23 PM
Never had a problum with K&N in any 3 cars with the drop in replacments and my elantra does have an maf and air tempature sensor sitting right above the filter with half an inch, they work great for me. 
Posted by: billy_b0b Sep 22 2007, 05:13 PM
k&n recommends dabbing off the excess oil with a cloth rag or paper towel before installing it
Posted by: elantraelite Sep 22 2007, 07:56 PM
I've got the panel filter installed in my Elantra. I bought it pretty much because it did say it would increase my fuel economy and it did. My average has dropped from 8.2litres per 100km to 7.8litres per 100km. So I save roughly 2.4litres of fuel with every full tank.
Posted by: tasdrouille Jan 14 2008, 07:25 PM
I was surprised to see this thread. In the VW TDI community it is a known fact that K&N filters are a big no no. I thought it was an issue specific to our diesel cars, maybe our MAF is more sensible to contamination, or our compressor wheel pushing 15 psi really does not like dirt when spinning in excess of 150k rpm. They have been known to kill MAFs and letting more dirt through even when properly oiled.
Posted by: ROB4223 Oct 17 2009, 10:46 AM
I have had a k&n air filter on my 07 elantra for 2yrs with no issues.The key to safely using the filter is to let any excess oil drip off the filter before install.I let my filter dry completely before oiling and let it drain off for at least a day to be sure.a cleaning cycle should take a day or two.do not rush or you may end up with a filter that is not completely dry and has to much oil on it.CLEANING A K&N AIR FILTER IS EASY BUT YOU MUST DO IT RIGHT OR SUFFER THE REPAIR COST TO YOUR INTAKE.
Posted by: fastmanakos Jun 12 2011, 11:42 AM
hello everyone.I was thinking of buying one of these K&N air filters.Whats your opinion about them?Is there any danger?They say it will increase the horsepower from 1-4 hp.Is it real or puffs?
Posted by: elantragt Jun 12 2011, 11:53 AM
I think they are a slight improvement over stock. Maybe 1-2 hp.
They're safe as long as you don't over-oil them after cleaning.
Posted by: ewang Jun 12 2011, 12:10 PM
I usually clean my MAF sensor a few thousand miles after to be safe.
Posted by: fastmanakos Jun 12 2011, 01:18 PM
They're safe as long as you don't over-oil them after cleaning.
You think its worth it to give about 50 euro to buy it?
Posted by: elantragt Jun 12 2011, 01:22 PM
That's up to you. Are you doing a drop-in with the stock air box or doing your own intake?
Posted by: fastmanakos Jun 12 2011, 01:43 PM
with the stock.
what do you mean by doing my own intake?sorry i m just new driver and i don't know a lot but i want to learn.
Posted by: elantragt Jun 12 2011, 02:11 PM
You can actually remove the stock airbox and intake "plumbing" and replace it with different length tubes with a round (cone) performance filter at the end.
Here's our ElantraWiki article with some intake basics:
http://www.elantraclub.com/forum/index.php?autocom=ibwiki&cmd=article&id=40
Posted by: fastmanakos Jun 12 2011, 02:20 PM
can you suggest me a "whole intake system" that is good and reliable?Will i notice any difference at all?
my car is a 1.6 16v lantra 2000'
Posted by: fastmanakos Jun 12 2011, 04:00 PM
i am thinking of buying one of these http://www.knfilters.com/search/product.aspx?Prod=RC-5052AB
Posted by: slowgls Jun 12 2011, 05:00 PM
Do it!!!
Posted by: silet Jun 13 2011, 09:43 AM
It is better than the other CAI or SRI. I had a 99 Elantra and I did take out the resonator. e fotografia sou:
I removed the resonator which is left of the battery and over the radiator. I would then drop the K&N panel filter in the air box. Min to ladosis poli. Isia isia na vrahi ke na kokinisi.
Posted by: fastmanakos Jun 13 2011, 11:12 AM
i should go for the apollo and not the standar air filter silet. 
Posted by: silet Jun 13 2011, 11:42 AM
For the money, I went with the drop in panel K&N. I did take the resonator out of all the Elantras I've owned.
Posted by: fastmanakos Jun 13 2011, 11:46 AM
did you saw any difference?which part exactly is the resonator?
Posted by: silet Jun 13 2011, 11:50 AM
Small difference and a bit louder. It's the plastic piece left of the battery and right above the radiator. It's attached to the air filter box. Look at your picture above.
Posted by: fastmanakos Jun 13 2011, 12:12 PM
but the drop in panel costs about 50 euro and the apollo about 100.Yes is acctually twice as much but isn't the apollo twice as good?
Posted by: silet Jun 13 2011, 12:52 PM
Between removing the resonator or adding the Apollo I don't think the difference is big. The panel I've had for over 160K miles and I clean it every 10K miles.
Posted by: Elantrick Jun 27 2011, 06:03 PM
I. have read this thread and no one has mentioned the fact that K&N filters don't filter well. As a matter of fact, they are one of the worst. The new dry cone filters are much better at removing dust particles which also can effect the air sensor.
Posted by: Vinnie Jun 27 2011, 06:13 PM
I'd like to see proof of this.
My stock filter is CA10470 and im using a K&N 33-2380 filter.
No issues.
Posted by: elantragt Jun 27 2011, 06:24 PM
K&N filters just fine, maybe not quite as well as stock but it's certainly a safe filter to use (just don't over-oil it).
The nice thing is you get a horsepower or two from it's free flowing nature.
Posted by: NevynPA Jun 27 2011, 07:00 PM
The nice thing is you get a horsepower or two from it's free flowing nature.
Which is why the eco-nuts don't like 'em. More air=more fuel required to keep the same ratio. So yes, more power, but at the cost of more fuel burn. HOWEVER, that tiny increase in fuel burn MAY allow you to get out of the inefficient low gears and into the top ratios faster/easier, as well as allow you to hold a tall gear down to a lower speed easier, which may provide enough boost in MPG to offset the additional fuel burned.
I say this as speculation, because I haven't done, nor have I seen, long-term tests where the filters are swapped back and forth on the same vehicle.
I'd be willing to perform such a test, if someone sends me a K&N filter...I burn through a whole tank of gas every 4 days with my 140 miles/day roundtrip commute.
Posted by: Elantrick Jun 27 2011, 10:06 PM
I use to work on Motorcycles so I know that the K&N don't filter well, Yes they have more flow which gives you more power, but at at the cost of cylinder and Piston ring wear.
You will still get a lot more miles out of our cars without a filter than you would 30 years ago so it's not that big a deal
See this website for some more info.
http://www.mkiv.com/techarticles/filters_test/2/
Posted by: FSUspectra Jun 28 2011, 06:16 AM
I have the K&N panel I took out of my car when I started hypermiling... it needs to be cleaned and oiled, but I'll ship it to you if you want... but I may want it back if it works!
Posted by: silet Jun 28 2011, 07:21 AM
I have 200 K miles on my K&N panel filter. If anything that small passes through it, I don't care.
Posted by: NevynPA Jun 28 2011, 08:50 AM
I'm game. I'll PM you my address.
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