K&N air cleaner vs original oil bath?

[LC_rover]

The original oil bath air cleaner seems to be doing the job, but the hose connecting to the elbow looks like its in bad shape. Replacing this hose will cost me $25 + shipping. I can get a K&N from the local autoparts store for not much more than that.

Anyone have experience with these K&N's on a 2.25L petrol?

ALSO... the metal ring that sits on top of my Weber won't really secure itself in any manner. There is a rubber extenstion between this ring, and the elbow to the air cleaner and all that looks okay, but its not really snug on the top of the carb at all. its just sort of sitting there. I can't see a way to tighten it down. Any trick to this?

Thanks in advance.

[utahseries]

My dad and my brother are both using K&N's on their 69 and 67 respectively.. They are pretty good, but really loud. If you are going to be in some really dusty conditions for a long time, I'd stick with the Oil Bath. But that is just my opinion.

[greasyhandsagain]

I just used this product from mcmaster carr supply co. to replace the hose on my 2 litre. youd need 2 feet of it to do the hose on the 2.25

55125K93

Is larger inside diameter but snugged up well with hose clamps. Very tough hose

[TedW]

IMO it breathes a little easier than the oil bath. Also, it's nice to not have all that stuff in the engine bay. Easier to get at other stuff.

I've read that the oil bath is better if you do a lot of dusty driving.

[Linus Tremaine]

I think the k and n is a good choice for on road only. Its not very good at filtering dust. So, either switch back to the oil bath any time you are in a convoy in the dust or get the pre filter for the k and n and put it on (with oil on it) before going off road.

[LC_rover]

Thanks for the info guys. I will probably stick with the oil bath for now, but if the hose falls apart, then I'll have to decide how to fix it or change to a K&N.

I don't have the dust worries that I had in Colorado, now that I am in South Carolina, but... I know that we had a K&N on the Rally car we raced all over Colorado, and it did okay, but definitely had to be recharged daily when it had been in the dust.

[Apis Mellifera]

My '73 88" would hit the wall at ~65mph with the oil bath and the mpg was pretty poor. I changed to a K&N (with flange mount) and now I can easily do 75mph and fuel economy has improved. This is probably due to not having to hold the accelerator to the floor to maintain highway speed. It's still pulling at 75mph, but seeing as how I know what's going on inside the engine, I don't dare spin it any faster.

I had a similar problem with my carb (Holley) and the flange mount K&N proved to solve the problem.

[SeriesShorty]

I'll piggyback on this thread if ya'll don't mind.

How are you guys mounting your K&N's? I'm running a Rochester so it sits pretty high already. Are you altering/shortening the metal elbow and sticking the cone type of K&N on the of this?

[Apis Mellifera]

Mine is a pancake filter that mounts right to the top of the carb. You can go the the K&N site and spec diameter, height, and mount you want, then take the part number to Advance or buy online. I think my filter is 2" high and 8" across. I measured the inlet diameter on my carb and picked the filter with the flange that matched. I then took the p/n to Advance and ordered it. It drop shipped to my door from K&N.

[LC_rover]

Apis,

With that pankcake filter... do you still have a breather connection? Also, the top of the carb is pretty small.. does K&N make a neck down adapter for this or did you have to cook something up yourself?

Also, I don't think I've gotten my Series III over 55mph yet. Hahaha. I am too chicken something's going to fly off at higher speeds. After I get the engine working the way it should, its nice to know I can at least not get smashed on the interstate though.

[badvibes]

My '73 88" would hit the wall at ~65mph with the oil bath and the mpg was pretty poor. I changed to a K&N (with flange mount) and now I can easily do 75mph and fuel economy has improved. This is probably due to not having to hold the accelerator to the floor to maintain highway speed. It's still pulling at 75mph, but seeing as how I know what's going on inside the engine, I don't dare spin it any faster.

Certainly you're running an overdrive also for that kind of top end speed?

Jeff

[TedW]

I'll piggyback on this thread if ya'll don't mind.

How are you guys mounting your K&N's? I'm running a Rochester so it sits pretty high already. Are you altering/shortening the metal elbow and sticking the cone type of K&N on the of this?

Mine mounts right on the end of the elbow that goes into the carb. Fits perfect. Shaped /sized like the cartridge type oil filter for later series engines.

I'll find the K&N # for it if you want.

[bmohan55]

I had a K&N with my Rochester but switched back to oil bath. I found that I was running too lean with it after stalling out on a very steep hill climb...had to pull the choke to get up it. Also caused a vapor lock in the carb. If you want to keep it wou may need to increase the jet size in your carb, I was running a 50mm. To me it wasn't worth it.

