The air filter in my K 100 has got to go.  The replacement doesn't exist in Nicaragua.  There is a BMW dealer in Honduras, but they don't have it either.  Can't seem to find a crossover chart that even recognizes the Einsatz # printed on my filthy filter.  (1 460 337)
Any crossover help will be appreciated.  Most of the parts available here come from USA or China.  Personally ordering from outside the country not really possible.  Postal service is very sketchy and even a letter will take a month to six weeks to deliver, if it gets delivered at all.  
The techs here are skilled and inventive, so I suppose someone could re-build the filter I have using filter paper and silicon, but really I'd like to buy a replacement that has been manufactured to specs and ordered from a local parts dealer.

skidz449 wrote: Personally ordering from outside the country not really possible.  Postal service is very sketchy and even a letter will take a month to six weeks to deliver, if it gets delivered at all.  
I'd like to buy a replacement that has been manufactured to specs and ordered from a local parts dealer.

Why can't the BMW dealer order one? Anyway, these filters can last 80 thousand to 100 thousand miles. Was yours in a flood or otherwise rotted? I've been shaking and blowing dirt and gravel from my moto's filter for 40K miles.

Here are three possible substitutes. Sometimes aftermarket frames are a difficult fit into the air box. If that's the case, the filter could possibly removed from the aftermarket frame and be fitted into the OEM frame.

Purolator AF3389
Mahle LX75
K&N BM-2605

Amazon has them.  That's where I get mine.

https://www.amazon.com/MAHLE-Original-LX-75-Filter/dp/B0068O1MNG

skidz449 wrote:Can't seem to find a crossover chart that even recognizes the Einsatz # printed on my filthy filter.  (1 460 337)

13 72 1 460 337 is the complete BMW oem number, and the above-mentioned variants are about the only readily available (eBay/Motobins/Amazon/EuroMoto, etc) options. I see that Esteli is nowhere near San Juan del Sur, where my old mate Santiago does moto work on BMW and other bikes. Perhaps a connection there...

Why not fit a K&N filter you can clean and reuse?

88 wrote:Why not fit a K&N filter you can clean and reuse?

Maybe because the Mahle filter will go over 50,000 miles without having to even be checked, and unless you ride in a dustbowl, should last for nearly 100,000 miles(that was a 1980's design requirement instituted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency).

If you buy the K&N that fits in the airbox, it costs over 3 times as much as the Mahle LX25.  That would put the payback at somewhere between 150,000 and 300,000 miles.

Point-Seven-five wrote:

88 wrote:Why not fit a K&N filter you can clean and reuse?

Maybe because the Mahle filter will go over 50,000 miles without having to even be checked, and unless you ride in a dustbowl, should last for nearly 100,000 miles(that was a 1980's design requirement instituted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency).

The OEM filter can be cleaned and reused.

There is no EPA 100,000 mile requirement for air filter life.  The OEM filter lasts that long because it is well-made, has a large surface area and can be cleaned when used in severe conditions.

Just blowing air "backwards" through a stock filter will get it pretty clean.  And if you look at it it's a HUGE air filter for a liter engine.  Don Eilenberger ran tests and even with the air filter half covered there was no impact on a dyno.

K&N filters:

1) Let more dirt though.

2) Given the heat where they reside they need to be oiled more frequently than typically recommended because the "oil" used dries out much quicker on a K.

3) But they do come with a nice decal.

In the mid 80's the EPA established regulations for emissions and CAFE standards for the auto industry in the U.S.  This was to address environmental concerns and the crude oil shortages of the late 70's.

In those regulations was the requirement that all parts of the engine operating systems be able to allow the vehicle to meet emission and fuel efficiency standards for the "useful" life of the vehicle with no "owner intervention", meaning routine maintenance.  Useful life at the time was defined as 100,000 miles or 10 years.

