This ACdelco Engine air filter with 27,500 miles, 4 years old..

[BG1988]

this Ac delco air filter did a bad job installed it at 88,666 miles on 6/13/2019 currently has 116,197 miles 8/19/2023 very little light makes it through


the paper was quite brittle like a graham cracker luckily it didn't get sucked into the engine ( those tears were done by me btw)


i noticed a lot of dirt in the engine oil when i changed it, so i decided to replace the filter i bought a K&N filter installed the SA-2129 filter...


it did call for the K&N 2135 model (2500/3500 filter) But both of them are identical (besides the price being 14$ more for the sa-2135) the measurement being the same and cross ref..

 

[swathdiver]

That filter went way beyond its service life Brent. You should have been inspecting it every 6 months or so. The K&N will let more dirt into your engine than a fresh A3085C. After 30+ years of running K&Ns air filters, I quit running them for that reason.

 

[strutaeng]

I'm a member of the garage journal and it's crazy how much arguments and bickering is out there about engine oil and oil filter brands. Everyone has their "brand" and the rest of the world is absolutely wrong. It's comical.

But when it comes to air filters, there's just crickets! Which leads me to suspect most people hardly ever even look at them at all.

When I was much younger and didn't do any wrenching on my truck, often the shop I would take my truck to would remove the air filter and show me how dirty it looked if I went for an oil change.

Now what I do is create a log and write on the filter the date and mileage. Every other oil change I'll at least pop the air filter and blow off the loose dust with compressed air and vacuum the leaves and large debris from the air box.

 

[BG1988]

I'm a member of the garage journal and it's crazy how much arguments and bickering is out there about engine oil and oil filter brands. Everyone has their "brand" and the rest of the world is absolutely wrong. It's comical.

But when it comes to air filters, there's just crickets! Which leads me to suspect most people hardly ever even look at them at all.

When I was much younger and didn't do any wrenching on my truck, often the shop I would take my truck to would remove the air filter and show me how dirty it looked if I went for an oil change.

Now what I do is create a log and write on the filter the date and mileage. Every other oil change I'll at least pop the air filter and blow off the loose dust with compressed air and vacuum the leaves and large debris from the air box.

last time i checked it was about 10,000 miles ago it still looked brand new...

 

[BG1988]

That filter went way beyond its service life Brent. You should have been inspecting it every 6 months or so. The K&N will let more dirt into your engine than a fresh A3085C. After 30+ years of running K&Ns air filters, I quit running them for that reason.

this is the newer synthetic version..
the 100% cotton ones yeah...

what i really need in the cabin air filter thing i don't like it when someone in the passenger seat kicks up dust into my face.. plus i'm sure the coil needs a good cleaning after 116k miles

 

[donjetman]

Air filters become more efficient as they fillup with dirt.
The downside, if all out performance is what you're after, is they become more restrictive.
If you want to know how the air filter is doing send in an oil sample for analysis.

 

[j91z28d1]

I'm a member of the garage journal and it's crazy how much arguments and bickering is out there about engine oil and oil filter brands. Everyone has their "brand" and the rest of the world is absolutely wrong. It's comical.

But when it comes to air filters, there's just crickets! Which leads me to suspect most people hardly ever even look at them at all.

When I was much younger and didn't do any wrenching on my truck, often the shop I would take my truck to would remove the air filter and show me how dirty it looked if I went for an oil change.

Now what I do is create a log and write on the filter the date and mileage. Every other oil change I'll at least pop the air filter and blow off the loose dust with compressed air and vacuum the leaves and large debris from the air box.

I've seen a few things about airfilters. and part numbers on their board

 

[OR VietVet]

That filter went 27,531 miles and did it's job. It also depends on where you are driving and what is in the air. You live near a farming community and drive those roads all the time, there is more debris in the air. IMO, if you still see light thru it, it is doing what it is supposed to do but you don't want to keep driving it till you cannot see any light.

Oil is blood to the engine, use the best and the best filter to keep that oil clean.
Fuel runs thru the injectors and needs a good spray pattern and great ignition to create as clean of power as it can.
Coolant helps keep that hot engine as cool as it can and carries that heat away at that radiator. Give the coolant a chance with a proper radiator.
Air mixes with that fuel and that stoichiometric ratio is important to the running of your engine, so use a good filter, but IMO, that is not a K&N.

