K&N Oil Filters BEWARE!!!

[tory_imp]

Very much appreciate letting us know the details Tory, ride safe!

[max]

proof

[Charlie Bravo_imp]

Glad you're safe and sound. FWIW, some time ago I watched a video on Youtube where some guy did a comparison of commercially available oil filters by slicing them open to expose the guts of each, and the K&N was the worst of the bunch. It had a flimsy body, the mount was inferior, and the element was the worst of the bunch, just a bit of poorly constructed paper.

I generally do not post anything regarding oil or filters, but what I am about to tell you is something you all need to know. I am simply going to relate what happened to me yesterday on a busy freeway in between Dallas and Fort Worth TX.

I have a little over 30k miles on my CB1100, I have changed oil and filters exactly as the book says, so there have been several changes. On two occasions, I used the K&N 204 oil filter, they had a reputable name and I liked the bolt on the end that allows you to tighten or loosen it with an open end wrench.

The first time I used a K&N oil filter, I developed a slow leak near the end of the 3000 miles, I changed the oil and filter, this time with an OEM filter, and the leak was gone. I simply figured that maybe the o-ring was faulty or something like that and I never thought about it again. I used a K&N filter for my last oil change, it was on a Sunday and the dealer was closed, so I bought the filter at O'Reilleys, I buy the oil there as well. Recently I noticed that I smelled burning oil from time to time, but I did not find any leaks. The other day I was riding on wet roads and the rear wheel spun on left turns several times, this was unusual, the tire still has a lot of tread, and the spinning was sort of sudden.

Yesterday, I was travelling down what we call the Airport Freeway, a very wide and very busy freeway, at 75-80 mph. I noticed smoke in the rear-view mirror, at first I wasn't sure where it was coming from, then I realized it was coming from my bike! I was smoking like a wounded fighter plane on it's way down, I immediately checked the lane to the right, it was clear and I made my way across three lanes to an exit, when I got to the exit my rear wheel was spinning any time I used the throttle, I shut the engine off and coasted down the exit ramp and service road to a parking lot. I did not have enough momentum to enter the parking lot so I was forced to start the engine to get in, to my relief, the engine started right up and I got into the parking lot, I killed it again and coasted into a slot at the edge of the lot.

When I put the bike on it's side-stand and inspected it, I was astonished, oil was pouring to the ground, the front of the engine was covered in oil, the rear wheel was covered in oil, and there was a heavy trail of oil leading to the service road and beyond. I had nearly lost all of the oil in the engine, I am praying that I do not have catastrophic engine damage, I shut the engine down as soon as I could, I'll know tomorrow I guess.

My first thought was that either the oil cooler or one of the lines leading to it had failed, the only logical explanation I knew of for oil to cover the front of the engine like it did, plus the sheer volume of oil suggested it was a defect or failure of some sort. I have been dreading the cost of replacing any of these parts, the oil cooler is $300, and each line is $125. I very carefully inspected the lines and cooler as best I could in that parking lot, everything seemed tight and I could not find any apparent defects or abnormalities in the lines. I was scratching my head about this all day.

I was thinking about this at one point, when I thought about the oil filter as a possible source for the oil, I didn't think to look at it closely, and I didn't think oil could leak out of there at such a rate that it covers the front of the engine. I did not but much stock in the idea that it was the oil filter, but I had the other problem with a K&N. I did an internet search for problems with K&N filters, and to my surprise, there are scores of accounts of problems motorcyclists and car drivers alike have had with K&N filters. I even found 3 separate accounts of riders having the exact same experience that I had. One guy on a VFR forum describes the exact same experience, he posted photos, and they showed the rear wheel covered in oil as mine was, and the trail of oil behind the motorcycle. His VFR has a fairing so you could not see the front, but I bet it was just like mine as well. He posted a picture of the oil filter and you could see how the part with the bolt head had separated from the housing.

I will have the bike home tomorrow, then I will change oil and filter and look more closely for any damage to the oil lines and cooler. But after reading the accounts of others, I'm pretty certain that I will find that the oil filter failed. I will follow up with pics when I finish tomorrow. I have posted some pics from yesterday that show the oil puddle under the bike after I stopped. I should have taken a pic of the rear wheel and the oil trail, but I had stuff on my mind.


I always thought of K&N as a quality product, but I have had a problem each time I have used one. If you do a google search for "problems with K&N oil filters", you will see that I am not alone, far from it. If you use them, watch closely for leaks, mine could have killed me and ruined my engine on a busy freeway.

Cheers


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Just noticed you're from North Richland Hills, TX. My son lives there, and we are planning on moving to TX in the not too distant future.

[Bazbro_imp]

Not sure if this video has been linked before?

https://youtu.be/0iBsBqL9gxo

[Houtman_imp]

Why do people use K&N oil filters is totally beyond me , especially after a previous problem .

[GoldOxide_imp]

It is because they do not subscribe to fine Forums such as this one.

- - -

Hmm, this dude,

https://youtu.be/0iBsBqL9gxo <-- Bazbro's link

is from Toronto, Ontario.

[the Ferret]

My son uses K&N filters. He likes the nut. I cannot convince him that they are no good. Believe me I' ve tried. He's 41 and decides for himself. I hope he doesn't learn the hard way.

[GoldOxide_imp]

Maybe he has a good batch of K&Ns. Nevertheless, yet another thing to keep an eye on.

[Houtman_imp]

I think that the nut on the K&N oil filters is for nuts ….

[peterbaron]

Absolutely^^