[Jaxcam02]

Crank that worm clamp down some more. that gap is excessive

[infinitereality]

Originally Posted by Jaxcam02

Crank that worm clamp down some more. that gap is excessive

I'm sorry, I left a very important part out of my post from last night. That was with the clamp loose to show the fitment, all other connections when loose are alot more snug. It has been tight and was tightened after the picture. They're as tight as I feel comfortable doing (which is pretty snug), I'm leery about cranking down too much on them with the carbon flexing I fear it will crack if I do it too much.

I checked and made sure TB and both end of plug wires were secure before heading to work. No difference.

I also tried cruise control in manual mode, still has the surge. Cruise control in either auto or manual does make the car not surge as much as long as the RPMs are 1700ish or more. If it's under that, surges equally as much.

Someone is selling a Cold Air Inductions CAI in classifieds, I shot them a PM last night saying I was interested. I know it's likely not as good HP-wise as RF, but price is fair and looking nice is a bonus.

[Jaxcam02]

Originally Posted by infinitereality

I'm sorry, I left a very important part out of my post from last night. That was with the clamp loose to show the fitment, all other connections when loose are alot more snug. It has been tight and was tightened after the picture. They're as tight as I feel comfortable doing (which is pretty snug), I'm leery about cranking down too much on them with the carbon flexing I fear it will crack if I do it too much.

I checked and made sure TB and both end of plug wires were secure before heading to work. No difference.

I also tried cruise control in manual mode, still has the surge. Cruise control in either auto or manual does make the car not surge as much as long as the RPMs are 1700ish or more. If it's under that, surges equally as much.

Someone is selling a Cold Air Inductions CAI in classifieds, I shot them a PM last night saying I was interested. I know it's likely not as good HP-wise as RF, but price is fair and looking nice is a bonus.

I have a OEM ZL1 intake if you want to give it a try. I would want it shipped back after you try but would be willing to ship it to you if you pay the shipping cost

[infinitereality]

Originally Posted by Jaxcam02

I have a OEM ZL1 intake if you want to give it a try. I would want it shipped back after you try but would be willing to ship it to you if you pay the shipping cost

Thanks for the offer! If the previous owner doesn't come through in a timely manner to get the my OEM intake, may take you up on it. Definitely don't mind paying shipping cost, thanks!

[infinitereality]

Any thoughts on spraying starter fluid (or similar) around the couplings while the engine is running? If it is leaking, it should idle up, correct?

Unsure what starter fluid would do to the carbon (appearance wise), if anything.

[hawk02]

That maf housing looks dirty. Get a can of maf cleaner from your local auto parts store and clean the maf. It’s a cheap solution to try.

[infinitereality]

Originally Posted by hawk02

That maf housing looks dirty. Get a can of maf cleaner from your local auto parts store and clean the maf. It’s a cheap solution to try.

I've cleaned MAF a few times with no change, but haven't not touched the tubing. I went to go back and look at if the tube was dirty and noticed something peculiar... MAF mounting points do not sit flush on the K&N tube mount, I cropped the picture to make it easier to see.

Appears I turned then a little more than needed so the tabs are slightly downwards, with the middle of MAF higher. Potentially a little extra air to get thru and past the gasket. This evening I'll find some washers to add and see if that does any good.

[radz28]

You gotta get someone to scan with HPTuners or the like. There are so many possibilities it's not even funny. Not all of them will throw a CEL either. I wonder if the previous owner put a tune in the car. Maybe around the 7-8 minutes you said this starts the car could be going into closed loop and that K&N is just throwing everything off. If that CAI has changed the air flow enough (probably not...), torque management could be pulling timing causing that bucking and surging. It looks like that TB is probably stock, so I'd think it's unlikely to be a problem (though not impossible).

Unfortunately - without a stock air box to try, I think either a trip to the shop or someone with something like HPTuners will be the only way to get your answers. That stock air box is probably the best place to go from where you are now. You could try checking/replacing spark plugs or something. At least you could eliminate that. Unless you're putting E85 in it or something, it seems like bad gas is out of the question.

This kind of thing sucks...