This requirement applied to things like spark plugs, ignition systems, carburetors, fuel pumps, and AIR FILTERS.  It's the main reason why today's automobiles have fuel injection, electronic ignition, and rare earth spark plugs.  Since the dealers made a lot of money doing maintenance the manufacturers managed to keep the public unaware of this requirement well into the 90's.

Air filters were made part of the required components because a dirty filter on a carbureted engine caused a rich mixture which increased emissions and reduced fuel efficiency.  Obviously, with electronic fuel injection a dirty air filter won't affect the mixture, but try to remove a bureaucratic regulation.

A related development was the requirement imposed in the late 80's that the crash protection provided by "Crumple Zones" also last for the useful life of the vehicle.  That regulation is the main reason why modern vehicles can run for over 10 years and still not be rusted out like the vehicles of the 50's and 60's that were rust buckets after two northern winters.

Hope this helps.

Point-Seven-five wrote: Useful life at the time was defined as 100,000 miles or 10 years.

This requirement applied to things like spark plugs, ignition systems, carburetors, fuel pumps, and AIR FILTERS.  It's the main reason why today's automobiles have fuel injection, electronic ignition, and rare earth spark plugs.  Since the dealers made a lot of money doing maintenance the manufacturers managed to keep the public unaware of this requirement well into the 90's.

Air filters were made part of the required components because a dirty filter on a carbureted engine caused a rich mixture which increased emissions and reduced fuel efficiency. 

Hope this helps.

You're mistaken about air filters and maybe even spark plugs.   I doubt you'll find supporting evidence of 100,000 mile lifespan requirements for those items either, even if you were interested enough to look for them, which is unlikely.

I know your heart is in the right place though.

Okay.  I worked with automotive guys back then.  I only know what I read in the industry press(Automotive News) and what the engineers told me.

I vaguely recall that the government had statistics that showed the "morons" who owned automobiles(their view) didn't maintain the operating systems to assure that emission and CAFE requirements would be met for the life of the vehicle. I also recall the anguish on the part of the auto manufacturers at the time over the extra expense these systems added to manufacturing costs along with the hefty fines for non-compliance.  It's pretty hard to imagine that companies like Ford and GM went to the trouble of engineering the stuff they did if it wasn't necessary.

I can personally attest to the fact that of the 12 automobiles I have owned from new since 1987 I have never changed plugs before 150,000 miles.  Most of those vehicles stayed in the family until they had well over 300,000 miles and were sold with their second set of plugs.  None of them had drive-ability or efficiency issues related to spark plugs or ignition systems with the exception of a 2001 Honda Accord that had a coil failure at about 110,000 miles.

I may be wrong about bikes of the period.  I don't think the EPA had them in their sights until later.

Point-Seven-five wrote:showed the "morons" who owned automobiles(their view)

These morons differ from the ones encountered while riding?  

There is no doubt that engine systems have become more reliable but it doesn't necessarily take government mandates to make them that way. Making vehicles durable is the choice of some manufacturers. Toyota, Honda—faulty coils notwithstanding —and Subaru showed US manufacturers that manufacturing durability and reliability could be good business. The Brick is also a result of that ethos. Motorcycles are becoming subject to emission regulations now, just like autos, but they came to the party a few years later.

I had a 2005 GMC Crewcab with an engine that ran like a top at 130K miles but the dash lights, overhead lights, indicators, tail lights, door handles, hood latch, and suspension were all as ephemeral as dandelion blossoms.
The jury is still out on why people buy Range Rovers. 

I guess we just have to disagree.

Regarding the Range Rover.  My business partner back in the 90's bought one because his wife wanted it and liked the GI olive drab shade of green. 

He suspected that she knew the damn thing was such a money pit that he would never be able to have a girlfriend on the side.  $900+ for a taillight, and it went through three of them in a bit over two years.  At least half of the miles they put on it were from driving back and forth to the dealer for service.

Point-Seven-five wrote:I guess we just have to disagree.

Thanks! That's what keeps me going when I'm in the throes of cabin fever, and it's only January. 

Laitch wrote:

Point-Seven-five wrote:I guess we just have to disagree.

