How To Clean & Oil a Foam Air Filter on Motorcycle or ATV
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
- Everything You Need To Clean A Foam Air Filter!
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Keeping up on your air filter maintenance for your Dirt Bike, Motorcycle, ATV or UTV is very important. Having a good clean and well oiled foam air filter helps prevent any debris or contaminants from getting into your motor and harming your engine components. We walk you through some great tips on how to clean and oil your air filter. Get all your air filter and filter cleaning products at www.rockymountainatvmc.com/?u... . Get Ready.
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Hats off to the marketing genius that sold these guys two buckets, one with a cleaning label, and one with an oiling label. Brilliant.
I know that's so smart they prolly baught those buckets at dollar store and sell em for 15 a pop
Detergent and warm water don’t get oil out of the filter. Pour about 2 or 3 OZ of paint thinner over the filter and squeeze it then everything will come out of it.
The paint thinner will take it out instantly.
@Harold Smith i clean it whith gasolin in les than a minite
efi rizaki i did that as well, but my filter fell apart so i had to get a new one.
I just throw my bike away and get a new one every time filter needs changing. Saves getting dirty gloves.👌🏼
Dan O'Dell same
Dan O'Dell lmao
Yeah, but the cheap Chinese dirt bikes...
Is that you Warren Buffet?
Sponsored riders be like
Pro tip, Get 3 or 4 air filters and keep them fresh in zip bags. Use them all up and then wash them all together. Saves a LOT of time.
That’s very smart
Great idea. I've been doing this for years now. I also have extra shock linkages cleaned and greased and ready to go.
dude! thanks!
I have 15 filters clean. when all are dirty, it's washing time :D. but is smeell so bad, that I have to go outside :D
Yeah I'll pass on buying $150 worth of air filters so I can rotate them and 'save time.'
the best air filter cleaner is some dawn dish soap. it's a wonderful degreaser. I always squeeze mine till clean. you don't have to pay an ass load of money just buy a bottle of air filter cleaner.
Ass load of money sounds like a lot if you have a big ass to load it up in. Just the thought of that is good enough for me to look at other options. I have dawn detergent in kitchen. Thanks for advice.
Tried Simple Green, Oxi Clean, and Dawn with no luck. (Blue Maxima I believe) This is a filter that the bikes PO had in it. Wanting to change this filter over to No-toil like my others.
Azia CR to get the cleanest filter first priority is to have a clean air box......
Just use gas
Gas works the best
To be honest, it feels really good to see how dirty the airbox is of professionals. I just bought a 05 525 exc, and I know it has service hours, and you have to take care of it, and that the airfilter is critical. It felt so bad to see the airbox being dirty after taking off the cover, but I see yours is clearly dirtier than mine
I've been using gas for 2 years and only replaced the air filter once because I wanted a aftermarket one lol , Gas works great
Don't use gas. Dawn dishwashing soap is great an less messy. Try it
This video reminded me I need to clean my air filter. Thanks Rocky Mountain
6 years ago, I missed it, but I totally agree
from first-hand experience that the air filter
is by far the most important maintenance
issue for a dirt bike, especially where I ride,
lot of river bottom silt.
I always get a kick out of this when people say using gas as a cleaner is dangerous, most of the solvent based cleaners we use are like 10 times more combustible than gas. In fact, if you want your bike to go really fast, spray some of those other chemicals in your tank 😂
Do be careful with gasoline. While your statement is true that other solvents are combustible, most have a much lower vapor pressure and thus won't rapidly burn (explode) as gasoline will.
The trick is to clean the filter with gas and then light the filter on fire to burn off all the excess dirt.
I assume the gasoline will deteriorate the foam after a few cleans
@@nickolausmackie6900 and eat the glue that holds the filter parts together!
@@nickolausmackie6900 i use gas almost every time i clean my air filter. it takes everything off in seconds. I have over 10 cleans on the same filter and still good to go.
Spends 5 min washing and soaking filter, wastes gallon of cleaner, THEN checks for tears. OH NO we cant use this anymore!
Instead of just repairing the hole he tosses it out. Could have just used a dab of proper glue.
