Just check the other air fliter this morning, which I knew was good 4 eingine hours before the debacle. It was covered with black soot as well. Change that too.
Interesting, the only way you can get them out because they fit under the deck with very little clearance is to remove the butterfly nut on top, lift up the housing off the engine, reach in with long pliers and back out the main stem that screws down into the engine block, being careful not to let it fall down into the intake manifold housing, than slide the whole filter sysem out. I wonder if they make an aftermarket k and n type filter adapteer that would work?