Over the years I've tried everything from 90wt gear oil, 30wt non-detergent motor oil, and the super tacky Twin-Air style oil for foam air filters. I think the gummy, heavy, sticky Twin-Air style oil...several other brands use the identical concept...may be the best, but it is the absolute worst stuff to deal with for applying, installing the filter, and cleaning the filter. I don't want to hear your arguments for NoToil...Dan and others...or different types of cleaners. I've probably tried them all and was not impressed. I guess it shows how good that oil stays in the filter...and hopefully cleans as well...but even straight gasoline isn't a 100% cleaner for this stuff.

Anyway, I've been trying an experiment on the last couple of filter services. I use both Twin-Air and Uni foam filters. I had half a bottle of BelRay foam oil left that is just like Twin-Air. Just on a whim, I mixed the other half with 30wt non-detergent motor oil. Shaken up really well, it's easy to apply to the filter and seems to spread more uniformly through the foam. It doesn't tend to drip out of the filter like straight 30wt tends to do and stays in place quite well. It's easier to clean too. My cleaning method involves using a small pan of straight gasoline to cut the filter oil. Now, this step seems to just about get every bit of the oil and dirt out. After letting the filter dry, I use laundry detergent in a bucket of water for a final cleaning. The filter looks fairly well pristine after this now without still retaining some of that stickiness inherent in the tacky filter oil.

I dispose of the small amount of gasoline into one of my oil recycling jugs and use a pair of chemical resistant gloves during the process. Just thought I'd throw this out, as it has seemed to work for me and has been more pleasurable to work with compared to straight tacky foam oil. Since I've been doing the TM36 carb install and testing, I've seen a lot of the inside of my air boot, and it has been dust free, even when the filter looked like a chocolate cake. Yes, these filter servicing threads can verge on an oil thread controversy sometimes, but I don't care what you use or try, this is what I'm using now. Just thought I'd mention it. If I hear any raucous static and whining about it, I'll take all my filter cleaning gasoline leftovers and drive over to your house and throw it on your wife's flower garden.

 

You'll have to drive to another state, as she has left me with this mess on the coffee table. Somehow I have lost the head bolts! She would not have taken them with her?

 

Oh the irony. I throw my notoil filters in the laundry and my wife cleans them for me

 

I warned you! What's your address?

 

Don't tell him Zomby.
That guy has nothing better to do than goof off on his motorcycle for weeks at a time , get on the forum and stir the pot, and buy expensive farkles like pumper carbs for his KLX. A guy like that wouldn't think twice about putting on rubber gloves and bringing over a small pan of straight gasoline to throw on your wife's flowers.

 

A small pan???!!...a small pan???!!! Bub, I'm bringing a 3.7 gallon Acerbis tank full of gas. I'm gonna kill acres of flowers...oak trees...pets...and maybe even a troop of cub scouts! I've loaded up the car, and I'm on my way!

 

You don't want to hear about what works ...... sorry can't help ya in that case

 

Okay smarty pants with too much money to spend on new fancy smancy carbs and too much time to kill cleaning air filters...

Cub Scouts form PACKS.

Boy Scouts form troops.



now, back to the topic...

 

I use Uni filters and any kind of air filter oil. I think i have PJ1 oil now. its blue realy stick like honey. Then i use a parts washer which has kerosene in it to clean it. Then a quick clean with simple green degreaser, let dry and reoil.

 

Scott, I'm impressed you know so much about Boy Scout and Cub Scout terminology. I thought you spent most of your youth serving with the Campfire Girls.

But seriously, just ragging everyone about any responses on filter servicing. Not denying the effectiveness of tacky filter oils like Twin-Air, but I've always hated the extreme nastiness of the product when used as directed.