Hello Folks,
I've read much about how oiled surgical gauze type air filters (e.g., K&N, etc.) allow fine black dust (white glove test) into the engine. I've experienced it firsthand on our 98 Tahoe 6.5TD. I've also experimented with wrapping about 10 feet of surgical gauze around the K&N filter and impregnating it with K&N's air filter oil in hopes that it would decrease the amount of the fine dust that accumulates on the MAF filter screen (and further in) -- inconclusive results.
I've also read just as much about how paper filter is the best for filtering this fine black dust but once the filter starts getting clogged, air flow begins to drop.
Before I try it out myself this weekend, has anyone tried wrapping surgical gauze around a paper filter (maybe with a metal screen cylinder to separate the gauze from the paper), then spray the gauze with filter oil? In theory, this pre-filter setup should make the paper filter last longer with less of a drop in air flow over time. Surgical gauze is cheap and easy to obtain, and so is the air filter oil.
One benefit of wrapping 10 feet of gauze around a paper or oiled gauze filter is after rotating the filter so that there are no more "fresh" surfaces presented to the main air flow, you could cut off the first two or so layers of surgical gauze for a whole new clean surface.
Your opinions and comments are most welcome. Thank you.
Franko