How to Suffocate Your JL Wrangler...

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Attend the JLX!

If there's one thing that I hate about a long desert trip like the one we just went on, it's that we're not in the lead and you can't back out of the dust. If you do, you're at risk of missing a turn and being, "that guy". In fact, it was after the JKX Wild Wild West that we first started to see multiple JK's with 3.6L engines ruined and it's why I'm so opposed to cold air intakes or CAI's. With that said, here's what our factory air filter was able to collect just after 4 months, 5,000 miles and just one JLX...

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I should note that what you are seeing is just what came out after setting the filter down on the ground - NOT pounding it out. In all, I measured a little more than half a cup of ultra fine dust. The GOOD NEWS is that the air tube beyond the filter still looked clean and so did the oil. Unlike the JK before, the new OE paper filters really do a GREAT job of filtering dirt and for a guy like me who spends a lot of time out in the dust, I really am glad for it. :yup:

Time to do this again...

 

Cozdude

Guy with a Red 2-Door
Holy dust Batman! That’s crazy! I’m glad it at least works very well and that the tubes were clean
 

JTCO

Meme King
Holy shit. I've seen a lot of dirty air filters, but that one is really fucking dirty! Especially with that low of mileage on it.

You'll notice in your owner's maintenance schedule, there is a 'regular' and 'extreme' use schedule. I now see why :crazyeyes:
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Holy shit. I've seen a lot of dirty air filters, but that one is really fucking dirty! Especially with that low of mileage on it.

You'll notice in your owner's maintenance schedule, there is a 'regular' and 'extreme' use schedule. I now see why :crazyeyes:

From experience, I knew this was going to be a problem and ordered a new filter ahead of time. What I didn't know what just how much dirt I was going to see. Gotta love OE paper filters. :yup:
 

NFRs2000NYC

Member
Buddy of mine overseas used to place dryer sheets over the filter before entering a super dusty environment. Right after the drive, or midway through (depending on length) he's just remove it and toss it, and the filter was kept MUCH cleaner, and it's a very cheap method. He does the same trick with cabin filters, but he uses that trick as an air freshener to make the cabin air smell nice and fresh. I use yankee candle clean cotton, but his solution is much cheaper lol.
 

CanadaJeep

Caught the Bug
wow. that's a lot of fine dust, glad the filter works as it should. anyone see this and still wants to put a CAI on their jeep :icon_crazy:
 

Jeeeep

Member
Holy crap! did you notice any performance drop on the travels home?

Impressive how much dust it captured :thumb:
 

GCM 2.0

New member
Well we were technically “Overlanding” on most of the JLX, and that only means one thing; had that new JL been properly equipped with a ‘bespoke snorkel’ set up, you could have avoided the dust build up in the filter. I’m pretty sure next year that Mel will make snorkels mandatory for all the sponsor/vendors and invited participants rigs. Also mandatory, roof top tent and/or off-road trailer........


Sent from my iPad using JL Wrangler Jeep Forum mobile app
 

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wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Buddy of mine overseas used to place dryer sheets over the filter before entering a super dusty environment. Right after the drive, or midway through (depending on length) he's just remove it and toss it, and the filter was kept MUCH cleaner, and it's a very cheap method. He does the same trick with cabin filters, but he uses that trick as an air freshener to make the cabin air smell nice and fresh. I use yankee candle clean cotton, but his solution is much cheaper lol.

LOL!! How did he keep the drier sheets in place? Either way, unlike the JK before which had a filter media that was way more porous, the JL media seems to be much denser and definitely gets the job done without any extra help.

Wow! You brought the desert home Eddie!

A souvenir compliments of the JLX :crazyeyes:

I’m glad that’s in the filter and not the motor like it would be on a JK.

The JK filter couldn't hold a candle to the JL filter.

wow. that's a lot of fine dust, glad the filter works as it should. anyone see this and still wants to put a CAI on their jeep :icon_crazy:

If we were running a CAI, I can guarantee you that we'd have a ruined engine.

That had to be the dirtiest air filter I’ve ever seen in my life! Always a good idea to carry a spare when wheeling in powder like that! Thanks for sharing your discovery!

Fortunately, I had a spare that I could pop in as soon as I got home. :yup:
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Holy crap! did you notice any performance drop on the travels home?

Impressive how much dust it captured :thumb:

You know, I can't say that I had noticed any drop. Definitely impressive at how well it did.

Well we were technically “Overlanding” on most of the JLX, and that only means one thing; had that new JL been properly equipped with a ‘bespoke snorkel’ set up, you could have avoided the dust build up in the filter. I’m pretty sure next year that Mel will make snorkels mandatory for all the sponsor/vendors and invited participants rigs. Also mandatory, roof top tent and/or off-road trailer........

And here I thought we were just doing a lot of driving across the desert and mountains. Clearly, a snorkel made by a company who specializes in goods and guidance for the modern man was what I needed.
 

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