Lmfao
@@charlesgunzelman3323 Or a dab of silicone caulk will seal it too as it was small.
He wasted time but not the cleaning product you can use it a lot before you need to toss it. But he used a $15 Twin Air bucket instead of a $3 one from Home Depot with a lid...LOL
Meeker Extreme the twin air one has lids as well
Thanks! I cleaned the air filter on my bike yesterday and discovered that the seam was coming apart so I ordered a new one from Dennis Kur...er.....uhhh...J/K :) Thanks for the great videos and great service.
Thanks for the video! I just bought my first bike and these videos really help teach me how to maintain them!
Really cool to hear! Thanks for watching and commenting.. cheers!
5 years man
hows your dirtbike journey going after 6 years?
Thank you for putting these out! Keep it up!
I ordered the Twin Air Kit today from RMATV for the air filters on my ATVs.
Him: * has the smallest tear in his air filter and can’t use it anymore *
My broke ass: * air filter looks like a slice of blue cheese * oh she‘ll be right for a couple more rides
he could just super glue the tear...
And he talks more about his special buckets than the filter😂
Crap a small tear.... Superglue the tear up, we're good to go
I use super glue also works perfectly and is good as new👍
😂
I laughed at that. lol
I've only sprayed filter oil on the outside of my air filter. Never sprayed the inside. I will from now on. Good clear video. Thank you.
The sprays are good, but I've had the best success with the No Toil cleaner/ oil. Great Videos!
Man your channel is awesome. I'm going to buy my first bike soon, but here the instructors cost like 250-400€/h so I'm better off just getting the info from channels like yours.
I clean my filters with the cage first on. I also clean the bike with a block of plate, insuring no dirt falls in or on the air filter....
Also have a special sink i use for dirty things, so i can have water running through the filter. I use really hot water, so that the glue get playable. Further preventing it from breaking...
I remember me and my friend changing the filter on my Honda CR85. It was dry, crumbly, and had some holes.
I use Naptha for cleaning. I pour it in a bucket. Dunk the filter, then bucket with cold water and dish soap. Rinse in a clean water bucket or hose. Let dry and re-oil. I make a bowl with the filter. Pour in the Bel-ray and squeeze. I work it around in the circle with a hand under it to get an even distribution. When the color looks even your good to go. I funnel the naptha back into metal container for storage. Sometimes through a cut of piece of tee shirt to catch stuff. I pour slowly off the top. The dirt stuff at the bottom of the bucket gets whipped out. I clean the bucket with a bit of brake cleaner. I have a couple of little small 1 gallon buckets I use for cleaning filters. I have about 6 filters (3 for each bike). I don't have to clean them very often so I do it all at once. I have a couple of plastic bins from the dollar store that house them. One for clean and dried filters, one for dirty ones. I skipped the labels ;-) All of that occupies one shelf in a metal cabinet I have in the garage. Once a year or so a chemical disposal company comes to our neighborhood. Usually give the Naptha to them to dispose of as it starts to get thick with oil.
I found that regular solid hand/clothes soap works great for cleaning air filters, better than any other products I tried.
Glad you found something that works for you 👍
thank you for all the helpful info
Make sure you ring it out good like he does in this video. I over-oiled mine and couldn’t figure out why my air box was leaking blue oil down the swingarm. I pulled the filter and the bottom was soggy with filter oil!
And all these years I thought I had it down by cleaning my filter in my orange home depot bucket with my lawnmower gas. In 15 years of doing so I have spent 5 bucks on an orange bucket and a gallon of gas once every 3 months or so. Dammit I knew i should have bought the white bucket!
Thank you for your excellent video
Yo Justin, clean the air box and frame before installing the cleaned filter. Jeez.. I learned that when I was 12 in 1980.
Great advice guys . Keep up the good work. 👍
thanks!
Lucky to have a suitable grungy laundry room sink. Dawn or liquid laundry detergent with warm water (not hot, that is hard on the filter glue) works pretty well on PJ1 filter oil.
