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E-3260 Air Filter

Cth6

Well Known Member
I am replacing my K&N filter, calls for the E-3260. Any better options that will fit around the bump with out hacking up the filter or modifying the FAB?

Or should I just go grab my RTV and start cutting?
 
E-3260

There was a thread in the past that said a K&N-3322 was a replacement for the 3260 filter. Suppose to be a better fit but I have no experience with the 3322.
 
No RTV?

I know the Vans instructions changed from RTV to using tank sealant to fill the gap in the cut. Any cost effective fuel proof elastomeric solutions aside from spending $75 on a small tube of pro seal?
 
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E-3260 air filter cutout.

Hi anyone know of any Youtube video from a craftsman who has done the cutout and silicone on the E-3260 Air filter for an 0-320 or could give advice on "best practice". The old airfilter RTV silicone seal blob has given way on the over the years and the seal against the knob on the carb has big airpockets and doesn't look like it would seal anything. There are little silicone dendrites or branches waving in the breeze on the inner aspect of the filter that look poised to break off and plug the carb. Hard to locate the original advice in the original Vans RV4 builder plans. Someone mentioned advice from Vans about changing to a different tank seal product on one of these threads rather than RTV?
 
That number sounds familiar, is it the same one the RV8 uses? If so I have a brand new K&N in the box from my RV8 that I need to throw in the pile of things to sell during a hangar cleanout like others do here.
 
3260 vs 3322 K&N Air filters

I also switched to E-3322. I fabricated a new lower plate for it similar to what airtractor8 did. Check out his post - https://vansairforce.net/community/showpost.php?p=1449706&postcount=1 for pictures.

I have a 3322 that I was going to use on my RV-4. It won't work without modifying the fiberglass air box. Just as much of a PITA as putting the notch in. I put the smallest notch I could on the 3260 and will experiment with other sealants rather than $75 for ProSeal or similar goop. I'll report back with my results....
 
Air filter sealant


First: almost.....almost......anything would be better than the silicone sealant initially recommended all those years ago. There are, however, many thousands of hours logged without problems. But having silicone sealant hanging around the air intake of the carburetor doesn't even sound good.

I would NOT recommend the JB weld putty. I have used it on automotive applications with good results but am not sure it is durable/stable enough to replace the silicone. That is an area you don't want things to start to crumble.

The other from LocTite I have no experience with.

I recently went through some testing of JB Quick Weld as to how well it sticks to the oiled filter and the rubber that seals the air filter to the metal plate. It seemed to work well. I protected the metal plate and accelerator pump with thin tape so it wouldn't stick to those. I needed to add a scant amount of Permatex #2 to the outer edge of the JB weld blob. I have NOT flown this yet so do not know how well it would hold up to The Real World. I will do some preflight evaluating of this and, if I like what I see, will be doing frequent inspections once we start flying again....

IMHO; YMMV. This is NOT an endorsement of using what I used; only a report on my choice.
 
On my other plane, which is not an RV, I used the Van’s FAB with the 3322 filter. It works well with the O320 engine. However, I used a technique very similar to the Airtractor8 reference, and also placed a spacer block between the carb and the FAB. I mention this as just another datapoint that there are ways to not notch and use the 3322.
 
This is another way of doing it

I have a couple of 3260’s that I rotate. They are not cut and there is no sealant needed. I simply form the air filter around the protrusion and clamp in place. After a couple of heat cycles the shape is set.

IMG_3342.jpg

IMG_3341.jpg
 
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