F
Frd_thmsn
Guest
How to make your own High flow type washable air filter element.
1. Remove the original air cleaner element from car.
Using a knife, hacksaw, stanley knife , your teeth etc, remove all of the
concertina paper from the air cleaner element.
Try to remove as much as possible and don,t distort or damage the
element too much.
(Pic 1)
2: Make a grille for the top.
I used some perforated metal sheet I had lying around, the picture
shows the prototype, but in my second one I used some perforated
screen which was from a speaker, as it had more holes and less gap
between.The holes were about 2mm diameter and 0.2mm apart.
Cut this with tin snips or strong scissors so that it fits in the recess at
the top of the filter.
(Pic 2)
3: Glue this in place on to the filter element .Use either oxygen sensor safe
silastic or Liquid nails type building adhesive.
(Pic 3). Do not use ordinary silastic as it can damage the oxygen sensor,
you shouldn,t use ordinary silastic really anywhere on the engine where
the fumes could get into the exhaust for that reason.
4:Find or buy some polyurethane foam, this is the sort of stuff that Clark
rubber has, you can find it used as packing in computer motherboards
etc (Pic 4). It is also used for mattresses etc.
Cut this a little larger than the opening in the bottom of the air cleaner
element so you can fit it tightly and ensure no leaks.
Place into the opening (Pic 5)
I used a couple of pieces so that the total thickness was about 1 inch
(25mm).
5: Make a retaining clip for the foam from fencing wire , an old coat hanger
etc. Bend the wire by hand into roughly a M shape.
This is not that critical, as long as it retains the foam.And place it in
against the foam behind the frame.
(Pic 6)
6:Finished item (Pic 6)
My one works really well, I did oil it slightly to increase the filtering ability, but it really doesn,t seem to need it for city driving.
Where I live I have to drive on several kilometres of gravel roads, which can really choke an air cleaner.
I,ve been washing it once a week and it sure has a lot of dust in it.For my first test I used a piece of very fine cotton after the filter,the type used in fish tank filters to see if anything got through , but it has been clean
If your wondering how efficient this sort of material is, I use the same stuff in my shop vac and it is one of the only things that will stop Gyprock dust getting through, that dust is so fine it goes through the paper bags on a vacuum cleaner.
I know it,s flowing a lot better than the paper element plus it,s cleanable.It,s also a good way to test out if a K&N would help.
If I can , I,ll try it out on one of the test machines they have in some auto parts shops , the one that has a table tennis ball that rises up a tube.
I have no laminar flow rates etc to support my claims and if you choose to make your own filter you do so at your own risk.
1. Remove the original air cleaner element from car.
Using a knife, hacksaw, stanley knife , your teeth etc, remove all of the
concertina paper from the air cleaner element.
Try to remove as much as possible and don,t distort or damage the
element too much.
(Pic 1)
2: Make a grille for the top.
I used some perforated metal sheet I had lying around, the picture
shows the prototype, but in my second one I used some perforated
screen which was from a speaker, as it had more holes and less gap
between.The holes were about 2mm diameter and 0.2mm apart.
Cut this with tin snips or strong scissors so that it fits in the recess at
the top of the filter.
(Pic 2)
3: Glue this in place on to the filter element .Use either oxygen sensor safe
silastic or Liquid nails type building adhesive.
(Pic 3). Do not use ordinary silastic as it can damage the oxygen sensor,
you shouldn,t use ordinary silastic really anywhere on the engine where
the fumes could get into the exhaust for that reason.
4:Find or buy some polyurethane foam, this is the sort of stuff that Clark
rubber has, you can find it used as packing in computer motherboards
etc (Pic 4). It is also used for mattresses etc.
Cut this a little larger than the opening in the bottom of the air cleaner
element so you can fit it tightly and ensure no leaks.
Place into the opening (Pic 5)
I used a couple of pieces so that the total thickness was about 1 inch
(25mm).
5: Make a retaining clip for the foam from fencing wire , an old coat hanger
etc. Bend the wire by hand into roughly a M shape.
This is not that critical, as long as it retains the foam.And place it in
against the foam behind the frame.
(Pic 6)
6:Finished item (Pic 6)
My one works really well, I did oil it slightly to increase the filtering ability, but it really doesn,t seem to need it for city driving.
Where I live I have to drive on several kilometres of gravel roads, which can really choke an air cleaner.
I,ve been washing it once a week and it sure has a lot of dust in it.For my first test I used a piece of very fine cotton after the filter,the type used in fish tank filters to see if anything got through , but it has been clean
If your wondering how efficient this sort of material is, I use the same stuff in my shop vac and it is one of the only things that will stop Gyprock dust getting through, that dust is so fine it goes through the paper bags on a vacuum cleaner.
I know it,s flowing a lot better than the paper element plus it,s cleanable.It,s also a good way to test out if a K&N would help.
If I can , I,ll try it out on one of the test machines they have in some auto parts shops , the one that has a table tennis ball that rises up a tube.
I have no laminar flow rates etc to support my claims and if you choose to make your own filter you do so at your own risk.
