how often do u clean your air filter


MX 125

Member
Aug 21, 2003
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how often do u clean your air filter, also if i was to put a oiled air filter into a airtight bag how long could it stay in there before the filter oil would go bad (or wolud it) i would like to clean my filter every other ride or so but i just dont have the time so i thought if i pre-oiled/cleaned them put them in a bag and kept them that way till i needed them it would make life that much easyer
 

mxer842

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Nov 11, 2003
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i have always oiled my filters, giving them about 20minutes for the oil to set up and tossed them in an airtight bag. i have heard that they should never go bad if their in an airtight bag but i have always tryed to use them within a month at the latest.
 

Chili

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Apr 9, 2002
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Our filters are cleaned after every ride. On race days it's not uncommon for us to change the filter after practice and again between the morning and afternoon moto's on especially dusty days. Not sure how long they would be good in the bag I've never had one in a bag for more than a day or two.
 

Enduro_Nut

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Feb 7, 2002
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Originally posted by Chili
Our filters are cleaned after every ride. On race days it's not uncommon for us to change the filter after practice and again between the morning and afternoon moto's on especially dusty days. Not sure how long they would be good in the bag I've never had one in a bag for more than a day or two.

Well said "after every ride" - something about dirt and rings that don't mix! :eek:
 

Peer Lovell

Member
Nov 25, 1999
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Change my filter and trans. oil each and every time I ride.
As far as how long you can leave the filters in a bag....a couple of years ago, I rebuilt my bike in December, then put it away for the winter.
For some bizzare reason I oil up three filters at the same time and put them in zip lock bags. Come the spring the filters were totally disintegrated.
So, I wouldn't leave them too long in a container where they couldn't breathe.
 

MX 125

Member
Aug 21, 2003
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thanks for the replys guys......chili could you go to the places to ride forum and reply to my thread about winnipeg
 

Dogman5

Member
Jun 20, 2003
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I usually ride for about an hour or so a day tops. So about every 3 rides. I check the air filter every ride, but I dont clean it unless I feel it has to, and I havent had any problems :)
 

darringer

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Dec 2, 2001
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I clean mine every other ride during the wet months. I check before every ride, though. In the dry weather, every ride is an absolute must. Filter oil and 10 minutes is "dirt" cheap insurance against tearing up a motor.
 

SULLY

Member
Apr 17, 2002
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After every moto in dry dusty conditions, and if wet /muddy....if anywhere in between I may leave it on for a three moto race day. I keep four or six filters in good condition, and clean them as a batch when they are all dirty. The biggest pb I find is that I live in a wet climate, where often they won't dry in the outdoors so I have to put them on the radiator in the house, the evaporating petrol fumes (no matter how many times you wash with soapy water they still give off)...stinks the house out, drives my missus mad...anyone got any tips on drying them?
 

mxer842

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Nov 11, 2003
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i used to put them in the dryer for a few minutes on air dry and that worked fine, but the mom wasn't to happy about that so i set them in front of a fan.
 

CaptainObvious

Formally known as RV6Junkie
Damn Yankees
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Jan 8, 2000
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I keep several filters oiled and ready to use. I change the filter about every 2 to 3 hours of ride time. So a long day of riding will get a mid-day filter change. Gear box gets changed every 5 hours.

I also use No-Toil oil and cleaner.
 

motometal

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Sep 3, 2001
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as long as the filter is internally coated with sticky oil and not "dried up" with dirt and dust, it will do it's job.  Blindly changing the filter every ride is, in my opinion, a waste of time and could possibly do more harm than good.  It's ohh so easy to bump a bit of dirt into the air boot when changing a filter.  Keep an eye on it and make sure it's well saturated with oil (just spraying the outer surface with oil doesn't cut it).

Coat the inside of the air boot between the filter and the carb with grease.  Don't smear too much around the rear part of the carb, it could plug up one of the bleed passages.  When changing the filter, stick your clean fingers back in the rear part of the boot, and feel for any grit.  Also look at the grease and see if it looks dirty.  The grease is dual purpose, to act as a warning that there is some problem allowing dirt in, and also to trap the dirt preventing damage (not perfect but it helps).  Usually, the only evidence of dirt I find is in the very bottom, due to dirt falling in during the filter change, which I of coarse clean back out and re-grease as needed.

As far as drying, I use an old bath towel (or paper towels in a pinch) to absorb out most of the water.  Next, I work the oil into a filter using a large ziplock bag.  This chases any remaining water out, and it just goes to the bottom corner of the bag.  With colored oil, it should be easy enough to see if this is working, or if there are unsaturated spots on the filter.

ditto on the sealed plastic bag disintegrating the filter.

cleaning filters is a necessary evil :p
 

KXTodd

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Nov 25, 2000
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I'm glad I'm not the only one. Had me feeling like I'm neglecting my bike... I check the filter everytime I clean the bike, if it's not wet or black with dirt it goes back on without cleaning. So I might change it every 5 or 6 rides?, does that make me a baaaad dirtbiker?
 

CaptainObvious

Formally known as RV6Junkie
Damn Yankees
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Jan 8, 2000
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That's about the same as me. 3 hours could be 6 rides!
 

nikki

Moto Junkie
Apr 21, 2000
5,802
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We clean our filters when they are dirty. Might be 1 ride might be 6. For the past 5 years, we have used No Toil filters, oil, and rim grease. Never had any kind of engine or mechanical failures on any of our bikes besides my YZ 125 eating clutches.
 

MX 125

Member
Aug 21, 2003
48
0
thx for all the replys im the same way as the last few people i clean it when i starts to look dirty, i was getting scared there for awhile everyone was saying they were cleaning theres every few hours i thought i was neglecting my bike
 

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