K&N Air Filter Orientation issue - any better solution than just jamming it in?

[Hhilljr]

Hello

I have a K&N air filter for my Spyder, and it seems like the fit isn’t quite right. On the open end of the filter there is a hump in the rubber ring that fits into the air filter housing right where the metal rod that holds it all together ends. But there is no corresponding cutout in the housing. Last year I just pushed it in and tightened the screws, but that didn’t seem like the best solution.

Has anyone else had the same thoughts, or is there a better solution?

Thanks!

[Bensonoid]

I didn't like the way it fit either. I went back to the OEM filter.

[jjc54]

Hello

I have a K&N air filter for my Spyder, and it seems like the fit isn’t quite right. On the open end of the filter there is a hump in the rubber ring that fits into the air filter housing right where the metal rod that holds it all together ends. But there is no corresponding cutout in the housing. Last year I just pushed it in and tightened the screws, but that didn’t seem like the best solution.

Has anyone else had the same thoughts, or is there a better solution?

Thanks!

I have a 2016 Can-Am Spyder RTL which calls for the same filter as yours. Do you remember the filter having the same hump when new? Is there a chance that last time in the course of tightening the cover the filter was rotated enough that the cover did not mesh with the top correctly and put undue pressure on the metal rod and distorted the end? Just a thought . Mine stands straight up and down when on its end on the bench.

[EdMat]

The K&N filter indexes with the top cover in one position only and it's not easy to find. Gues they were trying to be clever when there was no need. I hate the design.

[BajaRon]

The K&N filter indexes with the top cover in one position only and it's not easy to find. Gues they were trying to be clever when there was no need. I hate the design.

Yes, this is exactly right. You can easily orient the top of the K&N filter by simply looking at where the hump is in the cap and turning the filter to match. Many have this confusion because it's not necessary to orient the OEM filter. But it's easily done when you understand what is needed. Why K&N did it this way is beyond me. K&N has done some very strange things that are baffling to me. But there is no need to overthink this one (which is what they did). Just look at the cap and insert the filter to match. You'll be very happy with the results.

[jjc54]

I bought the recharge kit with the squeeze bottle with the oil and over oiled mine. I used 40gr of oil and ended up with some red oil on my garage floor under my spyder the next morning. In checking their specs it was supposed to be (.57oz)16gr.

[BajaRon]

I bought the recharge kit with the squeeze bottle with the oil and over oiled mine. I used 40gr of oil and ended up with some red oil on my garage floor under my spyder the next morning. In checking their specs it was supposed to be (.57oz)16gr.

This is the one and only drawback to the K&N air filters. Not saying this is you. But many think that if a little oil is good. A lot should be better. I would never try to reoil a cotton fiber oil suspension air filter like K&N with a squeeze bottle. A foam filter, yes. Those are designed to be over-oiled and and then squeezed out to retain the right amount of oil. But a cotton filter as you have? It would be very difficult not to over oil using a squeeze bottle.

Get the aerosol spray kit and follow instructions. You want to apply a very thin layer of oil and apply it evenly. As long as you have a red tint to the entire filtration surface, that's all you need. This is easily accomplished by an initial light dusting pass to the entire surface, then letting the filter sit for a bit to disperse and absorb the oil. Apply a light 2nd pass if there are areas that got too little or were missed altogether on the 1st try. I know it takes some willpower not to lay more on. Resist that and all will be well. Maybe not with the world. But certainly with your K&N (or similar) air filter.

Less is more with this service. Sorry you had issues.

[jjc54]

After riding 200 miles and no new oil on the floor I should be ok now. I that correct or should I redo?

[BajaRon]

After riding 200 miles and no new oil on the floor I should be ok now. I that correct or should I redo?

I would at least pull the filter out and wipe down the inside of the compartment. And gently wipe down the inside and outside of the filter itself. Your probably going to accumulate some crud sticking to the oil residue in the chamber over time. But I don't know that it will cause any real problems if left alone. I'm not saying it won't. Just that I wouldn't expect it. But if you ask my wife, she'll tell you that I'm not always right. We've agreed to disagree on that point...

[2dogs]

Make sure your filter is dry, dry, dry before you oil it.

[oldguyinTX]

Agree with orienting the filter correctly. Once that is done, the rest is easy. I like the more "throaty" sound from the intake - the airflow through K&N is better than OEM. As to more horsepower, I think I've noticed a small gain, or it could be wishful thinking on my part. For more horsepower, Look at the HP on Ski-Dos 180 HP, & Sea-Do 325 HP. And Spyders get an anemic (relatively) 115 HP.

