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Cold air intake filter problem

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kingsskier
Posts: 6212 - Karma: 2,100

Okay so I fabricated a cold air intake for my car (one piece of 3 inch aluminum custom bent and heat shielded) and I threw on a Spectre air filter until I can find the right filter for quality vs. price. but with the Spectre air filter, if my car is not warmed up, it chokes like it is not getting enough air to the motor and will stall sometimes. Is this due to a shitty filter?
I have read filters like K&N let more air flow but don't filter as well. Is the Spectre filter just not letting enough air through?
Also, I did not drill a hole for the O2 sensor so it is not currently plugged in. Is that my problem?

Karma for tips and advice

Mar 31 2011 2:38PM
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tronned
Posts: 1098 - Karma: 790
How does your o2 sensor have anything to do with your cold air intake? If you unplug an o2 sensor, you car will run like shit.
Mar 31 2011 2:46PM
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hippystinx
Posts: 937 - Karma: 171
ur stupid.....that is the reason ur car is running so shitty... the o2 or maf sensor is the sensor that monitors air flow and adjusts mixture ratios accordingly...ur car is basically running blind right now... make a bung for ur o2 sensor and then do a full reflash of ur ecu....and what kind of car just curious
Mar 31 2011 2:49PM
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kingsskier
Posts: 6212 - Karma: 2,100
There is an O2 sensor in your intake. I heard that your car will be fine without them.
Mar 31 2011 2:49PM
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kingsskier
Posts: 6212 - Karma: 2,100

Okay thanks. I was misinformed from a friend.

I have an 02 Mitsubishi Lancer ES. The intake runs to the driver front bottom hole in the bumper and takes the air from down there. My aluminum is heat coated with some sort of powder coat (I think its powder coat) and I have heat deflecting wrap around the part by the hot parts of the engine.

Mar 31 2011 2:53PM
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tronned
Posts: 1098 - Karma: 790
there is no o2 sensor in the intake. o2 sensors and crystals that create a/c voltage in presence of o2. You either have a MAP or MAF sensor is what youre thinking of, and no, you shouldnt run the car without it.
Mar 31 2011 2:55PM
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kingsskier
Posts: 6212 - Karma: 2,100
Okay thanks, Karma assessed to both. Clearly I was illinformed. I will do some research on that stuff and I will definitely drill an opening and put it in.
Mar 31 2011 2:57PM
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tronned
Posts: 1098 - Karma: 790
snap a couple pictures of your setup and the sensor in question and i can most likely guide you through what to do. I do this for a living.
Click for larger image
Mar 31 2011 3:01PM
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bermbuster49
Posts: 7445 - Karma: 90
yeah you probably left out your Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF), you might even need a different one if you upgrade your intake. but if the MAF doesnt get any readings the computer doesnt know much fuel to add, other than using the 02 sensors, but it probably explains why yours sucks on startup
Mar 31 2011 3:10PM
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tronned
Posts: 1098 - Karma: 790
pretty much bang on. A fuel injected car can run with most sensors unplugged due to sensor feedback from the array of other sensors on the car and in the emissions system. As a matter of fact, you can unplug all sensors except for the crank sensor and it will still start and run. You will need to find out if you are using the system like this fellow here is suggesting (maf) which looks like a part of the intake tubing that can be removed from the piping with a connector on it or it could be a MAP system that uses engine load and pressure to determine airflow.
Mar 31 2011 3:18PM
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kingsskier
Posts: 6212 - Karma: 2,100
Suggested air filters? Will my $25 Spectre filter do? It is cotton fiber (dont know how many layers) and oiled so its reuseable.
Mar 31 2011 4:04PM
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tronned
Posts: 1098 - Karma: 790
honestly speaking, OEM filters are normally pretty top notch. Cold air intake system sometimes lead to some issues down the road, so keep that in mind. Make sure your setup is not so low to the ground that it may suck in water from puddles or cruising in constantly wet roads. Most people who run a deep cold air intake also run a panty hose over their filter for additional protection from dirt and road shit. It seems like you are dead set in crafting your new filter setup, so im sure nothing i can say will really sway what your doing but I thought i would atleast mention my 2 cents. I am mostly a honda guy so I know some quality honda filters, but you wont like the price im sure. http://www.nengun.com/arc/

Mar 31 2011 4:17PM
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midwestpowhunter
Posts: 2198 - Karma: 189
like they said the filter shouldnt have anything to do with ur current dilema however the way those a/m filters get more are to ur motor is because the holes in the fiber are bigger. this allows for the potential for more debris to get into your motor and overtime create other problems. totally agree that your MAF is ur issue. Ive seen this before with people making their own Cold Air Intakes.
Mar 31 2011 4:23PM
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BenWhit
Posts: 4654 - Karma: 3,256
i don't think you need a different one. i swapped the stock intake in my mustang for a BBk intake and it kept the same sensor.
Mar 31 2011 4:27PM
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tronned
Posts: 1098 - Karma: 790
sometimes if you change the intake diameter its common to swap MAF's. Also, there are 3 different types of MAF sensors and some have a tad more air restriction so some people opt to go with a different style of sensor.
Mar 31 2011 4:39PM
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BenWhit
Posts: 4654 - Karma: 3,256
I stand corrected! I'm not much of a motorhead, but I'd really like to get into doing small projects with my dad on the mustang, just to know how things work.

