Any recommendations for general purpose cleaner & oil for foam air cleaner? Or should I just break down and buy the Honda-specific stuff?

 

Just go to any parts store and buy some...I think that I bought k+n air filter oil. Any parts solvent that is non flammable will work!

 

Don't use K&N on your foam filter! I have run the No-Toil filters and oil thru some wicked mud and dust with good results. You can skip the cleaner and use Oxy-Clean to save some $$. Be warned No Toil and Uni filters don't play nice. If you have a Uni just use a good, sticky, waterproof FOAM filter oil. Bel-Ray is decent here. To clean I just always used a lot of warm soapy water and patience. If I need the filter soon kerosene or gas could be used in a pinch. I just prefer to keep a few spare filters around and use the soapy water though.

 

Thanks for the warning about K&N because that is exactly what the guy in the parts store sold me. Fortunately I can still use it on the K&N filter on my SUV.
I assume NoToil & Uni are after-market filters? I still have the original Honda filter. I'll try using soapy water and see if I can find Bel-Ray or something comparable for oiling it up afterwards.

 

Yes, Uni is a big name in aftermarket foam filters. There is also Twin Air, No-Toil, and a few others that escape me at the moment. Most also have there own brand of filter oil. I like the No-Toil for convenience, but other brands are perfectly capable of protecting your engine. BTW, Twin Air makes some really nice stuff as well.

 

Thanks for the additional info.