oil for True Flow air filter

[paddlenbike]

True Flow air filter cleaning kits are no longer available and mine is overdue for a cleaning. I do have K&N filter oil sitting on my shelf but it is designed for a paper filter. I think the best bet is to use foam filter oil designed for a motorcycle filter since they are made somewhat similarly to the True Flow. Any thoughts?

http://www.capitolyamaha.com/images/ec0389/840-0601_400.jpg

Foam Filter Oil is for all street, off-road, and racing foam air filter applications. Innovative Bel-Ray technology has produced a foam filter oil unlike any other. It is easy to apply and improves airflow. Ultra-viscous formula forms an oil barrier to trap micron-sized particles that can cause engine damage. Waterproof formula prevents clogging when wet.

[Seanz0rz]

interesting. I had to abandon mine years ago when I could no longer her the refresh kits at a decent price.

[CJM]

PJ1 spray foam filter oil. If you use the stuff in the bottle it will make a huge mess no matter how you do it.

I use PJ1 spray on my atv air filter and we ride in sand, never have any issues.

[paddlenbike]

That sounds like a solid recommendation. I assume you can buy it at most any cycle shop?

[Erich_870]

I'm in the same boat.

Erich

[CJM]

yep, any

That sounds like a solid recommendation. I assume you can buy it at most any cycle shop?
yep, bike shop. Doesnt have to be PJ1, but UNI, no toil, foam filter oil or whatever will work fine. I do like PJ1 over everything tho. Super tacky and works well.

[troyboy162]

Pj1 I think was the best back in the day as well. Unless andvances in cleaners have been made then only gas or desiel can clean your filter after after. No toil was pretty damn good and cleaned up easy. Good luck and keep it out of your maf :)

[4x4mike]

I'm not sure I would want anything too tacking on my filter. The factory True Flow oil wasn't all that tacky. I tend to have trouble offroad with my MAF and IAC so I am somewhat timid. I've got about 2 more re oilings with my True Flow stash.

[CJM]

The oil wont go past the filter at all, my atv lives in the sand and I dont run an airbox lid and no a single drop of the filter oil has ever gone past the filter into the carb that I can tell.

But yea the downside is you need to clean it with gas to get it off.

[4x4mike]

Oh so Troy wasn't joking around. Gas? Do you put the oil on both sides of the filter or just the inlet side?

[paddlenbike]

Gas is what I used to clean my motorcycle filter, so hopefully the foam in the TrueFlow is a similar material and won't degrade when exposed to it.

[troyboy162]

riding dirt bikes in moon dust we dunked the filters in oil and squeezed out the excess. I most certainly was passing filter oil through the engine. in your truck i would try the intake side only first and watch for grains of dirt making it to the clean side of the filter. What does the instructions say that comes with those filters? motocross filter oil must be nearly the same as the truck filter oil.

[4x4mike]

I spray both sides with oil (True Flow brand). I don't have issues with passing dirt as I do with CEL for my IAC.

[CJM]

The oil in the bottle gets everywhere as you found out troy and its the reason i wont use it. The spray doesnt, it stays on the outside of the filter just fine. I spray the entire filter on mine but its a round filter like a CAI. Might only want to spray the side exposed to the dirty air coming in till you know how its gonna react.

As for the gas, yep it cleans it off good and dries quick. They do make a nice spray that cleans the filters-but believe it or not gas is cheaper. I simply take an old metal bowl, pour a bit of gas in (a cup maybe), stick the filter in and wash it then I squish out the excess and let dry.

[4x4mike]

FWIW I thought I would post pics of the factory stuff.

Oil. Says it contains hexane and petroleum distillates.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-VRuyauXw0hk/T3ss8i2SnhI/AAAAAAAAt1o/Rbg7ASkFBns/s800/IMAG1144.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-uZD_1_ZX89Q/T3stEPTqnNI/AAAAAAAAt1w/e-6izF6Sc94/s800/IMAG1145.jpg

Cleaner. Also says it contains hexane and petroleum distillates. Also contains 2-butoxyethanol.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-qf74XdTlK6M/T3stXYaHg6I/AAAAAAAAt2A/ecpOUk5Nwa0/s800/IMAG1147.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uX9XTHO29Vo/T3stdWiGPUI/AAAAAAAAt2I/kCv8JnNetfk/s800/IMAG1148.jpg


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cLccOQAnOyg/T3stQloxG4I/AAAAAAAAt14/dIb7Qa1jHls/s800/IMAG1146.jpg

[CJM]

Curious Mike:

Just how thick is that stuff? The motorcycle oils (bottle type) are think and gooey like honey.

[4x4mike]

I forget but I shook the bottle. It's more watery and fluid than thick and gooey. The nozzle hole is pretty small and it's a pump aerosol so it can't be too thick.

[CJM]

Yea, the oil in the bottle def wouldnt work then at all. Would make a gooey mess.

[paddlenbike]

This is what I ended up with from a motorcycle shop. They had PJ1 brand but it was $12.95 for each the cleaner and the oil while this brand was $9.50 and $8.50, respectively.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9-1WYUzBnRw/T3uj4xfRgeI/AAAAAAAAGsg/Zdy6KZQn0XA/s640/filter-oil.jpg

Both claim they are safe for foam and fabric filters and won't harm the glue media that holds the foam to the frame.

I looked over some of the foam motorcycle filter and they were constructed almost identically to the TrueFlow, right down the frame and mesh inside.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_-OcObFqekk/T3uj6UB99kI/AAAAAAAAGso/1F-FUBpEkUw/s640/moto_filter1.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Hs_dAPVSnDM/T3uj63i9TMI/AAAAAAAAGsw/PKYNomhHRCA/s640/moto_filter2.jpg

I feel confident this will work exactly the same as the True Flow branded stuff.

[CJM]

Its all the same stuff really, glad you found something that works.

FYI: I never purchase my sprays or oils from the bike shop, seems like everything is double the price as on the net-even with shipping!

[paddlenbike]

Update, the stuff I posted above has worked just fine. I noticed that the TrueFlow oil was "more oily" while the Fab1 stuff was "more tacky." I'm thinking that might actually be a good thing as hopefully the oil is less likely to wick off the filter and onto the MAF, particularly for those with superchargers.