Aftermarket Air Filter Question??
 

Hello, I just got a 2008 F250 Superduty 4x4 Lariat with the 6.4L Powerstroke Turbo Diesel engine. I'm new to having a diesel, its the first truck i've ever owned that wasn't gas. I have 38" mud tires on the truck and suspension mod's and I'm looking to increase power and gas mileage all around as best as i can. Anyway, i recently put a K&N air filter into the truck, not the cold air induction unit, just the air filter to replace the stock one. I instantly notice the motor ran a little quieter and i seems gas mileage got a little better. My question however, is that after doing so, i heard that putting an aftermarket air filter into the truck is bad for it, is this true?? Does anyone have any input on this?? I heard it lets too much air into the system and messes with the turbo's boost performance with the motor?? Obviously, i dont want to mess up the turbo, but i dont see how that just the air filter could have such an effect on it? Any help would be great!!!

I would be more concerned that the k and n does not fit properly and allows too much dirt thru thereby dusting your turbo.

Go back to stock unless you can be sure that there is a good good seal and that the filter is actually filtering.

it seems to me as though its got a good seal and that its actually filtering good, doesn't sound like there is any leak or hissing/sucking noise that would give it away that its not working.....is there any other way to tell other than that if it really is working 100% ok???

I wouldn't be worried about it, there is a lot of K&N hating going on lately. You probably saw an increase in mileage because the old filter was so dirty. K&N spends a lot of money on R&D and I really doubt they would risk thousands of lawsuits by making a filter that would ruin your engine. Of course if anything does happen to the turbo Ford s going to be pointing the finger at K&N.

and I'm going to be doing an aFe dropin filter to help the Spartan kit..
so filters should work.

Sam

Only way to know if you have a good seal is to look inside the tubing leading to the turbo. If it is as clean as a newborn baby's behind you are fine. Pay attention to the MAF sensor, don't mess with it just shine a light and look at it. That too should be nice and clean.

thanks for all the help guys, much appreciated!!!!

K&N=Junk. Not "hatin'" just fact...

HERE'S some nice scientific data to back that up...

In summary, more airflow doesn't necessarily equal better filtration, as a matter of fact, in the case of K&N, it actually means the exact opposite. The only filter that did worse in that testing was a UNI, which uses oiled foam as opposed to a paper filter media.

aFe does quite well, as do some of the others. Bottom line of that testing is the K&N lets a whole lot of stuff in that can dust your turbos in short order...

No thanks!

[quote=Ronin 5729;10305494]K&N=Junk. Not "hatin'" just fact...

HERE'S some nice scientific data to back that up...

In summary, more airflow doesn't necessarily equal better filtration, as a matter of fact, in the case of K&N, it actually means the exact opposite. The only filter that did worse in that testing was a UNI, which uses oiled foam as opposed to a paper filter media.

aFe does quite well, as do some of the others. Bottom line of that testing is the K&N lets a whole lot of stuff in that can dust your turbos in short order...






thanks for the info, ironic though don't u think that the test was for a GM durmax and the winning filter was a stock AC Delco brand??? HMMMMM????

You're welcome...

Not really surprised by the results at all; OEM and OEM replacements will typically have the highest degree of filtration, perhaps at the expense of flow, which is unfortunately typically associated with increased horsepower.

10% (or more) more horsepower...and exactly how much more wear and tear? Sorry, not thanks, I'm not drinking the K&N Kool Aid no matter how many cool ads they put in Diesel Power magazine or run on TV with sexy cars and sexier girls oohing and aahing...

Problem with the 6.4 is when they're tuned they need more airflow, and the filter minder will get sucked in after only 1 WOT pass on even some of the lower level tunes. The aFe drop in works great for some of the higher HP tunes (like Spartan's 275 HP or Innovative's Xtreme Street) without the additional expense of a full intake...

If you do want a full intake because you're running higher tunes, wanna hear the noise or hopefully run into some of those sexier girls who might ooh and aah, then again the aFe would be one of the best choices out there. Their Stage II Si regular gets the nod from people who would know better...

Yep, I found that out the hard way...filter minder kept getting sucked in after only 1 day or so, and bought a new filter, only to have it do the same thing. I opted for the aFe intake system, and works great!

I can vouch for S&B. Their replacement system has treated me very well. No DTC's, no false filter minder trips, turbo intake pipe is spotless.

K&N initially made and sold filters that did not fit correctly in the 95 GM 6.5 diesel trucks; I had one. They ultimately provided a replacement and a seal kit; the model number changed to reflect the design change.

My turbo was not dusted and did not fail but the clean side of the filter box did not look so good.

I had a filter minder on that truck and a chip for the ECM; it would suck the minder in with factory or K&N until inlet to filter box was modified.

The other concern with the K&N (or any oiled filter for that matter) is the oil getting on the mass air flow sensor; this has been pointed out by the Ford techs on various sites.

My stock filter minder on my 08 gets sucked in about 1/2 way anytime I drive in rain, snow, or sleet. Recently it has been getting sucked in about 1/2 way in dry weather so I replace the filter a couple of weeks ago with another Motorcraft (Donaldson) filter. My truck is stock; so it will stay with the stock filter.

Bob