Screamin Eagle filter - dry or oiled?
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1,570
Likes: 117
From: Southeast NC
I put on a Sceamin Eagle Ventilator AC on my m8 and i clean and oil it with a K and N kit at every 5k oil change. No issues. Dont over oil. Very light coat of spray oil on outside of filter.
Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 165
Likes: 46
From: MI
Definitely...a little goes a long way
Banned
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 1,036
Likes: 67
I can't help but grin when I read through some of the comments here. Guys...like most things here, some of you people are over thinking this air cleaner thing. If you are using the Stage II air filter simply clean it every 5000 miles when you do your fluid changes. Remove it from the bike and take it to the kitchen sink for cleaning. Use some kind of soap, I always use dishwashing liquid like Dawn, Joy or whatever your wifey has handy. Soak the filter and let it sit for 20 minutes or so to soften up any oil or bugs. If you have a little 1" wide paint brush, use it to get in between the pleats. Next, hold the filter and using warm water flush the filter out from the inside out (so the dirt comes out-not in). Now, hold the filter up in front of a light bulb and look through it. If it looks clean, then it is. Let the filter dry for awhile and then shoot a little K&N oil on the inside and out. Don't get carried away here and think that if a little is good then a lot is much better. Just put a dusting of oil inside and out. Set the filter aside for while and then install. Next, clean the damn sink before your wife sees the mess you have made. Lastly, and this is very important, go out and ride more and worry less because most of the things you worry about in life never happen.
Road Master
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 866
Likes: 248
From: N.Y.C
I would add to my earlier comment about oiling the filter. I was under the impression that it had to be more reddish than it needed to be because it turned grey. I realized my mistake when I had to keep cleaning oil drippage of the bike and worse the exhaust which smoked like a MF. On decel the filter pukes more oil and took a long time to stop.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 5,077
Likes: 3,293
From: Plover, WI
Guess I was "over thinking", from now on I'll just wait until I hit 5,000 miles.
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 1,195
Likes: 1,346
From: Banana Republic of amerika
Im guessing the biggest mistake most make with this type of filter is over oiling it. Did it myself years ago. Oil residue would coat my sunglasses, face etc. Took quite a few miles to finally settle in. My next air filter will be a synthetic type that only requires cleaning and no oiling, tired of that game.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 14,156
Likes: 11,247
From: San Diego, CA
FWIW.....
The HD SE filters used to be a synthetic, washable filter element... it requires no oil... I currently have three of them in use...
The last (newest) one I bought was in 1/2018 for a 2016 Ultra Classic I had recently purchased, Screamin' Eagle Stage I kit, part #29400233. It uses HD air filter element part #29244-08
From the part description:
"Kit features a one-piece cast back plate with integral breather and mounting brackets for simplified installation and a synthetic washable air cleaner element that does not require oiling. This round air cleaner element can be dressed with most Original Equipment or accessory air cleaner covers or choose to flaunt your performance gains with the open element look."
I also have '01 & '03 softails with a Stage I, Screamin' Eagle Stage I air cleaner kits.... they also have the synthetic, washable, no oil filter elements...
The synthetic elements clean up really well, and they don't need to use any oil...
I'm not a big fan of oiled filters, especially K&N, but their no-oil competitors are getting slim these days...
Before you hang the tech who said all HD SE filters are dry... that SE filter element #29244-08 is now discontinued... obviously sometime after 2018... it's new replacement filter is a K&N filter, HD part #29400019...
Yeah, a tech shouldn't be 2 or so years behind the change... but it's not like he just made it up....
The HD SE filters used to be a synthetic, washable filter element... it requires no oil... I currently have three of them in use...
The last (newest) one I bought was in 1/2018 for a 2016 Ultra Classic I had recently purchased, Screamin' Eagle Stage I kit, part #29400233. It uses HD air filter element part #29244-08
From the part description:
"Kit features a one-piece cast back plate with integral breather and mounting brackets for simplified installation and a synthetic washable air cleaner element that does not require oiling. This round air cleaner element can be dressed with most Original Equipment or accessory air cleaner covers or choose to flaunt your performance gains with the open element look."
I also have '01 & '03 softails with a Stage I, Screamin' Eagle Stage I air cleaner kits.... they also have the synthetic, washable, no oil filter elements...
The synthetic elements clean up really well, and they don't need to use any oil...
I'm not a big fan of oiled filters, especially K&N, but their no-oil competitors are getting slim these days...
Before you hang the tech who said all HD SE filters are dry... that SE filter element #29244-08 is now discontinued... obviously sometime after 2018... it's new replacement filter is a K&N filter, HD part #29400019...
Yeah, a tech shouldn't be 2 or so years behind the change... but it's not like he just made it up....
Last edited by hattitude; Oct 4, 2020 at 05:07 PM.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 14,156
Likes: 11,247
From: San Diego, CA
So I mistakenly threw away the box/instructions from my Screamin Eagle wedge intake after I installed it. 3k miles later and I'm cleaning the filter because it was pretty nasty. I went to my local dealer and the service guy said to only clean the filter with the K&N filter cleaner, but I shouldn't oil it because all SE filters are dry...
Now, I'm seeing a lot of differing opinions online, and in the Q&A section on Harley's website a person says to service it with K&N oil.
Now, I'm seeing a lot of differing opinions online, and in the Q&A section on Harley's website a person says to service it with K&N oil.
FWIW....
OP
I was curious, so I ran the part number of your air filter kit. #29400245A to see what filter element was used...
As stated by several others, your particular kit does in fact have a K&N oiled, gauze filter element, instead of the synthetic washable filter the tech was making reference to...
Last edited by hattitude; Oct 4, 2020 at 05:22 PM.