[Gizmo3332]

i was thinking of getting a uni filter instead of keep on buying the stock paper filters.
i was just wondering if anyone has got one in there Jimny and if it works well?

[vermin]

I don't own a Uni filter, but I own a K&N oil based air filter - that is good as long as you clean it on a very regular basis as it gets cloged up with soot and bugs all the time.

If it's paper based I would buy one.

[Reubs]

I have run K&N, Unifilter and oem paper filters in my coilies.

IMO, The best would be paper, followed by Unifilter then K&N rubbish.

PAPER:
PROs - Replaceable in 3 minutes. Never gets damaged by cleaning as it is thrown away. Costs $30.

CONs - None.

Unifilter:
PROs - Easily cleaned in 30 minutes. Seals the best in Sierra filter box of any filter I have seen. Cheap to clean and oil. Filters at least as good as paper filter IMO. Durable steel inner construction covered with 2 removable layers of foam. $65 so will save you money after 3 or so uses.

CONs - Foam element will break down when if any solvent is left on filter when cleaning (virtually impossible to wring them out properly). When foam breaks it will go through engine and gum up rings and bore.

K&N
PROs - You feel cool when you order it.

CONs - They suck to clean - cleaning kit costs $28. You have to first rinse filter in water and then wait several hours for it to dry otherwise it won't oil properly. They are constructed cheaply (from plastic) and don't seal well in the filter box meaning dust can get around them - especially when they are clogged. The filter element consists of a few layers of cotton guaze meaning they can't really filter fine dust at all.


Summary. IMO Paper is good. If you want a re-usable one get a unifilter (half the price of K&N). Don't clean inner layer of foam (it doesn't get dirty anyway) because if solvent breaks it down then it's going through your engine.

[lump_a_charcoal]

Paper filters are the best, hands down.

[Fatzook]

I've just taken the UNI off my ute for the rebuild. And its not going back on.

[shep]

i bet it is shitloads my dustier here then where you are and my paper filter is still like new even after 12 months abuse.
i do have a doneldson pre cleaner though.

[Fatzook]

shep wrote:

i do have a doneldson pre cleaner though.

And thats why!! Best thing you can do for a cars intake system.

[shep]

Fatzook wrote:

shep wrote:

i do have a doneldson pre cleaner though.

And thats why!! Best thing you can do for a cars intake system.

yep and seeing as they cost around $30 i am amazed that there aren't more around.

[Fatzook]

shep wrote:

Fatzook wrote:

shep wrote:

i do have a doneldson pre cleaner though.

And thats why!! Best thing you can do for a cars intake system.

yep and seeing as they cost around $30 i am amazed that there aren't more around.

When I make the snorkel for the ute I will be making it so that I can drop a doneldsom pre-cleaner on top for longer trips. They look a bit silly, but you can't deny they work.

[crewsy]

Fatzook wrote:

shep wrote:

Fatzook wrote:

shep wrote:

i do have a doneldson pre cleaner though.

And thats why!! Best thing you can do for a cars intake system.

yep and seeing as they cost around $30 i am amazed that there aren't more around.

When I make the snorkel for the ute I will be making it so that I can drop a doneldsom pre-cleaner on top for longer trips. They look a bit silly, but you can't deny they work.

What about the internal sock style pre cleaners? Are they as efficient? At least you can hide them

[ajsr]

crewsy wrote:

Fatzook wrote:

shep wrote:

Fatzook wrote:

shep wrote:

i do have a doneldson pre cleaner though.

And thats why!! Best thing you can do for a cars intake system.

yep and seeing as they cost around $30 i am amazed that there aren't more around.

When I make the snorkel for the ute I will be making it so that I can drop a doneldsom pre-cleaner on top for longer trips. They look a bit silly, but you can't deny they work.

What about the internal sock style pre cleaners? Are they as efficient? At least you can hide them

not even close to as good

[Fatzook]

ajsr wrote:

crewsy wrote:

Fatzook wrote:

shep wrote:

Fatzook wrote:

shep wrote:

i do have a doneldson pre cleaner though.