[Nium]

ALSO... the metal ring that sits on top of my Weber won't really secure itself in any manner.

I'm going to use JB Weld between the metal ring and the carb throat. I had used a muffler epoxy in the past but it finally gave up (after 10+ years) so I'm gonna try JB Weld next. I'm fairly confident it will work well.

Cheers!

[NickDawson]

decent view of my pancake filter mounted with 4 custom machine headers (by the PO) http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2569/3744591712_704fd66306.jpg

[jac04]

Another option for mounting an aftermarket filter. I used an AEM Dryflow:
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j126/jac04/000_1591.jpg

[kevkon]

The issue isn't really between the stock oil bath filter and and an aftermarket dry filter, it's actually the air duct. That alters the velocity of the airflow into the carb.

[jac04]

^^ Are you trying to say that the air duct is more of a restriction than the oil bath air cleaner?

[kevkon]

I don't think it's an issue of it being restrictive. The oil bath air cleaner is probably more than adequate from a cfm perspective for the normally aspirated 2 1/4 l motor. So is the duct. However, there are other considerations beyond air volume. Velocity, pressure, and turbulence are important factors to consider. In short, there are aerodynamic factors involved in the delivery of air through that duct which are related to the operation of the engine.

[gudjeon]

I agree ^^^^^. I converted a '57 from the 2 litre to the 2.25 and I used the original ser1 oil bath cleaner. It has a smaller diameter hose and a sharp right turn right out of the canister. I can get this to pull on the highway at 60mph and it can keep on going (no O/D). This set up does not seem to hold it back.:thumb-up:

[JimCT]

each 90 degree elbow is about the equivalent of 6' of hose, the the corrugated hose does not help either, the inner wall should me smooth.

[KingSlug]

I find the K&N work really well for the paved road. If I am in dusty conditions offroad I run an oiled UNI foam filter over the K&N (http://www.unifilter.com/online%20catalog/universal.html bottom of the page). I keep it in a bag pre-oiled and ready to go.

I am thinking about getting another foam filter to use dry over the K&N.

Jared

[jac04]

each 90 degree elbow is about the equivalent of 6' of hose, the the corrugated hose does not help either, the inner wall should me smooth.
At least the factory hose is helically corrugated, which is better than a standard corrugated pipe. The factory 90 degree elbow is the real killer because it is such a tight radius. That's why I used a long radius elbow to connect to the filter in my set-up.

[gudjeon]

If the 6' hose equivalency thing is true, no one told my rover about it. I had to make a system to cope with the reduced clearance of the 2.25 in a ser1. I thought I would have to refine it, but it works well so I am leaving it alone. 24mpg (imp) at 60 mph on the highway. Can't be too bad.:thumb-up:
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d187/gudjeon/fuelpump1-1.jpg

[kevkon]

I doubt the hose is the reason, rather it's the custom plenum you added. Plenums can be extremely effective at making for better airflow due to the reduction of turbulance and pulses that occur in the breathing cycle. As I said, it's not just about cfm ( volume). There are more factors at work and an improvement in any single one can yield better performance at certain rpms at the expense of others. That's why cylinder had porting is so involved. If it were a matter of just smoothing things out and making them bigger almost anyone could do it. It's a science of flowing the heads and determining what works with specific components and at various engine speeds. Same is true for the lowly Series air cleaner.

[TedW]

I'm going to use JB Weld between the metal ring and the carb throat.

That's exactly what I did three years ago, and everything is holding up perfectly.

Just be sure to use the nastiest solvents you have to clean the mating surfaces. If everything is kleen the JBWeld will do the trick.

[Apis Mellifera]

Certainly you're running an overdrive also for that kind of top end speed?

Jeff

Yes, a Fairey.

Here's the K&N fitted.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v307/dandomatic2/Land_Rover/DSC01955.jpg

David Vizard did flow comparisons of various filtering systems and found that a K&N out flowed a standard paper element filter and this was after the K&N was removed from a vehicle that had completed the Baja 1000. I'd say a properly oiled K&N provides sufficient filter in most applications, but if you routinely drive through clouds of fine silt, the oil bath is probably better. Of course, if you're driving on a silty dirt road, the ability to do 75mph is probably not important.

[gudjeon]

Errrm, thanks kevkon. That what I was going for when I designed it.:rolleyes:

Ever wonder why a K&N breathe so well, hold them up to the light.:D

[kevkon]

Ever wonder why a K&N breathe so well, hold them up to the light.:D

Well, they do keep stones and small mammals out. :thumb-up: