krnpimpsta

So my car stalled in the middle of the road today. I tried to crank a few times and it would run for 0.5-1 second before stopping. I tried to start the engine about 5-10 times before giving up and pushing it to the side of the road as traffic piled up behind me.

I looked under the hood - and... the Filter+MAF housing were completely off the intake! Arghhh!

After reading horror storries of plastic C&L racer intakes deforming under heat, I loosened my O-ring clamps and retightened them "just tight enough so they don't move." Turns out that's not tight enough.

So I screwed it back on tight and now the car runs fine.

I probably ran the engine a total of 10-20 total seconds with the filter/MAF totally off and up to maybe 20 minutes with it loose (and air getting sucked in before the filter). Or days. Who knows how long.

Anyways, my question is... should I change my oil now? I've been taking great care to keep my oil free of particles (changed oil at 750mi, 2500mi, and at 5000mi). It's at 6000mi now.. only 1000 mi since I last changed the oil.. another oil change? What do you guys think?


Disclaimer: I'm very happy with my C&L racer intake. If I could return it, I would exchange it for an aluminum C&L street intake, but that's it.

06GT4RAD

Your fine

theedge67

I wouldn't worry about it. Even if it sucked in a little bit of unfiltered air, as long as you didn't drive through any dust storms lately it shouldn't matter. Besides, it couldn't have pulled in much extra air because if it did you would have gotten a CEL for the engine running lean.

karman

You'll be fine.
I suggest that a flexible high temp adhesive might help keep the C&L together without tightening things up as much.

krnpimpsta

Okay, thanks for the advice guys.

I was going to start changing my oil at 5k intervals at this point, but I'll just do one more at 7.5k for peace of mind (I beat on my baby every single day.. hard - and right now the thought of going WOT or redlining before changing the oil makes me hurt inside).

I may look into some adhesives.. but for now it's clamped on tight as a ****.

theedge67

If that makes you sleep better at night, go for it. I personally think you would just be throwing out good oil. There is no way very much unfiltered air got through without setting off the check engine light.

Even if there was a lot of "dirty" air that got through, that dirt goes into the cylinders and is burned in the combustion cycle. Of the minute amount of "dirt" that actually makes it in, how much will blow by and make it past the rings? Probably less than 1%. That is why I say you shouldn't worry...but that's just me.

shaun_beauchamp

Had the same issue. They tend to signal they are getting loose by having a slightly irradic idle. Went to a mall with the wife in her car and it fell off and wouldn't start. Had to go back in the mall to buy some tools at Sears to fix it. Didn't have the heart to return the tools!

06GT

I've driven with mine on during the entire summer here in AZ, and we went up past 115* ambient temp on more than a few of those days, and mine has no deformation issues.

I bought mine in Feb of '07, maybe there was some sort of change in the manufactured wall thickness between then and when you bought yours?

Mach

Had this same problem 6 months ago, and have found that it is just one of those things that needs to be check periodically, and have found that it does come loose after time. I have gone to keeping a "lean" set of cheapo tools in the trunk for just such a need.

Glenn

I would worry more about unburned fuel going past the rings more than the dirt going into the oil.