Bel ray is the best filter oil though, that stuff is tenacious. Gotta break out the petro product to cut it. Tried to use Dawn on Bel ray once, the dirt came out and the oil stayed in, filter looked clean and still oiled. Could have literally let it dry and put it back in the bike - LOL
Gotta imagine Bel ray offers the best protection, but I have never had any problems with PJ1. Just did the top end on my '13 TE 300 at 250 hours (ya, the interval is supposed to be 80) and the piston looked great, rings at .45mm, still in spec, running Amsoil Dominator at 50:1 :)
Ya, clean the inside of the airbox 1st - WD40 with some blue paper shop towels from Costco works well to cut the goo.
In my Suzuki manual it says "was with any household non-flammable solution rinse and let dry. Soak in fresh engine oil and press out excessive oil". I´ve done this for 5 years now and havent spent a dime on fancy kits and shiny whatever you´re pushing. My filter is from 1999 and still going strong (road bike tho).
Lasse Brunborg road bike is why. On dirt you got all kinds of physical shit flying at you less exhaust fumes and road debris. More stuff makes it in there and can mess it up off-road
Very useful and informative video. Thanks!
Nice seeing my favorite youtuber just watching and writing on the same videos that I watch too :D Hi Donn :)
Though this was a 2 year old comment ':d
Good video, I do my filters slightly different, I use maxima as shown in the video but in the can form. Spray the filter with a thin coat of cleaner and gently rub the cleaner around with your hand, side to side don't push into the filter, and let it set in for a couple minutes next wash the the filter form the inside out at first to ensure pushing dirt out rather than in to the filter, then saturate and squeeze the filter until clear water comes out, I always rinse in running water rather than dipping so I know no dirt in the water gets in the filter, hang the filter somewhere clean till its dry. Then put it back on the cage and spray a thin coat of oil around the outside of filter and worked in lightly and a thin spray along the seam where it contacts with the boot and worked in lightly.
Grease is overkill and messy, too much oil doesn't allow your bike to breath at optimum levels, keep a clean air box for this same reason. Clean the filter every ride if you ride dusty trails or tracks, every 2 or three at most if on constantly maintained (watered) tracks. The less you clean your filter the quicker it wears as dirt is sucked through the material it is more difficult to get out and the integrity of filter declines. Change oil after 3-4 rides in dusty conditions or when riding track, 5-6 in low dust environments. Trail bikes can go much longer on used oil since they generally hold more of it and are lower revving bikes, however when used in dusty environments or with a dirty air filter, oil life span decreases, change oil filter every other oil change( if not built up with dirt and metal). I run hi flow filters with an OEM filter every 3 filter changes. Hi flows keep engine cooler and using the OE filter helps make up for the lower cleaning abilities of the hi flows. If you have split sumps change trans/clutch oil every other oil change. Unlike filters, changing oil every ride is wasteful and bad on your motor, oil has a detergent aspect that breaks down rather quickly, just enough to clean things up and push it to the filter, constantly changing oil is like constantly washing your hands with bleach, it's good once and a while but if you do it too often... You'll start to look like E.T. Be cautious of what oil you use, in split sump motors most normal 10w 40 oil is ok on the motor side, but not clutch, some oils have additives that ruin your clutch( make it slip). I recommend yamalube 10w40 or Honda GN4 10w40. this oil is good for any motor or clutch, so if you have a split sump race bike and single sump trail bike, same oil if fine for all 3 applications. Buy in bulk it's cheaper. Always test dummy nuts, side screens, and dipsticks after changing oil, even when following manufacture instructions, more or less oil may be needed to fill your sump to proper level, check your oil level before and after you let your bike run for a minute or so, give bike a couple slow kicks ( 6-10) at first just to get the filter and oil pump somewhat filled up. Do this with gas off or you may flood your motor with gas.
Long story short, bikes are a lot of work.
yeah my cousin bought a old honda 250r to ride on trails with our klx230 dualsports. what a bad idea on his part, the dualsports need such little maintenance compared to the mx bike. oh well at least i know not to go on a long adventure in the middle of nowhere or else we'll be tandem to get back lol. i love the tips though it really helps. have fun out there cause i know i will :)
@@elihautamaki547 that 250r will gap you tho… it makes people a better rider, and better maintainer
@@jonahb8083 i agree, he's still got to make it over the learning curve, we'll see how he does this summer.
