Mount St. Helen's No Match for K&N Air Filter

Not a lot of people thank companies for satisfaction and good service. But Dean Zinter felt moved to because of his satisfaction with his K&N air filter. Zinter is president of All Equipment Air Conditioning in Aurora, Oregon, servicing air conditioning systems on various logging machines in Oregon and Washington.

Dirty Side of Dean Zinter's K&N Air Filter
Dirty Side of Dean Zinter's K&N Air Filter

Clean Side of Dean Zinter's K&N Air Filter
Clean Side of Dean Zinter's K&N Air Filter
A standard maintenance check on his 1987 Ford F-250 7.3-liter diesel service truck found the intake side of his K&N lifetime air filter filled with dust, yet the side that brings air into the engine remained clean. "As you can see, one side is very dirty, and the other side is totally clean," Zinter wrote in an e-mail to K&N Engineering. "This is truly amazing. I have had this filter in this truck since about 1994, and it probably has close to 200,000 miles on it now."

"I put a lot of miles on this truck out in the woods, with many miles on gravel logging roads," Zinter wrote. "They are very dusty especially the ones near Mount St. Helens. The volcanic ash is so fluffy and powdery that, as you can see, it really fills up a filter in no time." The filter is the K&N 33-2088, the K&N replacement air filter for the 1993-1994 Ford 7.3-liter factory turbo diesel also known as the ATS Turbo system, who supplied it to Ford.

Zinter said he used to sell ATS turbo systems and installed the K&N filter in his 1987 Ford F-250 pickup at that time. The pickup was just a standard Ford pickup used as a sales demo truck for the turbo systems.
 
Dean Zinter's F-250 with Mount St. Helens in the background.
Dean Zinter's F-250 with Mount St. Helens in the background

Driving in dusty conditions.
Driving in dusty conditions
"Checking the air filter is a standard maintenance item," Zinter wrote, "but when it gets that dirty, the amount of boost pressure on the boost gauge is less than normal. That is how I know it needs cleaning." Zinter said he services the filter as usual with K&N cleaner and oil.

"I have close to 300,000 miles on my 1987 Ford F-250 diesel service truck now," Zinter wrote. "This is the second engine in it; the first one failed at about 180,000 miles because of a broken piston. I average about 200 to 250 miles per day during the summer months with my air conditioning repair services on logging equipment, and as the photos show, the truck sees some very dusty areas during the various trips out into the woods."

"I would have to say to anyone who has not used a K&N filter on any engine they use, that until they do, they can not rely on "old wives tales" about to let more air through, you let more dirt through. I have seen my filter like the photos many times, and each time the clean side (engine side) has no signs of dirt migration through the filter media even when it is as dirty (on the air intake side) as the photos show. There is no dirt migration around the rubber seal area of the filter."

"I have no reason to gain anything on my end for this "unsolicited" testimonial to you about the excellent service your filter has given to me," Zinter concludes. "I am already getting the best protection for my engine now. However, I will pass on to you my own company slogan: There are two things in life you have to sell: product and service. You can go anywhere and buy products, but if your service is no good, the first does not really matter. If you like my service, tell your friends. If you don't, tell me. In this case, I am taking my own advice and telling you of the good product and service you have provided me."

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer near you.