Celica Forums General Discussion Exterior CAI FILTer...

How do i clean my cai filter? will be taking the bumper off this weekend so thought to clean the filter.. thanks.

In normal, on-road applications, Air Filter every at least once a year. A certain amount of dirt build-up will actually work for you. It does not degrade Performance and helps filter the air.

Service the filter more frequently if it is subjected to frequent or heavy dust. Regular operation in a fine dust environment, such as what would be present for agricultural, construction or off-road use, will cause oil loss from the element. Frequent re-oiling of the element's clean side may be required.

Most High-Flow Air Filters come pre-oiled, but when its time to clean them, you'll need both the cleaner and the oil, most commonly referred to as a "Recharger Kit".

The whole process takes about an hour. It's very easy...
1. Take your filter out.

2. Shake it to loosen the dirt: Tap the filter gently on a hard surface to dislodge loose dirt. Tap the head of a filter. Tap a panel filter dirt side down. Do not tap any filter on its edges. Remember to tap gently.

3. Use a soft brush and brush off as much dirt as you can: Gently brush the dirt side of filter with a soft bristle brush. A old tooth brush works well.

4. Spray Air Filter Cleaner liberally onto the entire element. Let the Cleaner soak into the filter media for 10 minutes.

5. After the Cleaner soaks for 10 minutes, rinse the filter with low pressure water. Water out of a household faucet is best. Always flush opposite the direction of air flow ie: from the clean side to the dirty side. This removes the dirt and does not drive it further into the filter media.

6. After rinsing, shake off the excess water and let the element dry at room or outside air temperature. Do not use compressed air because it will damage the filter media. [/b]Do not[/b] use heat from any source to dry a your filter. Heat will shrink the filter media and may damage the rubber base, top or end caps

7. Once the filter is dry, apply the oil...
SPRAY OILING: Spray Air Filter Oil from a distance of about 10 inches onto a group of pleats. Spray each group of pleats only once. Spray oil onto the filter media such it becomes reddish in color. Let the filter sit for 10 minutes then respray any areas that are still white.

SQUEEZE BOTTLE OR TUBE OILING: Squeeze Air Filter Oil onto each pleat. Let the filter sit for 20 minutes as the oil "wicks" into the surrounding filter media. Apply more Filter Oil to areas that are still white

OILING NOTE: Never put a your filter in service without oiling it. The filter will not function properly without being oiled. Air Filter Oil is a unique blend of mineral and organic oil base stocks and special polymers that form a very efficient "tack barrier". Red dye is added to show areas of oil application. Eventually, the dye fades but the oil remains to filter the air. Do not use automatic transmission fluid, any kind of motor oil or diesel fuel to oil a you air filter. Do not use "WD-40", "LPS" or any other type of light-weight spray lubricants to oil your air filter. Any of those products will damage the filter or degrade its filtering ability. A filter used on an engine that is regularly operated in a fine dust environment will require frequent re-oiling of the filters clean side in between cleanings.

8. put the filter back on your car. Re-install your Air Filter with care.

NOTES: Some aftermarket filters also include a "Do Not Discard" notice label. If you haven't already, place the sticker in a visible position to alert service technicians to the existence of a high-flow / rechargeable filter is installed on your engine.

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Recharger kits come complete with instructions, filter oil and filter cleaner. They usually run for about $11 at any pepboys/autozone... Of all the kits, we highly recommend the "K&N Recharger Kit"

very straight forward.. thanks Isaac

fully detailed instructions have just been written and added to the guides database
https://celicahobby.com/ubbthreads/thread.f_1869924338_0_collapsed_2__1.html

good info -

It's really easy. The only thing I did different, was let mine air dry overnight before I oiled it. Good luck.

Yep the thing that takes the longest is waiting for the filter to dry.
Whatever you do DON'T use a hair dryer to speed up the process.

did you rip those directions off a K&N bottle Isaac

actualy no, it took me about an hour to put that together lastnight... it came from several different sources and I added plenty myself

but if you choose to think what you want - go right ahead

gooooooooooooood info~
i gotta clean mine soon~

AEM said not to use other brand filter cleaner kit...but screw them~ im getting the K&N ones soon~

^^^
yeah, I doubt it has to be brand-specific