New K&N Air Filter - Nice Surprise

[Canadian Ranger]

20 years in the turbocharger sales and service says differently for me.

Agreed, and one doesn't even have to have a turbo. I put one in my old Volvo 240 and it ruined the Mass Air Flow within no time, it was located between the filter and the engine intake. That wire in it the size of a hair looked like a dirty pipe cleaner lol. I can only imagine what it'll do to modern air flow & electronics.

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[a6m5]

For that reason I will not put an oil type air filter on any turbocharged vehicle that I own. There are plenty of dry high flow air filters available (like the AEM) that don't lead to this type of issue.

Good heads up on the AEM filter. Just ordered one from Amazon, as I do way too much dirt road/off-road driving. Thanks!

 

[awd.nv]

Good heads up on the AEM filter. Just ordered one from Amazon, as I do way too much dirt road/off-road driving. Thanks!

For those curious AEM 28-30086

I went back to paper personally but now that I did some mods, I might clean my old AEM one out and install it again.

 

[JohnnyO]

Many owners with the oiled filters may need to clean their MAF sensor from time to time with a MAF specific cleaner. The oiled filter will let a little oil through and may throw a code. Experience hear on that. My 2 cents.

I spent a lot of years on the Sport Trac boards before I went back to a Ranger. In my experience, dudes who fouled the MAF and got a CEL sprayed too much oil on the filter and/or got obsessive about cleaning and oiling it. I never had that problem. Just cleaned and oiled it once a year.

 

[a6m5]

For those curious AEM 28-30086

I went back to paper personally but now that I did some mods, I might clean my old AEM one out and install it again.

It feels like it's lost some power with the AEM filter(Edit: has Ford Performance tune). Contemplating if it's worth switching between K&N for daily driving, AEM for dusty trails. I'm not sure about the loss of power, so I will switch back to K&N at least once more to see if I'll be able to tell the difference.

 

[Rp930]

Reminded me to get a fresh WIx. My engine doesn’t like dirt.

 

[awd.nv]

It feels like it's lost some power with the AEM filter. Contemplating if it's worth switching between K&N for daily driving, AEM for dusty trails. I'm not sure about the loss of power, so I will switch back to K&N at least once more to see if I'll be able to tell the difference.

Honestly the reason why I went paper (WIX) was because I couldn't tell a difference. Had k&n, AEM and WIX. Granted only stock though, maybe with my bolt ons it's worth to revisit it. I have seen comments on Amazon with your similar experience with k&n in particular.

 

[got3fords]

It feels like it's lost some power with the AEM filter. Contemplating if it's worth switching between K&N for daily driving, AEM for dusty trails. I'm not sure about the loss of power, so I will switch back to K&N at least once more to see if I'll be able to tell the difference.

Get an acceleration app and do back to back runs on each filter.

 

[got3fords]

sure, if they are improperly oiled. Oil only goes on the dirty side not the clean side.

Pretty sure you are supposed to oil both sides. K&N website says to apply oil to the crown of each pleat. And " Touch up any light areas on either side of the filter until there is a uniform red color on all areas ".

 

[a6m5]

Honestly the reason why I went paper (WIX) was because I couldn't tell a difference. Had k&n, AEM and WIX. Granted only stock though, maybe with my bolt ons it's worth to revisit it. I have seen comments on Amazon with your similar experience with k&n in particular.

Sorry, I forgot to mention mine does have the Ford Performance tune.

 

[fusseli]

Pretty sure you are supposed to oil both sides. K&N website says to apply oil to the crown of each pleat. And " Touch up any light areas on either side of the filter until there is a uniform red color on all areas ".

That's how it reads now, in past years they specifically said not to add it to the engine side because people slather the red shit on too much. A light coating on the dirty side is all it needs, it will soak through and be red both sides if you let it sit as the instructions also say.

 

[Rp930]

It was liberating to throw the oil and the K&N in the trash.

 

[Stevedbvik1]

It was liberating to throw the oil and the K&N in the trash.

 

[Cmar]

Pretty sure you are supposed to oil both sides. K&N website says to apply oil to the crown of each pleat. And " Touch up any light areas on either side of the filter until there is a uniform red color on all areas ".

Well technically you only oil one side, but it has to be enough for it to soak right through for an even pink colour right across the filter.

 

[docthndr]

There’s some bad information floating around about K&N filters and the old MAF-sensor oiling myths, but that doesn’t apply to the Ranger at all. If someone wants maximum filtration efficiency, they should stick to a standard paper filter like Fram or the OEM Motorcraft—those filter far better than any “high-flow” filter, and they actually get more efficient as they get dirtier. High-flow filters like K&N trade a very small amount of filtration (we’re talking fractions of a percent, around 0.05–0.10%) for higher CFM, and again, they filter even better once some dust loads into the media. The oil question is irrelevant here because the first sensor after the filter isn’t a MAF—it’s just an intake temperature sensor. Even if trace oil did pass through, the system already pulls oil mist into the intake tract through the PCV system long before the turbo, and then again through the second PCV line feeding the intake manifold. The only actual airflow-related sensors are the MAP sensors: one after the intercooler and one inside the manifold. So, the idea that an oiled filter can damage a nonexistent MAF is simply outdated information that doesn’t apply to this platform at all.

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