And thats why!! Best thing you can do for a cars intake system.

yep and seeing as they cost around $30 i am amazed that there aren't more around.

When I make the snorkel for the ute I will be making it so that I can drop a doneldsom pre-cleaner on top for longer trips. They look a bit silly, but you can't deny they work.

What about the internal sock style pre cleaners? Are they as efficient? At least you can hide them

not even close to as good

x2

If yo ran the sock, and a unifilter, I reckon youd be halfway to having the same filtration as a stock paper filter

[zuk85]

yea stock paper filter all the way.

K&N and the likes are all designed to be high flow filters, Which in turn have bigger air gaps too allow more air through Plus dirt and shit into your motor when your off road. Good on a road car with no dust, mud, water and crap around.

[Gwagensteve]

How the worm turns a thread like this four or five years ago would have been full of "I have a fully sik K&N and my car makes 50hp more power and they filter better because it says so on the box and its full sik and paper sux" replies.

A couple of other points about reusable filters.

A) Unifilters stop the air filter box working properly. They aren't designed to be in a filter housing - rather they are designed to replace a "free air" filter like a pod, typically on a bike or race engine where they are serviced before every event. Filter housings in a road car are designed so most of the dirt that hits the filter falls off. That's either because the filter is cyclonic like a 1.0 or 1.3 filter housing, or gravity assisted like a Jimny housing, where the air has to be pulled up through the filter - the big stuff just falls off.

With a unifilter and it's sticky surface, everything just stays in the filter, clogging it many times quicker than a paper filter.

B) NO filter should be serviced until flow has reduced to a point where engine performance is affected. The dirtier a filter, the BETTER it protects your engine. In a 4WD, filtration is more important than the truly tiny amount of power you'll gain from a clean filter.

C) Donaldson precleaners are the shizzle. There's no reason, if you have the room, they can't be mounted under the bonnet of the looks of them are too offensive and you don't need a wading snorkel. Lamborghini did this with the LM002.

Steve.

[Teracis]

Gwagensteve wrote:

How the worm turns a thread like this four or five years ago would have been full of "I have a fully sik K&N and my car makes 50hp more power and they filter better because it says so on the box and its full sik and paper sux" replies.

A couple of other points about reusable filters.

A) Unifilters stop the air filter box working properly. They aren't designed to be in a filter housing - rather they are designed to replace a "free air" filter like a pod, typically on a bike or race engine where they are serviced before every event. Filter housings in a road car are designed so most of the dirt that hits the filter falls off. That's either because the filter is cyclonic like a 1.0 or 1.3 filter housing, or gravity assisted like a Jimny housing, where the air has to be pulled up through the filter - the big stuff just falls off.

With a unifilter and it's sticky surface, everything just stays in the filter, clogging it many times quicker than a paper filter.

B) NO filter should be serviced until flow has reduced to a point where engine performance is affected. The dirtier a filter, the BETTER it protects your engine. In a 4WD, filtration is more important than the truly tiny amount of power you'll gain from a clean filter.

C) Donaldson precleaners are the shizzle. There's no reason, if you have the room, they can't be mounted under the bonnet of the looks of them are too offensive and you don't need a wading snorkel. Lamborghini did this with the LM002.

Steve.

I knew there was a reason I hadn't changed my brown looking air filter :p

Also, the whole reason I want to build a snorkel is so I can put a precleaner on the top, I reckon they look boss, like a little hat :p

[Teracis]

Gwagensteve wrote:

How the worm turns a thread like this four or five years ago would have been full of "I have a fully sik K&N and my car makes 50hp more power and they filter better because it says so on the box and its full sik and paper sux" replies.

A couple of other points about reusable filters.

A) Unifilters stop the air filter box working properly. They aren't designed to be in a filter housing - rather they are designed to replace a "free air" filter like a pod, typically on a bike or race engine where they are serviced before every event. Filter housings in a road car are designed so most of the dirt that hits the filter falls off. That's either because the filter is cyclonic like a 1.0 or 1.3 filter housing, or gravity assisted like a Jimny housing, where the air has to be pulled up through the filter - the big stuff just falls off.

