Air Filter

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Terra Dog

Terra Dog

New Member
Posts
289
Location
West Midlands
Hi all, is it right that the rubber drain off condom thingy is suppose to fill up will oil on my 90 defender 200tdi? I took it off today for the second time in two weeks after not running the landy much and it was full of oil again. I would say about 150ml ran out when I took it off. Im talking about the rubber thing on the underside of the air filter box?

Also I have a K&N air filter which is black and i think it needs replacing? Should I just put a standard one back in? How much is a new standard filter and what difference will it make to the running of the landy?

Cheers Terra Dog
 
umm not sure on the pipe you mean with out going out and having a look at mine

as for air filter i have a standard one at 9 pound whats the point in a k and n
should be fine to go back to the original one though,they say they use less fuel with k and n cant see ever car ive heard of uses more fuel once fitted
 
OK thanks for that. I think i'll just put an original air filter back on when i get paid. I dont think it anything to do with the air filter, but it is dirty so no harm in replacin it.
 
The oil will be getting into your air filter housing via the engine breather from the cyclone unit. It's quite usual for a diesel engine to breathe slightly, particularly higher mileage engines and it's nothing to worry about, the only problem being that it's an oily mist of combustion gasses that obviously saturates the filter. You can get around this problem in future by either redirecting the breather pipe so that it is on the turbo side of the air filter (i.e. after the air filter), or simply re-direct it towards the floor (not the best thing to do). The 'rubber condom' that you mention, is the system in place to ensure that any water drawn into the filter housing has a place to escape and the oil from your breather pipe has obviously taken the same route. Do NOT dispose of your K&N filter! They're very expensive bits of kit, and they do come with a lifetime warranty. Simply fill a sink with hot tap water, stir in some degreaser and leave it to soak for a few hours. You can buy a proper kit to clean and replenish any K&N air filter - they're not designed to be used once and thrown out like the standard OEM paper medium air filters.

-Pos
 
So you reckon i should fill the sink up with soap water i.e. washing up liquid, leave it to soak and give it a good clean, and this will be ok? What about drying it, should i leave it to dry for a couple of days, or can it go back in damp? Have you got anypics of the pipe thats causing the problem? I just read in the link griffdowg put up that it's the cyclone breather?Is this right and do i have to replace it?
 
Yeah it will help. Basically you want to use something that will move the oil out of the filter and it may well take a few washes - you will need some patience. Don't be too stubborn with it either, give it a gentle brush with a potato scrubber at most and then leave it again, they're quite durable filters so it'd be a shame to just scrap it. Don't fit it damp, it wont do your engine any favours. Let it dry out thoroughly whether you use a hair drier on it or whether you stick on a radiator etc. Really you should then oil it with K&N's own filter oil which is designed to hold any dust / dirt on the outside of the filter (it's quite a sticky oil). There are some alternatives you can use such as ATF (automatic transmission fluid) and you only need to run a little bit down the edge of each pleat- don't over oil it, in fact, apply less than you think is required so that you don't over oil it.

The pipe that's causing the problem runs from the cyclone breather unit, which is the black cylindrical block that is bolted to the drivers side of the engine between the rocker cover and the cylinder head. The pipe will be about 3/4 of an inch thick and it attaches to the top of the breather and points out towards the front of your land rover. You should be able to follow this pipe to the filter housing. Take the whole pipe off and clean it as best as you can - don't get any water in it unless you dry it off throughly though. Then you can either just put it back where it was and drive a few thousand miles before you need to clean the filter again, or you can point it towards the floor and then blank off the hole where it entered the filter housing. If you're up to it, you could also plumb it directly into the intake manifold on the engine, so that the oily fumes are drawn straight in rather than being drawn through the filter. They don't need to be filtered.

-Pos
 
Last edited:
So should i wait a few weeks and by the proper k&n filter cleaning stuff or risk doing it with out, i'm skint at the mo so can't even afford to get some atf fluid, unless i have some left over from the service i did a couple of weeks ago. I'll have to check.
 
Terra Dog said:
Cheers for that very usefull info POS, Much appreciated.
Click to expand...

No problem. The proper kit should come with a cleaning spray and the oil as well as a set of instructions explaining exactly what to do. To be honest with you, I've never once oiled one of my air filters. I have a Wolfrace air filter which is similar to a K&N induction kit (cone shaped) and I haven't oiled it. It's best practice to oil them to prevent dirt from getting through the cotton gause so that's what I'd recommend. Others might say differently however.

-Pos
 
I see what you mean, i'm going to get the proper K&N cleaning kit, so no worries, might even investigate into changing the cyclone breather, are they easy to fit, from what i've read i think they are?
 
I was just looking at that photo post by buster, but thanks anyway. I do't suppose you know what heating oil is do you? Do you think this could solve my problem if i clean the breather out?
 
Terra Dog said:
I see what you mean, i'm going to get the proper K&N cleaning kit, so no worries, might even investigate into changing the cyclone breather, are they easy to fit, from what i've read i think they are?
Click to expand...

Read Busters cleaning guide as posted above. The cyclone breather isn't the kind of thing that needs replacing either, they just need a clean every once in a while. As far as I'm ware (although not 100% certain) there is a vacuum diaphragm in there somewhere that is only opened via the vacuum created by the inlet tract. I've just got my breather pipe pointing straight at the floor at the moment and it doesn't seem to have caused any problems. I do intend on plumbing it back into the air intake with an oil catch over Summer, that way the engine is sucking the combustion gasses back in, but no oil vapours (supposedly), doing the very job that the cyclone unit is supposed to do!

-Pos
 
heating oil is kerosene i think, but paraffin or diesel will do the job just as well (very similar properties).

sounds like your engine is breathing heavy which could be a few things like worn piston bores/rings or valve seats.
 
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