Snorkel Uni filter

I was thinking of getting one sometime. I talked to a fellow at work who has tried them he said it did help to keep the main filter clean but reckons he used more fuel. Wonder if anyone else has had similar results.

Hi
I run one on my Troopy when travelling on dirt with other vehicles and it works well, I use the K&N spray on filter oil, just a light coating and clean it every 2 days. I have a 6.5 chev turbo fitted and it makes no difference to the fuel consumption.

I have the type which is a sock that fits inside the snorkel top and comes in lots of 3. They obviously have a much bigger surface area than the ones which fit over the front of the snorkel.
I used them an around OZ trip when on dirt and found it great. (Tanami, GRR, Kulumburu)
After about 2-3 days in bad dust My Range rover Classic used to get a miss and I would swap over the filters.
A bit messy to clean as I would clean in Turps and reoil.
On coming home my main filter was perfect and I was able to keep running it for another six months.
I still have them and will use on my Discovery2 diesel.
Regards Philip A

I have been using a Uni Filter as my prime and only air filter in the OKA for 12 years. I replaced the original with a new one after 9 years.
I wash it in turps and re oil it with hydraulic oil as and when required.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome

Yep, use in the dust all the time.
I use the K&N or Castrol spray oils. K&N also do a spray cleaner that soap dissolves easily so you don't need turps, kero etc to clean it.

I carry three filters and rotate daily. I find that they don't last too long before the glue holding them together lets go. Still cheaper than teh OEM filter.

You are supposed to use unifilter oil as it is very viscous gooey stuff and doesn't flow out of the filter like K&N. That is why it is messy as first the turps then you have to squeeze the oil into the filter with your hands if in the bush.

I always found that the inside of the sock was extremely dusty, hence the mess when cleaning but the outside was pristine, the outside being the inside or nearest to the main filter. LOL
Just be aware that it is not a good idea to run Unifilters or K&N as the main filter if you have a Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF) as it is easy to over oil and it can corrupt the MAF.
I found that the socks did not fit my fibreglass Range Rover snorkel exactly but on the advice of the Unifilter bloke at West Gosford, I cut up a couple of beer cans and glued them inside the snorkel rim and that fixed the problem. No such problem with the molded Chinese snorkel on my D2.

AFAIR the blue ones were Finer Filters .
They were /are made by Unifilter also, I guess to be an exclusive line for some retail chain.
Regards Philip A

Ive used them for a few years now. A great idea.

The best oil is from your local bike shop, I use Belray in a spray can. I've used K&N oil once..................and went straight back to Belray.

You will use more fuel if filter is very dirty, especially if you're still running a carby, hence you need to carry a few spares and change regularly.

I have heard of some diesel engines not taking kindly to snorkel filters especially the internal sock type.

Cheers

Odog, I'm definitely not a fan of these oiled filters, but did consider them a long time ago for my desert trips.
Especially the external one as this should also keep insects etc out of the snorkel head and be easy enough to manage.

I personally feel it is just a pita concept for 4wdn, most factory main air filters are perfectly fine to keep your engine free of dust, and I always do a full service (air and fuel filters inc) plus take a spare air filter with me (along with spare oil / fuel filters, hoses and belts) on longer drives and remote.

To avoid dust problems, I just stay well back from a vehicle/s in front, usually there is a light wind to assist blowing across a track in some form, you just set up to best use this, or hang back as far as necessary.
If passing a vehicles (or more rarely overtaking) at any time, it isn't too long in the dust, and if a convoy etc is seen approaching, it isn't too much drama to pull up in a good spot to avoid dust and let them pass, then proceed again.
I also let the revs back down to idle, so the intake is actually taking in very little air.
Try that, if idling you can feel a light flow at snorkel intake, have someone rev it just a little and the flow is surprisingly high.

After considering the unifilter system I decided I for one wouldn't be wanting to spend the time maintaining over a trip the way that is needed for it to remain efficient . . . seriously, checking every couple of days, rotating a few a day, solvent cleaners, plastic bags of special oil ??? It ain't gonna happen ??? And you know it !! :) :)

The factory filters are large enough, and efficient enough, to cope with a lot of dust.
Run with it and carry a spare just in case it is really dry, there's lots of traffic, and you strike mostly unfavourable or no wind on such tracks / roads.

After reading al the other replies, I'm wondering why no-one mentioned - or uses - the Donaldson style units as pre-filters.

I fitted one some 35 years back on a VW Kombi camper and the results were quite impressive. Those ears on the Kombi caught a lot of dust and the engine bay was full of the stuff after long runs on unsealed roads. The Donaldson had trapped a heap of it, but the standard filter was clean as new.

Do they still exist?