Stock Air filter rinsed in liquid Laundry detergent..

Hey folks, I pulled the airfilter out and was unbelievably black dirt with oil deposits. Must ve not been cleaned for years i guess, just bought it this spring. Its Paper fible (stock)filter, i could let go the oil stain only by carefully spraying the liq.laund detergnt and also using pumice(hand cleaning white stuff)and giving a gently scrub while running on tap water. I did blow compressed air thru inside to outside and blew lots of dirt away before soaking. After good number of rinses in clean water n drying, is it safe to reinstall ? Thanks guys.

 

I would replace it. They last quite a while, if the picture is "after" everything you described, I would definitely replace.

 

Paper air filters are not supposed to be washed. At least thats with car air filters. I remember the guys at school tryed to do that and it closed the filter pores up so it would not breathe very good anymore. If you want a washable filter buy a K&N and you can re-oil it when your done.

You can try your old filter but I think you'll find it will be restrictive.

 

thanks guys. the above picture is prior cleaning. now it looks far better. i guess i have to see how it performs. thanks very much

 

As stated above, paper filters are not made to be washed, this will screw them up. The filters on my wet-n-dry shop vac are never the same after picking up anything wet, and one has to replace them if they get damp to any degree. Motorcycle air filters are cheap enough to go buy new ones.

 

Easy enough to replace.I got mine at Canadian Tire.

 

Really??

I tried to get a replacement for my '84 750 last fall and the shop I was dealing with couldn't source it! He recommended I get a K&N filter which I was going to get this week. Was it special order? How long did it take to get?

Thanks.

 

Not special order at all.I just asked for it at the parts counter and they had it in stock.

 

I have checked here Toronto in 2 diff canadian tire and they dont carry, shows a empty page in the screen.

 

Littlegiant, it is not recommended to wash your airfilters.
I have washed mine without ill effect, just do not use heat to dry it nor use high pressure to clear the dirt off. Just beware, some detergents leave a residue that is never fully rinsed clear and that residue will act like a sticky glue, holding onto more dirt and creating a restriction much faster than one might expect.
For this reason, I use K&N airfilter cleaner (recharger kits have this as well), rinse with cold water and repeat a few times. I rinse until only clear water is evident flowing through the filter medium. This may take some time (ten minutes is not unusual for this) but be patient. You want it all rinsed away.
I would consider your cleaning a temporary condition until your new filter arrives.

 

Thanks rob. I gave up the thought of reusing the rinsed one. It was a waste of time, new UNI brand (foam)air filter has just arrived at the bike shop am on my way to collect it. You are right i didnt want to compromise the intake restrictions. It costed me C$41 incl tax..this new one is washable and mist spray oil n reuse..cannot go wrong. Thanks again

 

I just checked all our Canadian Tires here in Nova Scotia and none carry the air filter, nor do they have info on it. They do sell the oil filter with o-rings for $7.99, but that's all they have listed for our bikes.