Thanks! That's what keeps me going when I'm in the throes of cabin fever, and it's only January. 

Felix and Oscar agree to disagree ferking priceless! I love this place

Unfortunately, I can't find the CFR that was issued in the 80's.  All I can find is what looks like the latest edition.  While not exactly what was in use in the 80's this should give the reader some idea of what is required.  Lots of fun can be had chasing the references to other parts of the CFR.   Enjoy.

The definitions of §86.000-2 continue to apply to 2000 and later model year vehicles. The definitions listed in this section apply beginning with the 2001 model year.
Useful life means:
(1) For light-duty vehicles, and for light light-duty trucks not subject to the Tier 0 standards of §86.094-9(a), intermediate useful life and/or full useful life. Intermediate useful life is a period of use of 5 years or 50,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Full useful life is a period of use of 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first, except as otherwise noted in §86.094-9. The useful life of evaporative and/or refueling emission control systems on the portion of these vehicles subject to the evaporative emission test requirements of §86.130-96, and/or the refueling emission test requirements of §86.151-2001, is defined as a period of use of 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first.

(a) The manufacturer shall furnish or cause to be furnished to the purchaser of each new motor vehicle (or motor vehicle engine) subject to the standards prescribed in §86.099-8, §86.004-9, §86.004-10, or §86.004-11, as applicable, written instructions for the proper maintenance and use of the vehicle (or engine), by the purchaser consistent with the provisions of §86.004-25, which establishes what scheduled maintenance the Administrator approves as being reasonable and necessary.
(1) The maintenance instructions required by this section shall be in clear, and to the extent practicable, nontechnical language.
(2) The maintenance instructions required by this section shall contain a general description of the documentation which the manufacturer will require from the ultimate purchaser or any subsequent purchaser as evidence of compliance with the instructions.
(b) Instructions provided to purchasers under paragraph (a) of this section shall specify the performance of all scheduled maintenance performed by the manufacturer on certification durability vehicles and, in cases where the manufacturer performs less maintenance on certification durability vehicles than the allowed limit, may specify the performance of any scheduled maintenance allowed under §86.004-25.
(c) Scheduled emission-related maintenance in addition to that performed under §86.004-25(b) may only be recommended to offset the effects of abnormal in-use operating conditions, except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section. The manufacturer shall be required to demonstrate, subject to the approval of the Administrator, that such maintenance is reasonable and technologically necessary to assure the proper functioning of the emission control system. Such additional recommended maintenance shall be clearly differentiated, in a form approved by the Administrator, from that approved under §86.004-25(b).
(d) Inspections of emission-related parts or systems with instructions to replace, repair, clean, or adjust the parts or systems if necessary, are not considered to be items of scheduled maintenance which insure the proper functioning of the emission control system. Such inspections, and any recommended maintenance beyond that approved by the Administrator as reasonable and necessary under paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this section, may be included in the written instructions furnished to vehicle owners under paragraph (a) of this section: Provided, That such instructions clearly state, in a form approved by the Administrator, that the owner need not perform such inspections or recommended maintenance in order to maintain the emissions defect and emissions performance warranty or manufacturer recall liability.
(e) The manufacturer may choose to include in such instructions an explanation of any distinction between the useful life specified on the label, and the emissions defect and emissions performance warranty period. The explanation must clearly state that the useful life period specified on the label represents the average period of use up to retirement or rebuild for the engine family represented by the engine used in the vehicle. An explanation of how the actual useful lives of engines used in various applications are expected to differ from the average useful life may be included. The explanation(s) shall be in clear, non-technical language that is understandable to the ultimate purchaser.
(f) If approved by the Administrator, the instructions provided to purchasers under paragraph (a) of this section shall indicate what adjustments or modifications, if any, are necessary to allow the vehicle to meet applicable emission standards at elevations above 4,000 feet, or at elevations of 4,000 feet or less.
(g) [Reserved]
(h) The manufacturer shall furnish or cause to be furnished to the purchaser of each new motor engine subject to the standards prescribed in §86.004-10 or §86.004-11, as applicable, the following:
(1) Instructions for all maintenance needed after the end of the useful life of the engine for critical emissions-related components as provided in §86.004-25(b), including recommended practices for diagnosis, cleaning, adjustment, repair, and replacement of the component (or a statement that such component is maintenance free for the life of the engine) and instructions for accessing and responding to any emissions-related diagnostic codes that may be stored in on-board monitoring systems;
(2) A copy of the engine rebuild provisions contained in §86.004-40.
(i) For each new diesel-fueled engine subject to the standards prescribed in §86.007-11, as applicable, the manufacturer shall furnish or cause to be furnished to the ultimate purchaser a statement that “This engine must be operated only with ultra low-sulfur diesel fuel (meeting EPA specifications for highway diesel fuel, including a 15 ppm sulfur cap).”
[62 FR 54728, Oct. 21, 1997, as amended at 68 FR 38455, June 27, 2003; 79 FR 23688, Apr. 28, 2014]

