Every vehicle needs an engine air filter to block dirt, dust and other particulates from flowing into the combustion chamber and accelerating engine wear. Most engine air filters are disposable, but some, like the Airaid air filter, can be washed and reused. With proper routine cleaning, Airaid claims that its reusable filters can last the life of a vehicle.
Review the owner's manual of your vehicle for information related to engine air filter removal. It's usually easy to find the air filter box and get it open without any instructions, but since every car is a little different, it helps to have knowledge specific to your make, model and year of vehicle.
Locate the air filter box, which is located under the hood, usually on top of or next to the engine. It is usually made of black plastic and is connected to the engine with a thick plastic hose. When you find the air filter box, remove the lid, which may be held in place with metal clips, plastic snaps or screws.
Remove the Airaid filter from inside the air filter box. Depending on the make and model of your vehicle, the filter may be secured inside with other clips, snaps or screws. If so, remove these before pulling out the filter.
Shake and brush off the filter to clear away excess surface dust.
Take the Airaid cleaning solution that came with the Airaid tune-up kit and thoroughly spray the outside of the Airaid filter until it is fully saturated. Let this solution soak in for 10 minutes.
Rinse out the filter in the sink or with a hose, making sure to rinse it from the clean side of the filter to the dirty side. Use gentle water pressure and stop rinsing when water rinses through clean, and all of the suds have been removed.
Leave the filter out to dry completely. To speed up this process, you may place it in front of an electric fan, but do not use any source of heat to make it dry faster.
Spray down the outside of the filtration media with a single layer of the performance oil that came in the Airaid tune-up kit. Let this oil soak in for 20 minutes.
Examine the outside of the filtration media for dry spots that have absorbed all the oil. If you see spots like this, touch them up with another light application of performance oil.
Place the cleaned filter back inside the air filter box, replacing any restraint devices you removed in step four.
Close the air filter box by reversing the steps you took to open it.
Take the warning sticker out of the Airaid tune up kit and place it on the lid of the air filter box if you have not already put one on. This sticker serves as a warning to anyone working on your car that your air filter is not of the disposable variety and should not be thrown away.