Dawn soap and warm water! :)
Awesome tutorial, it mentioned all the important steps. Only thing I'd do different is to use dish soap to clean the filter since it's gentle on the foam and does just as good of a job as the best air filter cleaners. Regardless of products this was a very informative tutorial, it's creators like you that made CZcams as awesome as it is!! Learned many sweet tricks from you guys over the years so keep up the great work 😀
Thanks *Enduro Skills* for the great feedback. Appreciate it sir!
Also I like to let the oil dry a bit on the filter before I reinstall it into the bike
I agree great video. I’ve been using basic dawn dish soap on my filters for over 35yrs. Works great
How much soap is used to clean one filter?
@@oscar4605 a lot! (:p
My favorite air filter cleaner was regular Kerosene, which is getting harder to obtain lately. That whitish liquid for cleaning, in this video is just mineral spirits (available at most hardware stores) better than gas, doesn't break down the glue on your foam filter, and does not smell.
mineral spirits is a clear liquid though...
Mineral spirits is 23 dollars a gallon at home depot getting expensive
Ok, thanks a lot for this right way to do it. But now i must watch how to clean properly the airbox too!
I'd clean the lose debris out of the box before removing the filter then fit a wash cover and clean it out properly after that.
I also use fuel to clean the filters because it's cheap, it well and quickly and it evaporates fast. Then blow it from the inside outwards with an airline it pushes any tiny bits caught in the foam out wards and dries any remaining fuel off give it half an hour then use spray oil. Could dunk it but for mx I think that amount of oil just restricts the filter when the aim is to repel water something a fairly thin coat is good enough to do.
Maybe for enduro, or trails
My bike is a new dual sport and i on have a few rides off road in the sand and dirt. I have checked the filter and air box and they look like a new bike still. I will clean it tomorrow even if it looks clean. Maybe it is not oiled much at the factory. The air in northern CA has probably been worse than a dirt bike track, I'm 80 miles from the forest fires and the sky is like driving in morning fog. GOD bless those who lost all in the fires.
Clean your box
Check out our Air Box video here: czcams.com/video/Dr_PkKa3kj0/video.html
that's what she said;)
Rocky Mountain ATV MC thankyou for this video i can now improve my method of cleaning the air filter
Oisin Osborne more like thats what he said 😂😂😂
@@rmatvmc I hate you now Rocky Mountain.
Use mineral turps if cleans it instantly and u dont have to wait for it to dry and you can oil it straight after
I just use an old pair of my y-fronts instead of a filter, really helps out of the berms....
Great Video. Thank You. How many times do you wash a filter before changing the cleaning mixture and oil from the Twin Air Tubs?
Just got my TwinAir The System and never came with any gloves. I had some spare clear gloves and that blue tack formula literally absorbed into the gloves. Nothing would rinse that formula off. Great system, love TwinAir, I ALWAYS run a TwinAir Filter in any bike I've owned. Kinda expensive just for the tubs, but well worth it. Good instructional video as well.
Thank you
If im using mineral spirits to clean my filter should I also be washing it with dish soap after? Also what filter oil do you use in your bucket to dunk the filter in? Thanks.
Nice to see what others do as well. I've generally used a shotglass amount of gasoline to work around the filter first, to cut through the oil. Then move to dishsoap and water to clean it. Finally the aerosol spray on the outside and inside sparingly and work around until it feels fully coated. I like your way though and may get some designated tubs to use. Your way seems a little less wasteful than mine.
i recommend inspecting before cleaning... so you dont waste cleaning products on a filter you would throw away anyway :)
Quick tip:
Check for damage to the filter BEFORE you wash them, save yourself chemicals, time and money. 👍
Thanks!
Alternatively, use Bondina cut to size. It is white and very quickly shows the dirt. As soon as it gets dirty wash it in soapy water and rinse in fresh. After about 4 or 5 washes it becomes permanently discoloured, whereupon you throw it away and fit a fresh piece. A fraction of the price with complete air intake protection.
On that hole you found, could you just put some heavy grease in the hole temporarily till you can get a new one ordered? Is there a way to use a lighter or hot tipped knife to melt the hole together again?
That's how you do a video!!!!! Great job!
Thanks! Appreciate it.
well done sir
kareem mckelvey Thanks!
Nice Video Justin.
Tide and Oxiclean works very well.
Great video.
Dawn dish soap works perfectly
Haha this guy is funny a lil dirt fallin ain’t gonna hurt it that much dudes too proper
I washed mine in kerosene before seeing your video so didn't know to wash out the kerosene (which breaks down the oil). The manual never mentioned doing so. However, I let it sit for about 2 months before applying the Maxima FFT oil......and THEN saw I should have washed out the kerosene. It was obviously well dried out over 2 months but do you think in that time the kerosene would have evaporated out of the foam enough that the oil I've applied will be fine? Also, I added half of one of those FFT bottles to it and it seems well distributed but I also didn't have extra in the ziploc bag afterwards. I didn't think it should need an entire bottle but the manual does say to pour it over the entire surface which it seems would take 1-2 bottles! It's a 2008 700xx ATV and has the stock filter which has the rigidish rubber on it so not all foam while oiling. I suppose I could have poured all the oil into a big ziplok or pail like you did but again was just following the owner's manual. Well I didn't really because pouring the oil over the entire surface seemed like it'd take up what I thought was a few air filter oiling's worth of oil (2 bottles). Maybe I'll pour the rest of the 1st bottle plus the entire second bottle into the ziplock back and redo it to be sure. It still bugs me about not washing out the kerosene though, I assumed the kerosene cleans out the dirt and then it's clean, I never imagined I'd have to clean the cleaner out too!
Mineral Spirits! The oil runs out of the filter like blue colored water. Then, warm water and detergent and the filter is CLEAN. Just did it today and I couldn't believe how fast it works. I inspected the filter with a magnifying glass afterwards and it's all good.
What about using K&N? Clean up and oiling so easy. I do admit maybe dirt could get past the rubber seal. Anyone's thoughts will be appreciated. I do dual sport about 50/50.
I have a twinair filter for 1/5scale rcs
I clean it with handsoap and it works great 👍🏻 its a mini filter anyway so 😂
I oil it with the bottle an work (massage) it in in a plastic bag
I use UNI it works great
UNI is a great air filter. Thanks for sharing with us *Tropical Spice!*
Awesome vid and edits and filming and bike
So do you keep the air filter cleaner in the bucket for a while or empty it after every wash?
It's also a good idea too actually clean your air box
I recently started buying NoToil ready filters in bulk and replace them after every ride. I give away the used ones to someone who wants to mess with them. I figure it saves a ton of time and I don't have to get all the extra stuff shown in the video.
We like the No Toil Pre-Oiled Filters as well.. but with how often you change an air filter on a dirt bike, it can get pretty spendy. An air filter can last multiple washes and rides. But hey, cleaning your air filter no matter which way you go about it is a good habbit to get in to. Thanks for watching
Do you need to get rid of the cleaner and oil after a while of cleaning in the tubs?
Step number one should be clean your box. That way when you remove AND reinstall the air filter, no dirt drops in your air boot,
We hear ya there *Dylans503!* It was dirty. We decided to do 2 how-to videos, one being the air filter and the other cleaning the airbox. Check out our How-To Video on how to clean an airbox: czcams.com/video/Dr_PkKa3kj0/video.html
Probably should have mentioned it in this video. Since cleaning the filter and box should go hand in hand.
Yes, a clean box is important. I mean, I’ve messed around with some dirty ones...but I don’t talk about those.
@@rmatvmc that video had a completely different bike, so you didn't clean the airboc after all
Is it okay if you drive like on tuesday and clean it like few days after if you won't drive it before its cleaned?
great info! perhaps when oiling the filter you might want to clean up the surrounding enclosure where the filter is placed as well.. i'm sure it will get dirty pretty quickely again but it just doesn't sit right with me seeing such a freshly oiled filter placed into a dusty looking contraption..
This is true. We broke our maintenance videos up into 3 different segments. Here's our Airbox Video: czcams.com/video/Dr_PkKa3kj0/video.html
Best video out there
Thanks *Todd Odell*
Step 10: When all is said and done and the bike won't start, remove the shop rag from the airbox boot. :)
meticulous work...the way it should be. yeah, you can do this cheaper, but the cleaning and washing tubs will save time and money in the long run. good idea and sound investment.
