If you ever wondered how dirty your MAF can get....

My 96 taco 5lug showed a too rich code about a year ago. I removed the sensor and it was filthy too. Always used OE replacement filters, and changed them every other oil change.

I cleaned the MAF and it's good to go. One thing though. The ECU had adjusted the fuel trim so far that once the MAF sensor was clean, the engine ran like crap till it adjusted back to normal.

 

oh yeah ? stock paper filters are the best, hands down. somewhere on this site as well as other sites it has been
tested what works best, and stock paper wins.


if you see whitish dust in the intake tunnel anywhere, you have leaks and/or crappy filter.

I went 70,000 miles on my 4runner (and I am not nice to it) and then has idling issues and pulled the MAF to clean it, it's venturi was clean as a whistle,
no dust or dirt around it...just brown goo from oil vapors on the wires and a little on the external temp sensor. no dust, no buildup except on the wires. paper filter

 

Not anywhere in my post whatsoever was there talk of a oiled filter is better than a paper filter... i continually see posts on here of talk about how bad and worthless oiled filters are because the oil gets on and coats the maf and everything on down to the TB. Im not talking them up at all but i know damn well that is not an issue if oiled correctly.

Ive owened many toyotas in my short few years, all with many different intake setups from everything stock to aftermarket drop ins on to full aftermarket "hot air" intakes lol. Ive never seen one after a good bit of use without some sort of build up on those sensors. Im not saying the whole intake tube is coated in shit, they never are or have been, like nothing at all. A whipe test with a finger has never showed anything on my finger or has it made like a clean spot where i whiped. But that maf hanging there in the middle has caught super super fine "stuff" whatever it may be. Now i dont know what kind of environment you drive in or how often you're offroad. All my rigs have had extensive off asphalt time. I live and work in a rural area and all my hobbies and likes in life have to do with the outdoors. My stomping grounds are completely covered with pumice ash from the implosion of mt mazama which is now crater lake national park. The shit in some places is 100 feet deep. But anyway depending where you are the dust can be absolutely terrible at times and it is such a fine dust! Does that make a difference between your and mine experiences with our intakes i dont know. What i do kniw is reguardless of filters or intake systems ive always had something on my maf sensors, not a shit ton always, but something. Also idk if this actually makes a difference or not but seems like it could. We have zero humidity basically, i have wondered if a filter exposed to a good bit of humidity will catch the ultra fines just a tad better because of that lil bit of moisture than an area with no humidity and a suoer dry filter like where i live. I may be a dork for thinking that but i kinda makes a bit of sense in theory at least...

I guess im just trying to say just because you've never had a dirty maf it doesn't mean something is wrong with another guys setup because his dirty, especially if its been 10, 15, or 20 years since it was pulled and cleaned. Heck even tje member that posted just before yours has had a dirty maf only using stock paper. You did mention though yours has had build up but only from the pcv, that cant be a definitive 100% statement it is only vapor particulate from that valve, maybe it really is onky from that and nothing else, oil certainly is different than dirt but i think you prolly know what i mean, there could be a bit of fines on there from the filter. Also like i said in my post you quoted no filter catches everything, its not possible, especially with a cheap vehicle filter. Filters that are super high end and catch very very small particulate like say a high end wood shop dust collection system, those filters are crazy expensive and still dont have a 100% filter rating or guarantee.

Also the OP's maf is on the extreme side of dirty, i didnt say it was normal just not out of the realm or whatever i said and im sure having not oiled his filter after cleaning it then running it for a year er whatever he said made most of that build up,that would have certainly let a good bit of pass through especially with a k&n since they just use cotton gauze so they can achieve their high air flow rating and rely on the oil to help the filter performance. A k&n isnt as good of a filter as a paper one again i never made that claim. They cant be as good at filtering simply because they are all about increased flow which means a lowered filtering performance.

Wholly long post, haha, sorry about that. I just wanted to articulate my thoughts well. I knew even after 3 other guys said the same thing about oiled filters it would surly spark a debate. Thats even why this is the first time ive ever commented on this debate after years of reading posts about it.

 

Lots of opinions, and we all know what opinions are like. How about some actual data? Do people listen to data or still set in their ways? I've no dog in the fight.