So, that old air filter did it's job and did nothing wrong. NOW!.....apologize to that filter.

 

[j91z28d1]

does it seem a little weird the filter paper cracked and broke?

 

[OR VietVet]

does it seem a little weird the filter paper cracked and broke?

No, it does not. It always depends on the temperatures that it is operated in and of course it is hotter under the hood. The humidity in that air. The debris it is filtering and the mileage and time under that hood. That filter is 50 months old after all. IMO, I would have changed it at least two years ago.

 

[j91z28d1]

can't say I've ever seen it and we leave filters in for life some times haha. they get hard to find, some are $100s. we just blow them out and throw them back in till they cause trouble. can't save I've ever seen one where the paper for brittle.

I get it, it's long over due. I am bad about mine too. unless it's a performance application, I hardly ever think about the filter. my 2014 volt has the oem filter it in, I should probably check that thing huh. lol

 

[OR VietVet]

So, I hope you know when you blow out the filter, you open up the filtering element passages bigger and that allows larger debris to pass thru and down thru the throttle body and in to that engine.

I gotta say that I want you no where near my engine assembly.

 

[j91z28d1]

So, I hope you know when you blow out the filter, you open up the filtering element passages bigger and that allows larger debris to pass thru and down thru the throttle body and in to that engine.

I gotta say that I want you no where near my engine assembly.

haha common practice in the industry long before I got here. if I started changing filters all the time I'd get budget questions. they track every penny these days.

makes sense thou, I get it. but we don't have engine failures, the eq times out and gets replaced when. corporate desides.

in the oil samples I've sent out, I don't see any signs of silicone or wear.

 

[tom3]

Note to self, after four years, replace air and cabin filters. The Tahoe is still a "new car" to me, but it's not.

 

[BG1988]

That filter went 27,531 miles and did it's job. It also depends on where you are driving and what is in the air. You live near a farming community and drive those roads all the time, there is more debris in the air. IMO, if you still see light thru it, it is doing what it is supposed to do but you don't want to keep driving it till you cannot see any light.

Oil is blood to the engine, use the best and the best filter to keep that oil clean.
Fuel runs thru the injectors and needs a good spray pattern and great ignition to create as clean of power as it can.
Coolant helps keep that hot engine as cool as it can and carries that heat away at that radiator. Give the coolant a chance with a proper radiator.
Air mixes with that fuel and that stoichiometric ratio is important to the running of your engine, so use a good filter, but IMO, that is not a K&N.

So, that old air filter did it's job and did nothing wrong. NOW!.....apologize to that filter.

the paper filter was primed ready to grenade into confetti

 

[OR VietVet]

the paper filter was primed ready to grenade into confetti

That is what happens when you leave a filter in for 50 months and expect it to protect like it did when new. I honestly can't understand how anyone can say the filter let anyone down when installed that long. We are talking 2 months longer than 4 years of college. C'mon man....

 

[swathdiver]

The first one, though it was in the longest, wasn't too bad. The second was filthy as we had done some country driving and off-roading even though the mileage and hours was half. The last one looked almost new but we replaced it anyway.

@BG1988 Brent, do the cabin filter mod, you won't regret it. 22759208 or Dorman 259-100. Carbon filters are 23101674/CF193C or Dorman 259-001.

 

[Gearz]

Best air filter IMO! Purolator A45314 Purolator ONE Advanced Engine Air Filter 07-14​

 

[swathdiver]

Best air filter IMO! Purolator A45314 Purolator ONE Advanced Engine Air Filter 07-14​

That is the one that Project Farm on YouTube tested and won.

 

[j91z28d1]

usually I'm not big on his test results, I shouldn't say results as much as the ones he chooses to test. but this one seems interesting. I do wonder how flower compares to sand and dust real world.


like everything it seems buy based on your application. mine never leaves paved roads, the inside of the box stays clean and the filter looks new. it was in there when I got it, so no clue of the age. oil sample came back good, so if I had to guess from this video I could go with the k&n and see no bad effects. if I lived in area where I'd drive down fine dusty dirt roads all the time, I'd probably want a more restrictive filter.


maybe even an aftermarket setup with a pre-filter type like the off road guys run. anyone seen any tests of the Donaldson power core filters?