to the OP, want to post a picture of your intake? i think it would be pretty sweet to see.
Mar 31 2011 4:42PM
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japanada
Posts: 13784 - Karma: 1,957
If you didnt plum in the MAF/MAP sensor, that is most likely why its stalling. Otherwise, you may have unconnected a PCV breather line. That too can cause a rough idle/stalling. K&Ns are nice cause you can clean them and they have a 1million mile warranty, but there are filters just as nice for 1/2 the price. You wont get that warranty most likely, but really, are you gonna have your whip for that many miles?
Mar 31 2011 5:05PM
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kingsskier
Posts: 6212 - Karma: 2,100
Nope I wont and my Spectre filter has a 10 year 100K+ warranty which at this point will outlive my car.
The PCV breather line it the thin tube going into the engine? That is connected.

I am fabricating my own wince at my work we regularly use 3" 4" 5" aluminum tubing and we spray a heat coat on that reminds me almost of truck bed liner to shield from heat. (I am an Electrical engineering co-op but I do a lot of mechanical engineering work too). I get my materials for free and I can custom make the bends to have as few as possible in solidworks and get it machine bent. There is very little room in my engine bay so it has to go down low or stay up top in the hot dirty air.

The panty hoes idea is a good idea and I will do that to get rid of shitty road debri/dirt

I am fabricating a way to put my MAF in. Hopefully it will fix my issue (Im sure that is the problem).

I will get pictures once everything is done with what I am doing.
Mar 31 2011 5:37PM
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Skittle.
Posts: 2537 - Karma: 718
my buddy did the exact same thing to his mazda 3, spectre filter and all that, but with the sensors as well. his car had the same problems when starting cold-it would almost stall out. the mechanics said it was something to do with the air/fuel mixture, so his car was getting too much air. hes gonna get a smaller pipe and see how that works out
Mar 31 2011 5:42PM
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Inbred_Redneck
Posts: 2776 - Karma: 28
If your MAF is unplugged, it throws your ECU into a predetermined factory "safe" mode, which pretty much makes it run weaker and crappier. Most of the major sensors you have to replace, but lesser O2s and such you can leave out and just reflash the ECU.

Mar 31 2011 5:43PM
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tronned
Posts: 1098 - Karma: 790
it shouldnt realistically make that big a difference if the sizing of the intake wasnt too far off the stock sizing. Faulty air/fuel ratios from an intake are fairly uncommon unless there is unmetered air getting into the combustion chambers which indicates a leak after the MAF. If the maf can read more air coming in from a larger diameter intake, it should be able to correct it unless there is an underlying issue somewhere.
Mar 31 2011 5:54PM
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tronned
Posts: 1098 - Karma: 790
this is fairly close to true. When a maf is unplugged the car doesnt go into a standard "safe" mode, it just starts to use rational checks between other sensors such as MAP/throttle position sensor/ o2 sensors to guess a proper air/fuel ratio. Its never wise to eliminate o2 sensors or any sensor for that matter but some people seem to do it when they get into the more extreme end of modification.
Mar 31 2011 6:00PM
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kingsskier
Posts: 6212 - Karma: 2,100
MAF was the issue, thatnks for the insight and sorry for my ignorance. Now I need to find a way to put the MAF in a better spot and with a less restrictive piece. It is currently the stock plastic MAF setup connected to my intake manifold and my intake. I dont like the extra connection, the plastic, or the restrictiveness of how it is set up. Any websites to shoe me how to take it out and put it directly in my intake without having to get a new one?
Apr 1 2011 9:51AM
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japanada
Posts: 13784 - Karma: 1,957
go find a mitsubishi forum and ask them this same question. Provide pics for them. They will be a much better source of info.
Apr 1 2011 10:34PM
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geteducated
Posts: 6410 - Karma: 86
look up maf adapter. all over ebay.
Apr 1 2011 11:08PM
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kingsskier
Posts: 6212 - Karma: 2,100

I did, most of them get rid of the MAF for a MAP or a different thing I dont rmember right now. I bought an adapter for now, but now I have to re-work my piping to add for the extra length at the start.

Does it matter if I put my MAF right befor the intake manifold? Anyone
It was about afoot and a half of tubing away on the stock intake. Is it prgrammed to compensate for the distance?

Apr 4 2011 11:36AM
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geteducated
Posts: 6410 - Karma: 86
place it in the straightest section of your air intake piping. the airflow will be more linear and your maf will get better readings which means an engine that can do its job better.
Apr 4 2011 5:19PM
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