I am just considering putting on a BHAF and I was wondering if there is any disadvantages in putting one on. Does extreme cold weather or extreme heat cause problems because in Alberta sometimes we can get both?
I was also wondering if anyone knows of any dealers for the outerwears pre filters in Canada because i tried the 1-800 number but is says it is not available in my area.

Thanks for the input

 

I've come across two that had come off the intake tube and were sucking in unfiltered air unbeknownst to the owners.
My buddy who works at Cummins NW, hates BHAFs for the same reason. Says it almost makes him cry to see an engine that has been sucking in dirt.

 

The BHAF shouldnt come off the hose if you mount the BHAF on a short chunk of PVC or 4" exhaust pipe.

 

The only disadvantage I can see is water getting at it , if you use high pressure or even garden hose and hit the hood at a certain angle , it is going to get wet even with the outerwares on it .If ya have a outerwares take it off for a trip someday ,you wont believe how restrictive it is untill you try it.I put mine on at the same time as the BHAF so I didn't notice untill I took it off.

 

Just put a piece of 4" pipe in there and connect the BHAF to that and it won't ever come off. I didn't do that and I didn't have a problem but who knows. I also never worried about it getting wet. My favorite past time while driving in the rain is hitting puddles and splashing water everywhere. My filter got wet and muddy more times than I can count and even with 70k miles on it the EGT's never went up and boost never went down to indicate that it was clogged. I never used an outwears cover either. My buddy with a 3rd gen takes his truck mudding every week and his BHAF is completely brown with mud but still flows just as good as it did when new. He doesn't have an outwears cover either. So just throw in on there and forget about it. Your engine will thank you.

 

Been through heavy rain and car washes, never got mine wet. Never had one come loose either.

 

nuttin' but smiles with mine.

 

I've never had mine pop off, but I have had salt spray and wetness covering the Outerwears cover following a 40 mile snowy,salty commute on the interstate. That forced me into using the stock air system during the winter.

 

I used to run a BHAF on my 99 worked great for beginners mod.

I then moved up to an AFE magnum force intake and didn't look back.

 

I think the fact that they suck in hot air from under the hood is a disadvantage. That heat shield I have seen probably helps, but it still must suck in a fiar amount of hot air.

 

I had a BHAF for about 9 months and it was perrty dirty. The change to the SAII dropped my EGT's drasticly and also now protects the filter from underhood dust and wet. I did get the marine version of the BHAF (more $$) but at least the media is not just paper. Also I would go for the Outerwears cover, snow can be blown up there pretty easy.

I would say just because your EGT's have not gone up that the filter is working. Everytime you get it wet you can pull holes through the filter media or it will crack and split at the folds on the inside. I would not brag about getting it wet/muddy, that may be causing damage you don't see and won't plug, but flow better. Like an open tube actually.

 

That happened to me. The clamp was tight and I figure the taper on the neck and heat under the hood caused the hose to pop off of the filter. The fix I use is to remove the entire assy (filter & hose) from the truck. Place the filter on a bench with the outlet facing down - or as close to it as possible - and drill 3 small holes through the clamp hose and neck for #6 sheet metal screws. Clean out the hose without letting any debis enter the filter and re-install. Never come off again. When I replace the filter I use the existing holes as templates for drilling into the new filter neck.

 

Disadvantages to a BHAF?? I'm definately in the minority here, but I feel even at the low price of it, the BHAF isn't worth the money, or the time.

Many folks claim it gives more power, improves turbo spoolup, and decreases egts. If it gives a power increase and improves spoolup, how come you can't see these on the dyno? There's no increased power shown, and no faster power curve rise to indicate faster spoolup, on the most sensative of dynos under the most controlled conditions. And if you can't see it on the dyno, how the heck are you going to feel it out on the road. And how does sucking hot underhood air decrease egts?

Fact is, the stock 2nd gen air cleaner, with the rubber fender boot removed or strengthened to prevent collapse, does a better job than anyone will admitt. The last time my truck, with a sock unmodified air box and the rubber boot removed, was on the rollers it put down 542 hp with a 1.05 correction factor which put the actual ouput at over 500 hp. If a BHAF would get me to 550 hp and lower my egts, even a measly 50*, I'd go to it, but it won't, so I don't bother using it.

 

I'm with you Bart, I wouldn't touch a BHAF not only for coming off the hose reason I described but mainly because they just aren't intended for the application under a hood.
The type of BHAFs that most folks are using are really intended to be installed on stationary engines under cover.
The vast majority of people don't need the extra air anyway.

 

Well one disadvantage of the BHAF is a power loss..... I know guys will find that hard to believe but we did some testing of different air filter units and the only units to show an increase in HP were from AFE. The BHAF actually showed a decrease in HP from the OEM unit. This was done on a slightly modified (around 425 RWHP) CTD. Interestingly the TDR magazine did similiar testing and found the same results.

Doug Smith