UPDATE: Does this mean i've been driving w/o an Air Filter?
 

Noobs, so I know i know

Just bought a K&N AF, and per the manual, unclasped the 4x "Air cleaner box" clasps, and tilted the box open (couldnt lift off completely because of the 4 bolts on the 'left side').
I thought I would see the old filter in there, but see nothing?!!
Does this mean there hasnt been a filter in there at least since I last had the car "serviced" by a mechanic? its been 3 - 4 months!

Also, now that I will be popping the new one in, how do I do it? since the box doesnt give me enough space to "shove"/plop the K&N one in

Do you guys remove the other 4 bolts too and clean the inside when you replace/clean your air filters?

I looked it up on motorvate but didnt see any references to this?

thanks, much appreciated,

Farooq

if you got the right size drop in filter it really should just drop in. I dont know what you mean about 4 other bolts I have enough room when I remove the 4 clamps to open it up and put a new filter in.

dude just yank the air box up and it will come off i know somtimes it can get hung up on there but it wont hurt anything to just yank it up.

open her up and check to see if its stuck in the upper airbox. the maf has a screen in it so its not like you will suck up anything huge. but its not a good idea not to have one in the long run.

well unless your me at the strip with the JWT velocity stack without filter wide open with a pipe running to your missing drivers headlight for that "cool" air intake :D :nervous:

:Orly: :jump:

yes you dont need to unbolt anything, like i said all u need to do is undo the 4 clips that hold the top part to the bottom then yank up, somtimes the upper part of the box gets caught on the filter or lower but YANK harder and it will come up and be flexable. Just go do it already and let us know how it goes

ah o i think i quoted a phantom post :ghost:

well 15 seconds of WOT on a track is not like hours on the streets so.....

Its official, there was none!
 

Ok, so i finally grew a **** and yanked the housing up and peeped inside.
and... drum roll... no effin filter.. the mutha****ers (mechanic shop)

I bought the car in Jan 05 and had a pre-purchase check performed and these (ultra-reliable) guys (who *only* do inspections, CAA-Quebec) suggested I may want to change the filter soon, as it was 50/50 (they rate every aspect of a car).. 2 months later I took it to my regular mechanic (and that of my brother, and my parents' two cars)... who said he didnt have K&N and wouldnt replace it with any other than the brand he uses, so i told him to forget it... and today, I find out he never put my original one back

In 4,500 miles (6,000 km) what sort of damage could have been done? since the service I noticed that the engine was actually making more noise than before, and that its been giving O2 and KS codes.. could those have been damaged because of dirt entering (and being incinerated) the engine?

Should I have him do a full service at his expense for damaging my engine? (Or else, he's not getting 4x cars worth of business)

I just want to know what damage could occur from not having an AF? I dont need to describe the condition of the MAF "filter" (its not a very "fine" filter!)

thanks again,

Farooq

its possible that fine particles got in there and scratched up the cylinder walls, which would be noticable. oil would get burned and sblue smoke would exit the muffler. a compresson check would confirm any leaks around the piston rings.
the combustion chamber chould get real dirty and develop hot spots and lead to detonation and thus a lack of power.
its possible that the dirt could foul spark plugs and o2 sensors.

do a compression check on the motor. that would be the first step i think...

it seams to me, that you haven't played with cars for very long, so my first sugestion to you is buy a haynes manual.. that will teach youa bunch of things.

Don't worry about your lack of an air filter for a few thousand miles, your engine will be just fine for many years & miles to come. Install your new K&N and enjoy driving your car.

Been looking for one at every auto store that've been to... they carry the 2nd gen ones, but not the 4th gen

Also, theres been no blue smoke ... so I'm wondering if I can prove any damage to the engine.. sans compression test (how much do those run for?)

thanks again..

You can probably rent a compression testing gauge set from an auto parts store, then you'll need an air compressor.

You may be suprised, my 82 Camaro with a 305ci and 127,000 orignal miles actually compression tested with 0% leak down (air leaking past the piston rings into the crank case) on all 8 cylinders. According to the manual he had anything less than 10% is normal, even straight from the factory. That means the compression got better as the engine broke in!

I haven't tested my Max yet, I may just do that tomorrow.

Since you are in Quebec, just go to Canadian Tire and buy the Haynes for 19,99. And rent a compression test kit, for 0$. Btw, i would be surprised if your engine would be damaged from driving a while without air filter. For the codes, could be related...erase history codes (you will learn how in the haynes, very simple) and see if they pop again with your KN in. Keep faith in your max.......