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/airfilter/airtest3.htm

 

interesting. and all that "stuff" was only over the course of ~500mi. more than I was expecting, but not really all that surprising.

 

Agreed. I was on the k&n wagon years ago. I don't care if people run them, just as long as they are aware of the real life data and not 'marketing and advertising' data. Just trying to help get real info out there. All of my vehicles run OEM air filters.

 

I had the k&n in my old xterra and didn't properly oil it... nothing ever happened and it ran for 180k till I sold her. but I didn't notice a big enough difference to switch to it in the taco. OEM seems to be doing just fine. but yea, real actual data is king.

 

Here's another interesting test of air filters, using ISO 5011 standards. Quick easy read and nice big colorful graphs make it easy to understand. Basically, results are what I expected. Lots of empirical data.

http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/kn-vs-oem-filter.html

 

Totally not suprised by those results. Like said in there it really is common sense, higher flow filter, more dirt pass through. The lil tid bit i did really like was the fact that there was no oil that left the properly charged oiled filter and deposited elsewhere. Thats what i was trying to articulate in my long ass post.

 

Any data or real world testing done on the AFE drop in?

 

In the link cruiserguy posted those graphs have an afe, cons style i believe but surly itd be basically the same material and similar performance qualities id guess. It performed pretty well i thought.

 

I bought my truck with 110k miles. I probably cleaned my MAF at 130kish. That K and N was only on there for maybe 15k miles max. The MAF could have never been cleaned since new for all I know. It is interesting to see other people's experiences. I have run K and N filters in other non MAF vehicles and didn't seem to have any problems. Considering I've been doing more off roading lately, I will prob switch back to a paper filter. It is interesting to see other people's experiences. I never thought this post would get so many responses.

 

I've been watching this how on YouTube called Mighty Car Mods. Two Australian guys who mod cars and test things. They do all kinds of tests on import cars with intakes and such. This thread is getting deep. Like the Pumice you speak of @bry838

 

Still seems from some of the responses here that people are interpreting my posts or the couple other fellas posts that we are saying the k&n is a superior product??? Maybe im misinterpreting some responses? I have said this multiple times already, i dont believe they are superior whatsoever!! What i/we were trying to get across is simply and nothing more is that an oiled filter if charged properly wont coat everything in OIL!! This was even toutched on in the first link that was posted as being true. Dirt was never mentioned,(i know i toutched on some of that in my long post above but i was touching on multiple scenarios at that point) but of course more.dirt will pass through a k&n, its cotton gauze! I in no way think an oiled filter is the way to go for superior filtration!!

It jjst seems like somewhere the oil talk turned into some members delving into real life data facts of filtering performance and wanting the true facts to be known and talk of marketing hype when none of that side of things was ever contested or ever really even mentioned.

Again maybe im misinterpreting some of the responses, like the one @Xbeaus posted possibly, just seems like im being called full of it in a round about way...sorta.

 

Thought it was appropriate to put the truth out there regarding the K&N filter without opinions. I would definitely hope people would warn me if I was going to take a step detrimental to my vehicles well being. I wouldn't mind removing my posts with the links to the factual data at all though, if you'd like.

 

No definitely dont need to remove. Its good to have people know that stuff!!

Maybe i was just over sensitive to the responses taking them as directed to my posts instead of them as just being an fyi type of post?? I just felt like i wasnt being understood about the oil thing ya know?

And i felt like it really wasnt an opinion totally, especially after the link you posted helped confirm what i was trying to get across about correctly charging a filter and it not having oil pass through...

 

Yeah no worries hombre.

 

I'm agreeing with you @ bry838. If you oil it properly and not over oil it they are good for some small gains. I have a drop in one for mine. No issues whatsoever. I think people naturally like to bicker about certain things. No big deal it's your Taco man.

 

Right on, yeah i was just over thinking it at that point and took it wrong...

 

Why you gotta try and convince everyone K&N is better?? Huh???







Lol, joshing ya bro, of course.
Based on the testing, it would appear the main concern that anyone should have with running a foam/oil type filter is the amount of material not being filtered out by it, not necessarily whether the oil is making it through. Not that you've stated the opposite or anything.
I would agree with you that if properly prepped, it appears oil moving downstream of the filter shouldn't be a big concern.