hey this is Justin from Rocky Mountain
atv/mc calm and in this video I'm going
to show you how to properly clean and
oil your foam air filter
cleaning and oiling your air filter in
your motorcycle atv or UTV is the single
most important thing you can do in
regards to maintenance if it's not done
properly you're going to get dust sand
dirt into your engine and it's just
going to destroy your engine components
so in this video I'm going to show you
how to properly do it on a foam air
filter so first off I'm going to pull
the seat so I have access to the air
filter now the important part when
you're pulling out your air filter is
you want to be careful not to drop dirt
off your dirty air filter and dirt in
the air box into the air boot so we're
going to carefully remove the air filter
it's always a good idea to use rubber
gloves when you're working with your air
filter air filters are messy when you're
taking them out and when you're putting
them in
okay so I've taken the bolt out I'm just
going to kind of pull the filter away
from the cage and pull it out even if
you're careful there's a good chance
things could fall into the air boot so
it's always a good idea to inspect the
air boot and clean any dirt that may
have fallen in it's also a good idea to
check the air boot just to see if
there's any dust or anything that may
have got in on your last ride it gives
you a good indication on how well you're
cleaning and oiling your air filter so
with the filter out I'm going to go
ahead and quickly spray the air boot
with some contact cleaner or wd-40 and
with the clean rag I'm going to
carefully wipe it out
keep in mind there are several different
brands and types of foam filter oil so
it's important that you always read the
instructions on the back for the most
part they're all the same these are all
going to be petroleum based and that's
what we're going to be cleaning and
oiling in this video but there are a few
biodegradable foam filter oils that
require different cleaning procedures
and different cleaners to actually clean
those filters so pay attention to that
and always read the instructions on the
container there are a lot of different
types of solvents used to clean air
filters a lot of guys will use an
automotive solvent or kerosene to get
the oil out of their filter the best
cleaners are the cleaners from the MEK
the air filter oil manufacturers they do
a really good job at cleaning they're
safe a lot of guys will also use
gasoline I don't recommend using that
because it's dangerous and it's actually
harmful to the foam filter itself the
best method whatever cleaner you use in
my opinion is to totally submerge the
filter in the cleaner so you can really
rinse the dirt and oil out so for this
video I'm going to be using this maximum
air filter cleaner and I'm going to be
using the twin air tub to hold it in
whether you use one of these or a bucket
of some sort is fine I like this because
it's a tough bucket it's pretty strong
and keep it in my garage and it's got a
lid that seals really tight and that
keeps any of the cleaner from
evaporating one more nice thing about
this bucket is it comes with this little
tray I guess you could call it a little
little screen so I'll keep this bucket
in my garage full of solvent or half
full of solvent and I'll clean my filter
several times in it and the dirt will
kind of settle to the bottom this little
screen thing will keep my filter from
getting into the dirt as I'm cleaning
them I'm just going to fill this up with
I'm just going to fill this up with the
cleaner I like to keep about a gallon of
cleaner in my tub and I can clean a lot
of filters before I have to change it
out all right now I'm just going to
throw in the dirty filter and I'm just
going to let it soak for a couple
minutes after it's set in the solvent
for a couple minutes I'm going to kind
of wash it out squeeze it a little bit
you never want to twist and wring out a
foam filter it can damage the foam so
I'm just going to kind of rinse this
until it looks clean
after cleaning it in the filter cleaner
you need to rinse it out if you use a
kerosene or an automotive solvent you're
going to want to wash it with dish soap
first because you want to get the
solvent the kerosene out of the filter
so it doesn't break down the oil when
you go to reel it so I'm just going to
throw a little dish soap on this and
wash it in my warm water now that we've
cleaned the filter we're going to give
it a quick rinse this is just warm water
and now that the filter is clean it's a
good idea to inspect the filter
especially check all the glued seams
make sure the filters holding together
and it's safe to put back in the bike
check for any cuts or tears
this filter strangely enough actually
has a small tear a cut right there and
it goes all the way through the filter
so unfortunately this filter is no good
it's not worth risking getting any dirt
in our engine so we're going to have to
throw this away after you've cleaned
your filter rinsed it you're going to
let it dry completely before you oil it
because we had to throw away our other
filter we've got a brand new filter so
it's dry and ready to go I'm going to
use the twin air oiling tub just like
the cleaning tub it's really nice has a
lid that seals really nice so my oil
doesn't evaporate the solvents in the
oil don't evaporate now there's a lot of
different methods to oiling an air
filter you can use the aerosol spray to
get oil all over the filter then work it
in a lot of guys will get a bottle of
oil and put a small hole in the in the
top and carefully put it on like syrup
on a pancake or something I like totally
submerging the filter in oil it's a
foolproof way to make sure that oil gets
everywhere in that foam filter so I'm
going to put the filter in my tub with
the oil work it around totally saturate
the filter in oil and then I'm going to
squeeze out the excess if you want to
guarantee that oil is everywhere in that
filter this is the only way to do it
again you don't want to wring the filter
out but I'm going to squeeze it pretty
good and get as much oil out as I can
once I've done that I'm just going to
kind of squeeze it around massage it all
in so that the oil is evenly spread
throughout the filter before you put the
filter back on the cage make sure it's
clean so I'm just going to spray a
little contact cleaner on this one and
get off a couple dirty spots that I see
okay now I'm going to install the cage
back in the filter lining lining it up
with the alignment tab right there and
the hole in the top most modern bikes
the seal of this air filter is going to
seal up just fine but as an extra
precaution we're going to put a little
bit of grease around the rim this is
just normal bearing grease all-purpose
grease here and this just kind of gives
you a little more assurance in security
that this filter is actually going to
seal nice up against the surface of the
air boot carefully hold the filter on
the cage and put it into the air box and
I like to watch to make sure everything
lines up right the filter is sealing
against the plate properly
and then I'll tighten the wing nut
with the filter in place I always like
to run my fingers around the outer edge
just to make sure the filter stayed on
the cage and that everything sealing
properly with my filter cleaned and
oiled I'm going to put the lid back on
my oiling and cleaning tub and put those
away until the next time I have to clean
my filters cleaning air filters may not
be the most enjoyable thing to do but it
is essential and if you do it right
you're going to be able to get a lot
more enjoyment out of your machine
be sure to check out our website for all
your parts apparel and accessory needs
and of course air filters and air filter
products thanks for watching
you