So I bought the car with the intake, found out who he was and was a mutual friend of one of my good friends who's a car enthusiast like we all are. Figured he took care of it, read some threads on the forums about cleaning cai so I got curious. When I finally had time I took off my bumper and found this. Tried cleaning it and wasn't getting any better. Got a little white but I think it's from the soap&water. Filter was soaking wet and I have to be at work in the morning so I just went to get a temp til I can order a new AEM filter. I'm just happy I can hear her whistle again <3

 

Go to your local car parts store and pick up a k&n filter cleaning kit

 

Mine looked like that...it was way overdue...ended up buying a new filter...the rubber was cracked on mine and I tried three times to clean it with the k and n filter cleaner...a little better, but....it was still pretty dirty. Your car will be happy with the new filter...

 

i wouldn't do this because most AEM filters are dry filters.

 

Get a new one!!

 

I probably need to do this. Do you have to take the bumper off?? DIY anyone....?



sent from phone so I don't want to search on this

 

^^^ best to take your bumper off but I think you can reach it by pulling back the wheel well flap (whatever it is called) the only concern with that is when you are putting it back in will you get any dirt in the filter.. not the outside but inside... also the bumper takes like 2 minutes to remove and 2 minutes to put back on... search for a DIY on here.. or check out the DIY thread of all DIYs

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/3g-tl-garage-faq-3g-tl-newbies-553554/

 

SAfe for aem flters

 

Take wheel off, leave bumper on...pull liner back...swap filter...reverse process and done. 10-15 min max.

 

Probably need to check my filter and make sure she's looking alright!

 

+1,I just turn the wheels all to way to the right. i need to replace mine.. Been on for like 3 years now. last time i checked there are tiny tears and holes in my filter

 

What kind of soap did you use to wash it?

I used laundry detergent. Put it in a bucket with water and dip the filter in and out (not supposed to let water go in through the neck in case it's contaminated). Worked well, but my filter wasnt too dirty to begin with.

Rinse filter with cold water from inside out, let dry for 30 minutes.

 

They sell air filter cleaning solution for really cheap. I don't know if there are any negative effects from using dishsoap/laundry detergent but why a take a chance. Just buy the kit.

 

forget the cleaning kits / oil re-wetting kits. i would just buy a new filter cause even if you clean it, it still won't be as clean as a BRAND NEW filter straight out the box

 

AEM is a dry filter .. you don't re-oil it.

I have cleaned min a couple times .. its not hard to do and AEM has a cleaning kit that costs like $12 and takes 20 min ... you DON"T wash inside out or rinse inside out.

 

my filter looked like that too...so i bought a new one off amazon for $45, and its oem AEM. arrived next day cuz i had amazon prime.

 

Yeah I used the cleaning kit 3 times. Only got somewhat lighter in blackness, and it says to wash it with water. I also dipped it in a bucket of soap and water. I saw the dirtyness in the water, but didn't seem like it effected the filter at all... I just bought a new one instead. Can't say I'm getting better gas mileage though. I wonder how much MPG and power I loss from this lol..

 

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...Number=1160493

At one point AEM was directing people to use SimpleGreen. I think K&N and AEM teamed up to make more money. As far as laundry detergent, that stuff is pretty mild to fabrics. Dish soap on the other hand, is not mild.

aem begs to differ:
http://www.aemintakes.com/air_filter...structions.htm

http://www.aemintakes.com/video/AEM_...r_Cleaning.htm

Also, the natural color of some of their filters is dark grey. It's not going to be bleach white or blaze orange.

 

btw, simple green can be had for $13 in a 1 gallon jug (128 oz).

that's over 9 oz per dollar. Vs. 2.46 oz per dollar for the K&N fluid. As cheap as the K&N fluid is, it's a money grab.

 

The solution I get fron AEM is not a spray .. its a solution you mix in a pail of water and submerse the fileter up to the top od the media then let it soak ... you them spin to agitate then the second solution you do the same .. then rinse the same way in cool water ... they specifically say do not get water inside.

Thay must have 2 systems.

 

Yeah I was a little sketchy about spraying from inside out, but the instructions said to. Using the temporary filter til I can get the OG nice n clean. You think there would be any difference in performance from the cheap one from O'reillys vs the AEM one? A filter is just a filter, but I read somewhere on the forums that someone had a valid point. The cheap ones are the DIY cais. Whereas the AEM is a part of a "sophisticated system" worth 200+. Thoughts? I got a spectre to run me through the week. Bleh.

 

aem dry flow filters don't ever have to be oiled found out the hard way

 

Try cleaning it first. If it were me and I don't know how long it has been since the last time it was cleaned I would probably just replace it.

 

It doesn't look like the previous owner neglected it on purpose. I'm sure he just didn't know that they need to be cleaned every once in a while. There's no way of knowing its that filthy unless you look at it. That said- yuck. Good thing you checked it.

 

That's the same instructions I got, and how I cleaned mine. Just had to make sure the dirty water doesn't spill over the top of the filter and get inside.

 

OP this is the way to go about it....

Put some dish washing soap in a bucket half filled with water and foam it up.....soak your filter in the bucket and leave it there for 10 minutes...

Agitate the filter but rotating it in the bucket. Then using your fingers or a soft brush clean it up....

Let the filter dry out completely before installing it back....

When the filter looks like yours, I would highly recommend buying a new one rather than cleaning it up....

 

Thanks for the info guys. Gonna try it one last time to see if I get any better results, if not, I'm just gonna stick to the one I'm using now til it gets dirty and buy a AEM filter.

But again, I didn't get the answer I was looking for. Would a spectre filter and the AEM filter make any difference in performance/mpg?

 

It may not affect the car's performance directly, but you cant be sure the filtration quality is the same. Over time your engine may regret using a pepboys filter.

 

A new AEM air filter is $50....and that will last you 50-60K miles easily....why are you cheaping out ?

 

Because I had to get one that night to go to work the next day. Was going to order a new one anyways, but wanted to find out what the difference would be. That's why