Air Cleaner Element Is A Fancy Term For An Engine Air Filter Technically, the term "air cleaner element" pertains only to the filter material. The material may be cotton, paper, a synthetic material, or foam. The term "engine air filter" pertains to the entire part.

Filter Cleaning by WASHING When you've cleaned the filter element several times by hand or compressed air, you can restore it to like-new condition by washing or soaking it in soap or detergent and water. After rinsing, remove excess moisture by using compressed air as in the above method.

Because of the relatively low cost of the paper element, it is generally treated as disposable and replaced when dirty. However, the paper element can be cleaned and reused a number of times.