Can you use dawn dish soap to clean the foam air filter
When oiling a filter I usually spray the filter with oil and putting it in a plastic bag and massaging the filter
Yeah… thinking a good squirt of dishwashing detergent ( .5cents) and it’s clean!
Is there a way to get all that fft stuff out of the container? I'm trying to clean it but it's actin'
Why can't I find that Maxima air filter cleaner on your web site? Only seeing spray cans.
just curious, shouldn't you rinse the filter out in a tub of water first to get the bulk dirt out before soaking it in the cleaner so you don't have to trade out new cleaner near as often.. lol JS
I used to wash the filter with petrol than with soap and water and let it dry. Soaked the filter with normal engine oil. No expensive products needed.
Simple Green or super clean in the spray bottle 5 minutes rinse it out with hot water. After it dries use K&N in the aerosol bottle. That's the fastest in the easiest way to do the air filter. Both of them cost about 12 bucks
with that oil in the smaller tub how many uses would u get
I have been using gas forever no problems change every ride 1-2 hours filters as good as new
Cody sansbury aa
+Cody127 they get paid to do it with these products..
it does break down certain brands of air filter foam
Cody 127 same haha
Forever is a long time. I'll give it a try since I have extra gas in garage from last trip out. And I don't need more stuff taking up shelf space.
How do people responsibly dispose of the solvent used to clean the oil out?
Where do you find this on the bike? And what is a air filter?
Didn't say anything about dry time or over oiling and might run rich for a little bit.
Or backfires lmao
Washing up liquid and that’s it! Dry it off,spray oil on it,give it a squeeze. Done
When I submerge my oil filter like that and then put it in the bike the next day the oil is dripping out underneat the airbox. I use twinair oil so why is this? Yes I sqyeeze it to remove too much oil it looks like the oil is very thin?
do u have to put oil on the foam filter
All good apart from last time I used general grease it deteriorated the foam at the seal I now use silicone grease
Oh no, sorry to hear about that. I guess we live and learn. What brand air filter are you running currently?
Rocky Mountain ATV MC twin air bro
*xxnickthegreekxx -* They make great air filters! Let us know if you have that same problem in the future with the grease eating away the foam?
Is it worth using a vacuum cleaner on and around the filter before removing it to minimise the risk of dust and dirt particles going in the engine after removing the filter?
That doesn't sound like a bad idea!
I really like the twin air tubs and cleaners. The cleaner is bio degradable which is nice. I have used it a few times and it will save me money in the long run. Curious what the guys do with the left over gas? Just pour it out on the ground? That was my only issue with using gas.
What leftover gas are you talking about? We recommend not using gas in this video for other reasons, along with the fact that its hard to get rid of. Just like any left over gas or oil you should take it to a proper hazardous waste disposal facility.
Thanks for watching!
I was asking the guys who use gas. Wasn’t directed at you. Good vids by the way.
Can I use any oil or it has to be engine oil
What kind of oil can u use
How many times can i re use the air filter cleaner and oil?
I'm new to foam filters. Hell new to biking. He did not say one word about rain sock cover?
Do u have to oil an old one if u clean it
Would u guys recommend me putting my air filter in the dryer after I clean if😂🤷🏽♂️
Mineral spirits will break down the filter oil faster and is completely safe for the foam. Usually 2-3 dips in the spirits and all the oil is gone. No need for soaking it for any amount of time
Yes Sir! Mineral Spirits works the best.
I use WD-40 to clean of my Castrol Filter Oil
What are mineral spirits?..You mean turpentine?
Michael Steven White spirit (UK)[note 1] or mineral spirits (US, Canada),[1][2][3] also known as mineral turpentine (AU/NZ), turpentine substitute, petroleum spirits, solvent naphtha (petroleum), varsol, Stoddard solvent,[4][5] or, generically, "paint thinner", is a petroleum-derived clear liquid used as a common organic solvent in painting and decorating.
What oil do you re soak the filter with ?