Running problems can present themselves slowly over a period of time and as such when trying to resolve them it can be difficult to accurately pin point when something actually started playing up.

 

So the humble air filter or should be say induction kit / system, over the years these have been marketed as upgrades with no mention of the down sides that can occur, one of which many here will know about or have encountered ....rain /spray when driving in bad weather.

 

But what about dry sunny day issue?? we have seen many more zeds with issues in the Summer time than in the bad weather months with running issues due to faulty or incompatible units.

 

An opportunity presented itself the other day so grabbed the camera to demonstrate this phenomena,the first pic. shows the unit split into three parts, the filter and adapter, the seal and the afm itself.

 

Nothing too high tech, looks about the right size and shape, not keen on the fine metal filtration material but looks in reasonable order.

 

Oh and to just add, the zed in question would run fine around town and when on a steady run on the motorway, and when cold would boost and respond well, however when fully warm and the loud pedal was used fully this zed became a bucking bronco! and with NO error codes.

 

 

So on to pic. two, the unit end section is very corroded which is not an issue in itself other than to confirm this filter has been getting very wet! again from experience not fond of end on filters as this can lead to air flow issues.

 

 

Pic three is now telling more of the story, there is no vortex control funnel, to those not familiar with this, this usually is an inverted cone shape section within the filter which is designed to disturb the intake air and channel it through the afm in a more mixed manner, this way the centrally mounted sensor can be more accurately read.

 

 

The last picture demonstrates the problem more clearly, the end section filtration is less than useless, and will lead to massive increase of directional air over the afm sensor wire as the revs rise, and as previously mentioned the system works on disturbed air flow this direct air leads to a huge hole in the performance as the system suddenly goes extremely lean and moments later extremely rich, this can be felt as something akin to a misfire at best or an almost engine shut down at worse.

 

 

In the particular case above, a temporary fix was to cover the end of the filter with duct tape, this gave immediate results and a chance for the owner to purchase a better designed filter at a later time.

 

So the question was asked by the owner, why after three years did the filter “suddenly” become unsuitable when previously it was fine? good question want to guess the answer?

 

Well it involves paint ................. ok guys get guessing

 

Jeff TT

Had some body work done ,and over spray clogged the filter ,

flake of paint went through filter onto afm wire and stalled the car?

paint had blocked the filter at the front...either by over spray or intentional painting of rad aread. over time the paint had come off and resulted in the filter end gradually letting more air in and the rest is history:wink:

No idea what the fault was, but that filter is a cheap arse one off ebay for £15 :lol:

It might of involved paint but it doesn't necessarily mean the filter got coated with paint. more like the sanding process ready for the paint job, created fine particles of dust which clogged the filter so it wasn't getting the flow of air it needed.

i would guess the bumper has been off and the splash guard put back incorrectly

It might of involved paint but it doesn't necessarily mean the filter got coated with paint. more like the sanding process ready for the paint job, created fine particles of dust which clogged the filter so it wasn't getting the flow of air it needed.

 

it run ok when it was blocked but went worse as it cleared..jeff re-blocked the front face with tape and it ran fine again,thats how ive read it anyway:yes:

Some interesting thoughts there! Znut you understand it correctly but that was not the cause, dougal200 your very close in essence but not quite there.

 

The paint work was on the "new" bumper (clue)

 

Jeff TT

hmm so the splash guard was emptying the water into the filter? ooh hang on you said about sunny days lol

 

OK scrap that idea. you got me stumped...

Big clue, not the actual bumpers but you should get the idea!

 

This was changed for

 

 

 

 

THIS

 

 

 

Jeff TT

Did the original bumper have a No. plate blocking air flow?-the larger 'Mouth ' one would surely let the air in!:wacko:

Well I can really relate to this. I had the exact same problem. The aftermarket bumper wasn't creating a perfect seal with the front nose panel and was therefore letting rainwater in through the gap and onto the air filter and being sucked into the MAF in my case.

 

I managed to rectify the problem

http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=141634

Did the original bumper have a No. plate blocking air flow?-the larger 'Mouth ' one would surely let the air in!:wacko:

 

Well I can really relate to this. I had the exact same problem. The aftermarket bumper wasn't creating a perfect seal with the front nose panel and was therefore letting rainwater in through the gap and onto the air filter and being sucked into the MAF in my case.

 

I managed to rectify the problem

http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=141634

 

Manta you have it, the larger mouth and the lack of number plate exposed the unsuitable filter.

 

Sir Charles, yep the seal issue was where the water ingress was coming from too.

 

Jeff TT

What the best air filter to go for?

Im in the market for a new one...

Apexi by far!-if you can still get one!:confused1:

Apexi by far!-if you can still get one!:confused1:

 

Oh yes.

 

Jeff TT

Who sell them?

How much am i looking at?

Who sell them?

How much am i looking at?

 

http://www.templetuning.co.uk/apexi-power-intake---nissan-300zx-z32-induction-kit-96-p.asp

Might get one at that price!:blink:

http://www.templetuning.co.uk/apexi-power-intake---nissan-300zx-z32-induction-kit-96-p.asp

Might get one at that price!:blink:

 

:thumbup: