Foam Filter Adhesive

TimSr90

TimSr90

PR Addict
I'm sure I am not the only person who has had a good foam air filter element start coming apart at one of the seams. Anybody have any suggestions on what to use to adhere it back in place? The only thing I have found to bond either dries hard, and starts cracking up when you squeeze the filter to clean or oil it, or won't stand up to the filter oil, and starts disolving from it.
 
Have seen filters do that, but never found a fix other than replacing the filter, usually with another brand. We had good results with NoToil cleaners and filters. Sort of a system, which others may also offer too.

The best advise I can give anyone is to buy about a half dozen filters if you ride often. Prep them and put them in zip lock bags. It then is easy to pull out and install a new one before you ride or race. Put the dirty ones in a bag and then when they are all dirty clean them all at once...and repeat.

My son used to cruise the pits after Nationals and collect filters from the trash. Many teams use a new filter for each moto and toss the dirty filters. You had to clean them and make sure what bike they were for but he used what fit his bikes and gave the others to his friends. Sometimes they were hardly even dirty.
 
We have had the same problem with filters. We had been using the red formula no toil and they created the green formula because the red was eating the seems. We switched to the green but still seam to be having the same problems. It seems like we are constantly buying filters as we always have at least 2 per bike. If the seem is a small separation I have carefully used grip glue. Put a dap on and try to easily push it together so it adheres. if you push to hard it will harden up. it has worked but anything rather large we throw out and get a new one.
 
Best solution I have come up with is Hot Glue.
Use a hot glue gun with the white (clear) glue sticks not the yellow (too brittle). This works well and will not be harmed or fail when cleaning. work in small increments use very little glue pinch together while still hot (you will burn yourself just be ready and quick) then trim any excess after it sets up. TA DA! looks like the original seam.
This is great for fixing compromised seams and small tears on the outer layer of the filter.

*NOTE* I would never use to repair the inner layer or a single layer filter, It is just not worth The risk of any glue getting loose and damaging the engine. If the cause of the failed seem is due to the filter being old and worn out its just simply time to replace the filter. $13.00 dollar filter (NOT=) $1,300.00 top end.
 
I have seen people use the hot glue and then re-inforce the area of the seperation by sewing it with needle and thread .
 
I tried the hot glue gun and it seems to work really well. Small amounts worked right into the foam offers little risk of getting sucked in. I'm dealing with a vintage 86 ATC250R in this case, or an 85 TriZ, so trash can hunting, or having multple spares gets quite expensive. I also make filter elements from bulk UNI foam for some real oddball stuff like my 83 ALT125 which I can't even get any more.

They are obviously glued with something at the factory. I always wondered what they used.

We'll see how the hot glue works over time. Thanks for the tips!
 
For the past few years I have always had 3-4 filters to keep in rotation, and they last me a full year and then some before they start coming apart. I use no toil filter/cleaners. If you ask me, a year for a $30 filter is pretty damn good.
 
honestly, I've never had an airfilter come apart and I clean it after every ride. I use Uni airfilters and have 3 of them I think so I can keep them rotated. I clean mine with kerosene and then a good rinse in soapy water and a final good rinse in plain water. Maybe the kerosene isnt a good idea but I've never had any trouble.
 
back in the day on 80s/125s all i used was kerosene and never really had issues either.

i know guys that wont change their filter for every couple rides.. thats insane if you ask me. i change it afte revery ride regardless of conditions. that bottle of oil and cleaner is a hell of a lot cheaper than rebuilding a motor!!!!
 
I forgot to mention I use Maxima FFT as my filter oil. The filters get changed every ride because my 500 has cut out on each side of the airbox that you can open and it seems to let alot more dust and stuff in.
 
TimSr90 said:
I tried the hot glue gun and it seems to work really well. Small amounts worked right into the foam offers little risk of getting sucked in. I'm dealing with a vintage 86 ATC250R in this case, or an 85 TriZ, so trash can hunting, or having multple spares gets quite expensive. I also make filter elements from bulk UNI foam for some real oddball stuff like my 83 ALT125 which I can't even get any more.

They are obviously glued with something at the factory. I always wondered what they used.

We'll see how the hot glue works over time. Thanks for the tips!
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Have you looked at possibly going to a K&N paper filter system as a full on replacement? It might be worth looking into. Main issue I would see is if you can keep it dry in wet and muddy conditions. I would look into if I was you though.
 
Notorious t.o.d. said:
Have you looked at possibly going to a K&N paper filter system as a full on replacement? It might be worth looking into. Main issue I would see is if you can keep it dry in wet and muddy conditions. I would look into if I was you though.
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I run a K&N on one of my TriZ's, and they are super. Eliminates the cage you have to stretch the foam over too. My other one has a UNI foam filter, still in geat shape. It was my son's ATC250R that the seam was coming apart, even though the filter was like new, and yes, I would replace it with a K&N if I couldn't save it but just don't want to throw $35 away if a little hot glue gets another year out of it.
 
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