[ONEMADJUMPER]

I HAVE A '04 9-3 ARC. I paid for and installed(my 10 installtion of thes things onowned cars) an k&n open air filter that replaces the tube and filter vs. the old box and paper filter. Evrything was fine, a little extra noise(wife hates it). After my wife driving it for two days the check engine light comes on, never had a problem with this car ever. A day later she was out on the highway, going about 70, pulls on the off ramp, stops at a light, pulls off, the car would not go over 15 miles an hour till about third gear(she was freaked out because she pulled out expecting the power to whip about and almost got hit) . Have had it checked(Saab Dealer), trouble code cleared, they had no idea what the problem was except it said "mass air flow sensor" and of course the car didnt act like that for them. Ive taken it off twice and reinstalling it thiking it was my installation, same problem. Any suggestion before my wife forces me to take it off, also she is driving my subrban, it would be nice to have it back. Anyone have a suggestion/fix to the problem? Thanks

 

[Thirsty9000]

Search the 9-3SS forum. I believe this is fairly common.

 

[ctrlz]

Search the 9-3SS forum. I believe this is fairly common.

Corrrect. The K&N intake kit has a shameful reputation here. Nothing but trouble. Try to get your money back.

 

[CallipNCSUsaab]

yeah man, that put your car in limp mode. I am/was a huge fan of K&N... however, even aftermarket companies advice us its pretty much pointless to change the air filter on the SS as its, simply put, well designed (and lots of computers). I have had a J&R drop in filter (pretty much the same as a plain ol K&N drop-in) for about 3 years now with no issues whats so ever.

About the only benefit is hearing the turbo spool up slightly louder, gas mpg and speed likely not even affected.

 

[lktfob]

made sure the k/n filter not over oil it. check the air flow sensor any damage like cracks or loose careful not to over tight . sensor must be dry at all time .look closely the airflow sensor -the portion that inside the air tube-inspect the sensor if missing any part .like small as a needle shape .what it does is to measure the air going into the engine.the- air tube- between airflow sensor to the engine. check for cracks .imporperly install . like the clamps are not tight .after that engine light come on again .reinstall the OE air box.and see .I hope is not the airflow sensor.good luck.

 

[JonV]

made sure the k/n filter not over oil it. check the air flow sensor any damage like cracks or loose careful not to over tight . sensor must be dry at all time .look closely the airflow sensor -the portion that inside the air tube-inspect the sensor if missing any part .like small as a needle shape .what it does is to measure the air going into the engine.the- air tube- between airflow sensor to the engine. check for cracks .imporperly install . like the clamps are not tight .after that engine light come on again .reinstall the OE air box.and see .I hope is not the airflow sensor.good luck.

It's pretty much been disproven in here that overoiling or flawed sensoes are the cause of the CEL. The Diameter of the K&N Tubing is to large...some folks have inserted the flexible tubing to the inside of the pipe to reduce the diameter/airlow. K&N's pretty much suck on the SS. Search for K&N and you'll see many threads.

 

[michaLcoughliN]

well, your supposed to let the filter dry overnight with the oil. I sure the hell hope you guys aren't oiling slapping it in and driving away. Because your engine will suck that crap in.

The stock air filter housing / cleaner is good for me

I prefer not having more **** get sucked into my engine

 

[kcastagno]

I use a K and N flat filter drop in, and the stock air box. No Problems. I have also heard of Problems of inserting the tornado into the air pipe. Creating maf problems.

 

[JonV]

well, your supposed to let the filter dry overnight with the oil. I sure the hell hope you guys aren't oiling slapping it in and driving away. Because your engine will suck that crap in.

The stock air filter housing / cleaner is good for me

I prefer not having more **** get sucked into my engine

Phooey, I've cleaned and Oiled by BSR two times now, I let it sit for a half hour after Oiling, Pop it back in and back on the road. Never a Problem.

EDIT: The Oil doesn't Dry, it gets absorbed by the fabric.

 

[michaLcoughliN]

Phooey, I've cleaned and Oiled by BSR two times now, I let it sit for a half hour after Oiling, Pop it back in and back on the road. Never a Problem.

EDIT: The Oil doesn't Dry, it gets absorbed by the fabric.

think of it logically. your intake is sucking in that oil.

 

[brunp]

The same thing happened with the Simota Intake I used....the best thing to use is the JR or K&N drop-in filter. The open air intake from K&N is not so great as there is no heat-shield and it is more likely sucking in warm air instead of cold air from what I have heard.

Paul

 

[CallipNCSUsaab]

how often are you supposed to re-oil one of the j&r filters? The dealership threw mine away and replaced it oem by accident... they paid for a new one.. been a long time though since I have bothered with it. I periodically clean out any debris in the box - but have not re-oiled it again. Is that JUST too catch dirt better?

 

[ctrlz]

think of it logically. your intake is sucking in that oil.

Sounds logical, but it's also a matter of degree.
There are some who say never used oiled filter media when a MAF sensor is present, because EVENTUALLY the oil accumulates. Then some say, "Use cleaner to remove the oil!" with the response, "But you'll never get it ALL off!"
And so on.

Probably most people put on too much oil in the same way most people overtighten fasteners. There's probably some kind of heritable genetic trait involved here.

 

[michaLcoughliN]

personally i wouldnt even bother with an aftermarket intake. It has been proven no real gains. I laugh when i see $200 for a "performance intake"

Because your truly not gaining nothing.

I saw a commerical today for K&N intake system for a mustang. They claimed 25hp. LAWL!! i call shananagins.

 

[ctrlz]

I saw a commercial today for K&N intake system for a mustang. They claimed 25hp. LAWL!! i call shananagins.

Two things:
1) Is that a gain over a stock CLEAN filter or an old CLOGGED one? They never say.
2) On a MAF metered car, if you replace the intake with a larger diameter pipe it will make more power for a short while because it leans out the A/F mixture. This can result in a dangerously lean A/F mixture under load, when you want the mixture rich. Eventually the ECM will attempt to adjust the fuel trim to compensate for the oversized pipe. Any HP gains will be gone, and the open loop fuel maps will now be inaccurate. More stuff not in K&N's ads.

All the Mustang gurus know you need a new large bore MAF if you are going to upsize the intake. And companies do sell these for Mustangs. They have many more intake discussion in Mustang forums than we have here.

 

[michaLcoughliN]

im just using that as an example.

People who believe that it will give you noticeable gains are "out to lunch"

anyone deciding to buy one. you might as well send me that $200 because your going to be throwing it away anyways.

This topic is pointless.

 

[johnnyrocket]

Its not pointless for those who want that wwooossshhh sound.

 

[JonV]

People do a lot here, from "buying a sound" to "ground effects lighting"..purple headlights, obnoxiously loud Subwoofers etc...whatever floats the boats. Personal freedom of choice exists. I use an Optiflow, my choice. Everyone here pretty much knows there's no HP gain..just a bit more pshhh....woosh or whatever you wan't to call it.