anyone seen this happen to an aircleaner before

[rough rider]

hi , here is a pic if a 2 1/2 month old twin air brand  filter .its only been cleaned twice !
the original did the same after 18 months . damage has occurred at the bottom of the filter when it is fitted to bike .
using proper filter oil (unsure of brand was form a bulk drum ), washing in kero then rinsing in warm water and truck wash
why is it doing this never seen it before ??

[kenny5000]

Ive had twin air filters that have lasted for years and wash after every ride. My guess (and its only a guess) is kero or truck wash is breaking down the foam. I wash mine in mineral turps first then hot soapy water (just dish wash liquid) or filter cleaner. Never had a drama.

[oldyzman]

Diddo Kenny,
Turps and dishwater.... Petrol or kero - too harsh

[rough rider]

thanks for the reply I always used to use petrol and reoiled with engine and never had a problem for years , reason for using kero is I was following the twin air cleaning guide , see link

http://www.twinair.com/worldwide/cleaning-and-re-oiling-your-twin-air-filter

[Barra]

Strange that. Even using the wrong solvents surely wouldn't cause the foam to breakdown after a couple of months. Because it is happening at the bottom of the filter may be a clue - some oils tend to soak to the bottom when fitted. What oil are you using? Might be incompatible? 

Probably unlikely but another possibility is its a mechanical thing - Is it a loose fit and vibration killing it? Is the filter seat smooth and in good nick?

[Rookie#1]

I have always cleaned my filters with straight kero and reused it for months, never once had an issue with any brand of filter. I wouldn't even consider dipping one in petrol though, sack the petrol wash mate and I reckon your problem will go away 

Cheers, Brendan

[evo550]

Is it No Toil filter oil ?
I had the same thing happen to two of my filters a few years ago, turns out No Toil had some issues with their filter oil, the problem has been fixed but if you have an old bulk drum of the stuff....

[35elsinore]

Sorry I cant offer any help with your filter but I have always just washed filters out with petrol with no problems. A xr400 I bought new in 97 was sold 8 years later with a few spare filters including the original that had only ever  been washed in petrol and was still very useable.

[farmer58za]

Always washed my filters in petrol, then soapy water. Later changed the petrol to paraffin (kerosene) because it was easier on my skin - and safer too. Used a range of filter oils from straight engine oil to high quality air cleaner fluid. Never had a problem with OEM or aftermarket.

lots of old bikes that I have bought especially those that have stood a long while, have had filters that have disintegrated like that. Possibly dud foam....?

Regards
David

[tony27]

If that's off 1 of your CZs then it'll be from the back side of the airbox, I had a new uni filter do the same thing. Came from blown back petrol collecting there as the lowest point of the airbox, I've been using twin air filters for a while now & no problems with them. Check that the drain isn't blocked if it's the standard airbox or drill a 6mm or so in the back corners if it's a plastic airbox

[rough rider]

its out of a Suzuki drz 400 tony , last time I did my cz though I did notice the bottom of one of them looked the same but not as bad , thought it may have been from chaffing on the air box inner locating ridge but now this one too
i'll go to the place I purchased the oil from today and see if I can find out what it is

[smed]

If that's off 1 of your CZs then it'll be from the back side of the airbox

I was thinking a problem with the airbox/cage too

[rough rider]

pulled both air filters from cz's when I got home from work and they don't seem to have a problem , they are both foam uni filters and have been washed the same way , kero then truck wash to wash out the kero
saw the supplier of my filter oil today and he says it was rockoil blue filter oil , he seems to think the deteriation of the filter shown is from the washing out in kero and not removing it all properly when rinsing it in the truck wash , then over time any kero not rinsed off left is making its way down to the bottom of the filter , being held where the cage compresses the filter and rotting the foam .he did replace my filter free of charge which I didn't expect
going to change my practice with the washing out and see what happens
now what to use ?

[rough rider]

it was suggested that I use degreaser to break down the filter oil then wash that out with soapy water , ive never heard this method before has anyone use ?

[FourstrokeForever]

I've always used petrol to pre wash my filters, wring it out (remove excess petrol) and then wash in HOT soapy dishwash water. I keep a bottle of elcheapo dishwash liquid in the shed. Then rinse out the soap from the filter in fresh HOT water....repeat if necessary. Let the filter dry out naturally and then re-oil. I've never had a filter deteriorate on me. Bastard of a job though....