If you want to do a deep dive into government regulation of the internal combustion engine, you can do it here:

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=82f603434d092127cb58eea2520131fc&mc=true&node=pt40.21.86&rgn=div5

More stuff on maintenance:  Ignore anything that is not related to light duty vehicles.  Heavy duty is for buses, trucks, and large diesel powered stuff. 

Here's a link that will make it possible to find the sections that are referenced:

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=82f603434d092127cb58eea2520131fc&mc=true&node=pt40.21.86&rgn=div5

(a) [Reserved]
(b) This section specifies emission-related scheduled maintenance for purposes of obtaining durability data and for inclusion in maintenance instructions furnished to purchasers of new motor vehicles and new motor vehicles engines under §86.087-38.
(1) All emission-related scheduled maintenance for purposes of obtaining durability data must occur at the same mileage intervals (or equivalent intervals if engines, subsystems, or components are used) that will be specified in the manufacturer's maintenance instructions furnished to the ultimate purchaser of the motor vehicle or engine under §86.094-35. This maintenance schedule may be updated as necessary throughout the testing of the vehicle/engine, provided that no maintenance operation is deleted from the maintenance schedule after the operation has been performed on the test vehicle or engine.
(2) Any emission-related maintenance which is performed on vehicles, engines, subsystems, or components must be technologically necessary to assure in-use compliance with the emission standards. The manufacturer must submit data which demonstrate to the Administrator that all of the emission-related scheduled maintenance which is to be performed is technologically necessary. Scheduled maintenance must be approved by the Administrator prior to being performed or being included in the maintenance instructions provided to purchasers under §86.010-38.
(3) For Otto-cycle light-duty vehicles, light-duty trucks and heavy duty engines, emission-related maintenance in addition to, or at shorter intervals than, that listed in paragraphs (b)(3) (i) through (vii) of this section will not be accepted as technologically necessary, except as provided in paragraph (b)(7) of this section.
(i)(A) [Reserved]
(B) The cleaning or replacement of Otto-cycle heavy duty engine spark plugs shall occur at 25,000 miles (or 750 hours) of use and at 25,000-mile (or 750-hour) intervals thereafter, for engines certified for use with unleaded fuel only.
(ii) [Reserved]
(4)-(6) [Reserved]
(7) Changes to scheduled maintenance. (i) For maintenance practices that existed prior to the 1980 model year, only the maintenance items listed in paragraphs (b) (3) and (4) of this section are currently considered by EPA to be emission-related. The Administrator may, however, determine additional scheduled maintenance items that existed prior to the 1980 model year to be emission-related by announcement in a Federal Register Notice. In no event may this notification occur later than September 1 of the calendar year two years prior to the affected model year.
(ii) In the case of any new scheduled maintenance, the manufacturer must submit a request for approval to the Administrator for any maintenance that it wishes to recommend to purchasers and perform during durability determination. New scheduled maintenance is that maintenance which did not exist prior to the 1980 model year, including that which is a direct result of the implementation of new technology not found in production prior to the 1980 model year. The manufacturer must also include its recommendations as to the category (i.e., emission-related or non-emission-related, critical or non-critical) of the subject maintenance and, for suggested emission-related maintenance, the maximum feasible maintenance interval. Such requests must include detailed evidence supporting the need for the maintenance requested, and supporting data or other substantiation for the recommended maintenance category and for the interval suggested for emission-related maintenance. Requests for new scheduled maintenance must be approved