Black carbon on engine air filter every 4 months

[matt88]

2016 XLT with 140000km/87000mi. I've had to change my engine air filter every 4 months. It gets impregnated with black carbon buildup on the inlet side. Engine side of the filter is clean though.

Is this normal?
Do I have an exhaust leak? Engine runs quiet...

I'll try to take a picture once a month and post it here...

 

[974X4BLACKSPORT]

What is "Black carbon"? Are you sure the black spot is not just dirt? Depending on airbox design, the air filter pleats can be exposed to more air flow on one side making dirt build up faster in one spot, usually this spot is located directly in front of the throttle body opening.

 

[blwnsmoke]

Air filter pulls air feom the front, exhaust leak would not have an effect. Your white filter will change to black very quickly.. it is doing its job and nothing to worry about. To an extent, a dirty filter filters better then a new one.

 

[Odrapnew]

Air filter pulls air feom the front, exhaust leak would not have an effect. Your white filter will change to black very quickly.. it is doing its job and nothing to worry about. To an extent, a dirty filter filters better then a new one.

I agree with this. I don't see how exhaust could get to the air filter, even if it was leaking at the header.
Just because it looks dirty doesn't mean it's actually plugged. A white filter typically changes color quickly, but not be plugged.
A filter is least efficient when it is new, so changing(or worse, cleaning) the filter often is letting more dirt into the engine than just letting it get dirty.
What's the environment like where the vehicle is driven?

Slightly off topic(but somewhat relevant): I once ran the air filter in my motorcycle until it wouldn't run anymore. It was odd because it ran fine on Friday and then wouldn't run on Monday. It's fuel injected, so I saw no change in mileage over the 12k miles that filter was installed. The bike still felt fast(GSXR-750), but I didn't realize how much power it lost until I put the new filter in. I bet it was down 20hp, which is significant with a motorcycle. Winding it out the first time with the new filter caught me off guard because I was used to the lower power.

 

[Keith N]

Sure it’s not oil. On the 3.5 v6 the pcv inlet let’s in oil mist just downstream of air filter. On mine it collets in the tube and eventually some runs back to filter which is absorbed by filter.

 

[peterk9]

If it is possibly oil as per Keith's post, see this thread; Oil Found In Air Filter

Peter

 

[blwnsmoke]

Sure it’s not oil. On the 3.5 v6 the pcv inlet let’s in oil mist just downstream of air filter. On mine it collets in the tube and eventually some runs back to filter which is absorbed by filter.

He said it is dirty on the intake take and clean on the engine side.

 

[Keith N]

My bad on oil guess. That is weird. How do you know it’s carbon and not dirt? What makes you change it? A picture would be helpful. Weird.