[2dogs]

Agree with orienting the filter correctly. Once that is done, the rest is easy. I like the more "throaty" sound from the intake - the airflow through K&N is better than OEM. As to more horsepower, I think I've noticed a small gain, or it could be wishful thinking on my part. For more horsepower, Look at the HP on Ski-Dos 180 HP, & Sea-Do 325 HP. And Spyders get an anemic (relatively) 115 HP.

If we had 325 HP in our spyders half of us probably wouldn't be here right now. That K&N filter doesn't allow any more HP gain until it reaches 6k+ RPM. And it's minimal at that. The big advantage to K&N is its reusability, and its "throaty" sound is great too.

[Raven]

I have used K&N's on all my off road bikes and trucks since the 70's.
They are a pain to clean and will waterlog even with a rain sock. Always carried a spare.
But they work well, just look at any desert race truck or buggy.
Just wondered about the preformance filters that Lamonster sells?
Anyone tried them? Don't know the make ?

[RangerRick]

Agree with orienting the filter correctly. Once that is done, the rest is easy. I like the more "throaty" sound from the intake - the airflow through K&N is better than OEM. As to more horsepower, I think I've noticed a small gain, or it could be wishful thinking on my part. For more horsepower, Look at the HP on Ski-Dos 180 HP, & Sea-Do 325 HP. And Spyders get an anemic (relatively) 115 HP.

For a really loud Throaty sound, go this route.

[Mikey]

For a really loud Throaty sound, go this route.

Just did that!!! Haven't run it yet, still got more things to do before firing it up!

[BajaRon]

For a really loud Throaty sound, go this route.

A bit hard to do on a 1330. But definitely awesome on a 998! I'm working on a mod to reduce sound volume and increase airflow.

[2dogs]

A bit hard to do on a 1330. But, I'm working on a mod to reduce sound volume and increase airflow.

Remove the air filter and wear earplugs. WWWWWWaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

[Mikey]

A bit hard to do on a 1330. But definitely awesome on a 998! I'm working on a mod to reduce sound volume and increase airflow.

Jez, Ron I just got my kit from you and already it's obsolete? What the!

[WRCLVR]

Too bad the SeaDoo 325 HP engine can't be shoe-horned into the Spyder... lol

[BajaRon]

Jez, Ron I just got my kit from you and already it's obsolete? What the!

It won't be obsolete until I get the mod finished. It will bolt right up to your current components. You won't have to start over. It will just make what you already have better.

[Mikey]

Good to hear!!!

[Dasmoetorhead]

From what I understand the K&N Filters pass too much dirt. I used one in our Dodge Magnum R/T and after a month I took it out to inspect and found the downside MAF sensor was coated in oil. This filter was pre oiled from the factory!
I yanked it out and threw it in the trash can and put the OEM filter back in. After that I did some research and found that most of the car and truck enthusiasts say that they pass too much debris and coat downstream sensors. I've never used one since and I definitely wouldn't put one on my Spyder. There's nothing wrong with the stock air filter that comes from the factory on any vehicle. YMMV.

[Mikey]

Well, if it's just oil from the filter I see no problem at all, it takes vapor from your crank case every time you ride it down the road. Now if it was passing dirt that would be another thing, wouldn't be? I have used them in a lot of different applications and think they're the bee's knees. Matter of fact, when I tried to get a filter for my chevy pick up there was some kind of shortage going on and I quickly found a K&N filter and never looked back, had one in the RT also.

[Dasmoetorhead]

How can the K&N filter flow more air without also letting more dirt in? Oil I guess is the answer. That Oil mist adheres to your downstream sensors, throttle bodies, and eventually to the cylinders. I'm not posting something that I just made up. Go online and look it up.

[BajaRon]

How can the K&N filter flow more air without also letting more dirt in? Oil I guess is the answer. That Oil mist adheres to your downstream sensors, throttle bodies, and eventually to the cylinders. I'm not posting something that I just made up. Go online and look it up.

This may be true, but only if you over oil the filter. The MAF sensor (Mass Air Flow) is located just downstream from the air filter in the center of the airflow. It is an extremely sensitive component. If it gets coated with anything it will not work properly. K&N has had extensive and intensive research done in this regard. You can read the test data report here.
https://www.knfilters.com/maf/massairfindings.htm

With a properly oiled filter (which is not difficult to achieve), there is absolutely no issue with oil going downstream. I ran a K&N air filter in my 998 for over 30,000 miles before switching the the JT A1-F system. I cleaned and re-oiled it once at about 20k. Zero issues. I've done this with other vehicles as well with the same results.

Service the K&N filter properly and it will work just fine.