prior to the introduction of the new maintenance. The Administrator will then designate the maintenance as emission-related or non-emission-related. For maintenance items established as emission-related, the Administrator will further designate the maintenance as critical if the component which receives the maintenance is a critical component under paragraph (b)(6) of this section. For each maintenance item designated as emission-related, the Administrator will also establish a technologically necessary maintenance interval, based on industry data and any other information available to EPA. Designations of emission-related maintenance items, along with their identification as critical or non-critical, and establishment of technologically necessary maintenance intervals, will be announced in the Federal Register.
(iii) Any manufacturer may request a hearing on the Administrator's determinations in this paragraph (b)(7). The request shall be in writing and shall include a statement specifying the manufacturer's objections to the Administrator's determinations, and data in support of such objections. If, after review of the request and supporting data, the Administrator finds that the request raises a substantial factual issue, he shall provide the manufacturer a hearing as described in 40 CFR part 1068, subpart G.
(c) Non-emission-related scheduled maintenance which is reasonable and technologically necessary (e.g., oil change, oil filter change, fuel filter change, air filter change, cooling system maintenance, adjustment of idle speed, governor, engine bolt torque, valve lash, injector lash, timing, adjustment of air pump drive belt tension, lubrication of the exhaust manifold heat control valve, lubrication of carburetor choke linkage, retorqueing carburetor mounting bolts, etc.) may be performed on durability data vehicles at the least frequent intervals recommended by the manufacturer to the ultimate purchaser, (e.g., not at the intervals recommended for severe service).
(d) [Reserved]
(e) Maintenance on emission data vehicles and engines. (1) Adjustment of engine idle speed on emission data vehicles may be performed once before the low-mileage/low-hour emission test point. Any other engine, emission control system, or fuel system adjustment, repair, removal, disassembly, cleaning, or replacement on emission data vehicles shall be performed only with the advance approval of the Administrator.
(2)-(3) [Reserved]
(4) Repairs to vehicle components of an emission data vehicle other than the engine, emission control system, or fuel system, shall be performed only as a result of part failure, vehicle system malfunction, or with the advance approval of the Administrator.
(f) Equipment, instruments, or tools may not be used to identify malfunctioning, maladjusted, or defective engine components unless the same or equivalent equipment, instruments, or tools will be available to dealerships and other service outlets and:
(1) Are used in conjunction with scheduled maintenance on such components; or
(2) Are used subsequent to the identification of a vehicle or engine malfunction, as provided in paragraph (d)(2) of this section for durability data vehicles or in paragraph (e)(1) of this section for emission data vehicles; or
(3) Unless specifically authorized by the Administrator.
(g) [Reserved]
(h) All test data, maintenance reports, and required engineering reports shall be compiled and provided to the Administrator in accordance with §86.090-23.
[58 FR 4018, Jan. 12, 1993, as amended at 58 FR 9487, Feb. 19, 1993; 79 FR 23691, Apr. 28, 2014; 81 FR 73978, Oct. 25, 2016]

volador wrote: I love this place

Another Gotham City dweller trying to get in touch with feelings.

Point-Seven-five wrote:All I can find is what looks like the latest edition.  While not exactly what was in use in the 80's this should give the reader some idea of what is required.

That air filters are not considered by regulation as part of emissions-related warranty is explained in this part of your attachment in Reply #19.


I'm not entirely certain all of the information in this thread is what skidz in Nicaragua was seeking but the photos from an ancient comedy certainly will be nostalgic.