K&N Sealing Grease

I recently purchased some oval K&N filters but didn't buy any K&N sealing grease. (I never even heard of it until today).  Amazon has a 6oz tube for $12.95.  Can anything else be substituted like white petroleum jelly or something else?  K&N claims their sealing grease is heat and melt resistant. 

Never heard of it until right now.

Looking at the SDS it is just a petroleum grease. They don't say what kind of heat resistance it has but it shouldn't get too hot sealing an air filter. I would probably use some dielectric grease if you have it around, petroleum jelly might melt and run at too low of a temperature. 

I have K&N filters in everything. Never heard of sealing grease. 

I did a search on several different forums regarding a substitute sealing grease. It's been a pretty mixed bag with some stating to use silicone grease and others saying to stay away from it since it messes up sensors. (My vehicle is a 65 Corvair so no problem there). Others are recommending white lithium grease.   The filters are expensive enough. I hate to spend money for what seems to be a 10 year supply of sealing grease.  I just don't want to use something that could erode the rubber seal on the filter itself. 

Sealing grease.  Because the hose clamp isn't tight?  The rubber neck of the filter is poorly manufactured? The air inlet is an odd shape?  K&N knows there is a sucker born every minute?

There is no hose clamp. The filter is sandwiched between a flat top and flat bottom surface. 

Personally, I'd just give the wingnuts on top of those an extra half-twist and call it good. It's not like K&N filters are doing much filtering anyhow, so what's a little gap? 

That's similar to the Abomination filter. I'm not using grease on it. It's pulls down pretty snug. 

Not disagreeing with you Tom, but for what these things cost, I expect them to perform better than a dialysis machine. 

Still a ways to go before installing as I'm rebuilding the carbs now. 

Appreciate the input. 

triumphcorvair said:

Not disagreeing with you Tom, but for what these things cost, I expect them to perform better than a dialysis machine. 

Still a ways to go before installing as I'm rebuilding the carbs now. 

Appreciate the input. 

The thing is they really don't filter that well. They let a lot of crap through and they simultaneously get plugged up faster. OEM paper filters in an appropriate size are actually very good nowadays.

freetors said:

triumphcorvair said:

Not disagreeing with you Tom, but for what these things cost, I expect them to perform better than a dialysis machine. 

Still a ways to go before installing as I'm rebuilding the carbs now. 

Appreciate the input. 

The thing is they really don't filter that well. They let a lot of crap through and they simultaneously get plugged up faster. OEM paper filters in an appropriate size are actually very good nowadays.

That's what I was really getting at. I think K&Ns have their place on track-only or show cars, but for something that's going to see daily duty out in the dust and grime for tens of thousands of miles, give me a good paper filter and change it often.

Here's another good tip I picked up from BITOG: The best oil filter is a good air filter.

Thanks for all of your input, all of which has been well received. 

I would have preferred a good paper filter element but I was somewhat limited in choice as these air cleaners were custom made. I'm happy with everything, just want to make sure I continue to move in a forward direction, so to speak. 

Streetwiseguy said:

Sealing grease.  Because the hose clamp isn't tight?  The rubber neck of the filter is poorly manufactured? The air inlet is an odd shape?  K&N knows there is a sucker born every minute?

It's amazing what dust will find its way through.

Every gasket surface gets a smear of grease or Right Stuff  depending on if it has to come apart again or not.

If I'm suspicious of the seal between the rubber and the end plates I use a light smear of wheel bearing grease.

I've read a bunch of the internet stuff about K & N filters but my own experiments and experiences leave me a fan.  I've seen them pick up power on the engine dyno over paper filters and I've never seen pre-mature ring wear that I could attribute to poor filtration in any engines I've used them on.  I have seen mass air flow sensors messed up from over oiled filters.  I've seen many K & N equipped engines run to more than 200k miles with no issues.