BMC Air Filter

[Dr Gil]

And yet another in a seemingly unending series of newguy questions:

 

With the tank now off of my '02 Le Mans I've discovered I'm the proud owner of a BMC air filter.

 

I've gone to the BMC website and they list the "official" procedure for cleaning and re-oiling the filter using "official" BMC cleaner and "official" BMC oil. I figured I'd just bite the $ bullet and order the kit for $17 U.S. When I get to the checkout I find a whopping $18 U.S. for shipping and handling...from a U.S. outlet! I'm outraged and refuse to submit to this kind of crap.

 

Soooo...any suggestions on the care and maintence of the BMC airfilter would be greatly appreciated.

[Guest ratchethack]

Gil, I'm with you on the outrageous price of these kits. Of course both the cleaner and the oil are WAY over-priced. I refuse to go for the "Big Name" stuff and go "generic" whenever possible here. I use a weak solution of Simple Green in hot water to soak and clean my BMC filter, rinse it thoroughly in clear water several times, dry it carefully and completely with a leaf-blower, and soak it in "No-Toil" generic air filter oil (I found this last week at Cycle Gear for $7/16 oz.). and let it drip dry before re-installing. I'm sure there are dozens of other options that'd all work just fine.

 

BAA, TJM, & YMMV

[Dr Gil]

Gil, I'm with you on the outrageous price of these kits.  Of course both the cleaner and the oil are WAY over-priced.  I refuse to go for the "Big Name" stuff and go "generic" whenever possible here.  I use a weak solution of Simple Green solution in hot water to soak and clean my BMC filter, rinse it thoroughly in clear water several times, dry it carefully and completely with a leaf-blower, and soak it in "No-Toil" generic air filter oil (I found this last week at Cycle Gear for $7/16 oz.). and let it drip dry before re-installing.  I'm sure there are dozens of other options that'd all work just fine.

 

BAA, TJM, & YMMV

74074[/snapback]

 

Perfect! I just placed an order with Cycle Gear. Thanks once again RH

[Alex-Corsa]

I use (or will use when the time comes) the K&N filter cleaning kit. for the BMC.

As I have noticed one has to dust of gently with a brush any dirt on the filter and then wash with the solution and clean with water the rest. No kind of pressure has to be required while this will destroy the material and let dry in enviromentl temprature , without using any heaters ,ect.ect. for it.

Before installing this BMC I have now I had badlly cared on the older K&N ussing pressure water or air for cleaning and the filter was damaged.(never oiled it either.)

At the finnal stage the filter should be oiled and then it is ready.

 

 

 

P.S.-edit. All acurrate description of maintenance is also found on the K&N charger kit containing the cleaning solution and the oil-liquid spray.

Edited January 12, 2006 by Alex-Corsa

[Guest ratchethack]

Good point to emphasize, Alex. The filter medium is fairly easily damaged. That's why I noted "carefully" above RE: my drying method. I found a leaf-blower can be used very effectively - but only at low power &/or from a distance - to dry it quickly without damage. As you said, no pressure hose of any kind should be used.

[dlaing]

and soak it in "No-Toil" generic air filter oil (I found this last week at Cycle Gear for $7/16 oz.). and let it drip dry before re-installing.

74074[/snapback]

I don't soak mine, I put it on lightly, just making sure the cotton absorbs some oil over every square inch.

Perhaps soaking is better

Any other opinions?

Also, instead of Simple Green I use Tide Mountain Fresh scented.(I prefer unscented, but get what is on sale...)

Any reason laundry detergent would be bad?

[Steve G.]

Use low pressure water from a hose or tap, in the opposite direction the air travels through. Dirt gets trapped on the outside of the filter and it's film of oil. Low pressure water forced into the direction of the airflow will impregnate some of the larger particles which the cotton matt can stop without the oil backup. This of course will permanently reduce the performance advantage your cotton based filter has.

I use a K&N recharger kit, they are cheap enough. And remember that these reusable filter renew kits do not only have new oil. They have a spray compound which neutralizes the oil in the filter matt, which allows the filter to release the dirt/dust which is trapped in the oil. Pouring water on a filter without using this compound is a waste of time. And, just like it says on the K&N, the BMC, and the filter renew kits, no amount of forced air is to be used. Air dry only.

Ciao, Steve G.

[Guest ratchethack]

All important points that shouldn't be omitted here, Steve.

 

I reckon my home-brew "neutralizing release compound" (Simple Green/hot water solution), Dave's Tide Mountain Fresh, New Blue Cheer, or many other alternatives are equivalent to K&N's or BMC's, or any other cleaner - take y'er pick. Far better IMHO to pay attention to the filtration capabilities of the filter than the kind of soap you use to clean it. Despite the marketing wizardry and sales jargon, there's no rocket science here. It's a cotton substrate, for God's sake, and for the most part you're just washing out old oil, particles, and contaminants that came from the same air y'er breathin'.... Any commercial cleaner that's safe for cotton costs pennies, and therefore there's no concern over using it fairly liberally over a few "washing cycles" for a thorough cleaning - but that's just me.

 

Though I have compressed air in my home workshop, I wouldn't use it to dry an air filter for fear of holing the filter media. OTOH, careful use of a leaf blower works just fine without any such risk, in my judgment. Of course some techniques carry higher risk in the hands of the uninitiated, and proper precautions should be observed accordingly.

 

I think of it as the difference between drying cotton clothes in a gas dryer vs. on a clothes line. I'll use the dryer every time, but again - that's just me.

 

In the spirit of "Max Uptime", IMHO, the leaf blower's the bee's knees. I reckon it'd take at least several days or so to air-dry COMPLETELY before it'd be safe to put the new oil on, even in my relatively low-humidity climate. And where I live - well...missing a few days of riding in good weather's a misdemeanor...

 

BAA, TJM, & YMMV

[Guest ratchethack]

I don't soak mine, I put it on lightly, just making sure the cotton absorbs some oil over every square inch.

Perhaps soaking is better 

Any other opinions?

Dave, I couldn't think of a better word than "soak", but "saturate" is probably a better choice. It might be helpful to note that the stuff has alcohol in it as a penetrant, and this evaporates, thickening the remaining oil. So it's probably best to make sure it gets distributed over the entire surface before too much of the alcohol evaporates out. IMHO it'd be hard to over-apply it as long as you sort of mop up the excess.

 

The instructions call for saturating and sqeezing out the excess. Since a pleated filter won't allow squeezing, what I've done is to first make sure the element's entirely saturated, then allow it to stand on each side a few minutes each. This seems to allow most of the excess to drain off, and ensure that no spots are left dry. Then I set it on a stack of newspapers and allow it to drain in its operating position and periodically wipe off all the excess accumulated at the bottom of the pleats. I repeat this until no more can be seen collecting. That seems to do it pretty well.

[Dr Gil]

The "official" BMC cleaning/re-oiling instructions are HERE and are pretty much in keeping with what everyone here seems to be talking about.

 

I'm appreciative of some of the alternative products suggested and tend to agree that they easily replace some of the higher priced "only use our product" solutions.

 

I've decided to go with Ratchethack's suggestion with the "No-Toil" oiler from Cycle Gear and have taken it to the next step of getting their complete kit. It seems a nice compromise.

 

Thanks to all for their spirited response to my somewhat needy thread. As always ALL info and experience is MUCHLY appreciated and has been digested (burp). You guys are aces