How To Clean and Re-Oil Your aFe Air Filter

aFe Pro5R Oiled Filter

aFe ProDry S Paper Filter

aFe Pro Guard 7 Diesel Filter

Before cleaning your aFe Filter you must first determine which filter media your kit uses. The blue filter is an oiled cotton media and needs to be washed and re-oiled. The yellow filter is typically only used in diesel applications and uses the same oiled cotton as the blue Pro5R but has an additional two synthetic layers for added filtration. The grey filter is a paper type filter and should not be oiled. Filters must be removed from the intake to be properly cleaned. Each filter type has its own cleaner.

1. Use a soft bristle brush like a paint brush to remove large chunks of debris and dirt from between the pleats. GENTLY TAPPING the filter on the ground to remove any loose dirt is also fine but be careful not to bend any of the pleats.
2. Spray the cleaning solution that comes in an aFe Restore Kit on the dirty side of the filter. Let the cleaning solution soak in for about 10 minutes.
3. Rinse the filter from the clean side of the filter to the dirty side. Repeat spraying cleaning solution and rinsing until the water is clear. Since media will be stained, it will not be completely white and may still appear dirty.
4. DO NOT USE A HIGH PRESSURE WATER NOZZLE when rinsing the filter.
5. Let the filter air-dry. DO NOT USE COMPRESSED AIR TO DRY THE FILTER! It may take a couple of hours for a Pro DryS and 8-12 hours for a cotton Pro5R depending on humidity and temperature.
6. If you have an oil-free Pro Dry-S filter, the cleaning process is completed. For the oiled Pro5R, continue on to the oiling steps.
7. After the cotton filter is dry, apply small amount of oil on the top of each pleat. It is not necessary to apply oil down in between the pleats. It is also a good idea to not apply oil all the way to the urethane. Leave about an inch of media un-colored. DO NOT DROWN THE FILTER WITH OIL! The oil will wick out a great deal.
8. Leave the oiled filter for 8 to 12 hours to allow the cotton material to fully absorb the oil. Finally, spot apply oil to areas that still do not have "color" to it.

While you have the filter removed from the intake, you should also clean the film in your HFM mass air flow sensor.