With a unifilter and it's sticky surface, everything just stays in the filter, clogging it many times quicker than a paper filter.

B) NO filter should be serviced until flow has reduced to a point where engine performance is affected. The dirtier a filter, the BETTER it protects your engine. In a 4WD, filtration is more important than the truly tiny amount of power you'll gain from a clean filter.

C) Donaldson precleaners are the shizzle. There's no reason, if you have the room, they can't be mounted under the bonnet of the looks of them are too offensive and you don't need a wading snorkel. Lamborghini did this with the LM002.

Steve.

I knew there was a reason I hadn't changed my brown looking air filter :p

Also, the whole reason I want to build a snorkel is so I can put a precleaner on the top, I reckon they look boss, like a little hat :p

Oh and to keep the air clean!

[eldo]

i know im always bringing up old shit, however does anyone have the part number for the donaldson pre cleaner?

[Gwagensteve]

Check christovers build thread. I think there's a link to a vendor in there

Steve.

[Trypt]

almost any tractor shop will have them.

[eldo]

only reason i asked is i have access to Donaldson at wholesale prices, its just easier to provide a part number

[sideways]

Gwagensteve wrote:

C) Donaldson precleaners are the shizzle. There's no reason, if you have the room, they can't be mounted under the bonnet of the looks of them are too offensive and you don't need a wading snorkel. Lamborghini did this with the LM002.

Steve.

My Peugeot 505 has a Donaldson style precleaner factory fitted under the bonnet. It also has a 15x45cm cylindrical paper filter (talk about surface area!). It's the most extensive set up I've ever seen fitted to a car.



Even though it's just a road car you still get a fair bit out of that pre cleaner.

These engines (petrol) are good for literally a million kms between rebuilds, mine has 600'000 on it and still runs very well, never even had the head off. I attribute some of that to the overkill air filtration set up.

I've got another one I use as a parts car where someone has replaced all that with a K&N pod filter.

A Donaldson style precleaner with an oil bath air filter would be the ultimate IMO, oil baths aren't really good for the angles we all love though.

[Gwagensteve]

That's awesome. I bet Peugeot were also pretty paranoid about other sources of getting dirt into an engine if they were willing to throw that much work at the air filter - I bet the dipstick seals well, the rocker cover breather seals well and isn't a sloppy press fit, and the fuel is well filtered.

Steve.

[christover1]

My precleaner came off ebay for $49 delivered.
There were cheaper, but I liked the warrantee.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/190635089268 ... 1438.l2649
Not a Donaldson, but seems to be working.
Size of the inlet pipe and size of bowl seem to be the only options on this one.

[sideways]

Gwagensteve wrote:

That's awesome. I bet Peugeot were also pretty paranoid about other sources of getting dirt into an engine if they were willing to throw that much work at the air filter - I bet the dipstick seals well, the rocker cover breather seals well and isn't a sloppy press fit, and the fuel is well filtered.

Steve.

Yep, sealed up like a tractor motor. Funnily enough, this is the GTi variant.

[Gwagensteve]

You would have thought they'd have painted the precleaner red for more performance

Steve.

[GeckoXL7]

Had the foam fall out of my my uni filter last trip, prob caused by the extra air flow needed to tow a 900kg camper up a steep dirt hill.

I wondered why my car ran like a old diesle and always had to drop it down to 3rd gear on hills untill seeing the foam in the frame was half hanging out.

Was easy enough to put back in and clean, but left me thinking how much crap has my engine sucked in?

The best filter i had was a Itg Air filter that didint use oil just uses several layers of foam with different filtration levels, designed for rally, works well don't know why i put the unifilter in but will be going back to the ITG. I was told all you need to do to service it was blow it out with a airgun, but now reading they use oil as static charge is often not enough for the find dust that can push its way through.

Someone should create cheap Hepa filers for cars Sugest it to dyson maybe lol.