[radz28]

Originally Posted by infinitereality

I've cleaned MAF a few times with no change, but haven't not touched the tubing. I went to go back and look at if the tube was dirty and noticed something peculiar... MAF mounting points do not sit flush on the K&N tube mount, I cropped the picture to make it easier to see.

Appears I turned then a little more than needed so the tabs are slightly downwards, with the middle of MAF higher. Potentially a little extra air to get thru and past the gasket. This evening I'll find some washers to add and see if that does any good.

Some of these CAIs come with specific screws. If I recall - the screws for Rotofab kits come with different-length screws. So - if the screws are too long, they won't pull the MAF sensor flush to the tube, causing a gap, as it might be you're seeing. Does the MAF wiggle at all? I don't recall if there is a seal at the base of the MAF. Is the CAI flange flat? Isn't the MAF directional (I forget, but I believe it is)? If so, is it facing the correct direction? I'm not sure about spraying anything around it for leak-checking. If you're careful with some RTV, it might be worth considering a very careful application to seal the MAF (at the right spots) to the tube. That will be a beesh to remove later, if necessary, but that could eliminate a leak as a possibility. Check the pins/terminals in the connectors, too. It isn't too difficult to accidently bend one or push it out of position.

Or - none of that matters, lol...

[infinitereality]

Originally Posted by radz28

Some of these CAIs come with specific screws. If I recall - the screws for Rotofab kits come with different-length screws. So - if the screws are too long, they won't pull the MAF sensor flush to the tube, causing a gap, as it might be you're seeing. Does the MAF wiggle at all? I don't recall if there is a seal at the base of the MAF. Is the CAI flange flat? Isn't the MAF directional (I forget, but I believe it is)? If so, is it facing the correct direction? I'm not sure about spraying anything around it for leak-checking. If you're careful with some RTV, it might be worth considering a very careful application to seal the MAF (at the right spots) to the tube. That will be a beesh to remove later, if necessary, but that could eliminate a leak as a possibility. Check the pins/terminals in the connectors, too. It isn't too difficult to accidently bend one or push it out of position.

Or - none of that matters, lol...

These particular ones that were installed on this CAI do seem to be the correct length and are SS, although when I put it back on I tightened it a little too far. I "think" if I had some washers underneath I can more evenly tighten it down. Will find out as soon as I get home. IF I the mounting tabs on the MAF didn't permanently bend. The flange on the CAI is flat, if I remember correctly the MAF has a gasket, but it's in the corner and not on the MAF flange.

If no luck I'll check pins on it and TB after a drive if they didn't help. I'll also inspect the mating surfaces closer, adding a thing later of RTV if it's not perfectly level and let it cure overnight.

I don't think it's wise to spray the starter fluid by the MAF, but other connections after it should be okay... I think.

I have been eyeballing a HTP OBD2/USB for a while for the SLC even though I have no plans of actually doing any tuning I would like ability to adjust a few things on the SLC like the idle speed.

I absolutely hate troubleshooting, whole point to buying it was so I didn't have to worry about doing just that, lol. But when I finally get it figured out, it'll be just that much sweeter!

[infinitereality]

Went ahead and purchased the the used cold air inductions (thanks again semif18). After noticing this morning the MAF flange on the K&N is completely flat, but the cold air inductions had spacers on the aluminum flange to compensate for the MAF mount height difference.

Attached comparison pics to explain better I can. May not be my issue, but no matter which way I slice it the K&N MAF flange is definitely not how it should be.

Time will tell for sure, but I'll still try some washers this evening to see it'll help.

Thanks again for all the feedback, I'm hoping I'm on the right track!

[Jaxcam02]

Originally Posted by infinitereality

Went ahead and purchased the the used cold air inductions (thanks again semif18). After noticing this morning the MAF flange on the K&N is completely flat, but the cold air inductions had spacers on the aluminum flange to compensate for the MAF mount height difference.

Attached comparison pics to explain better I can. May not be my issue, but no matter which way I slice it the K&N MAF flange is definitely not how it should be.

Time will tell for sure, but I'll still try some washers this evening to see it'll help.

Thanks again for all the feedback, I'm hoping I'm on the right track!

good luck, keep us posted

[gtfoxy]

HPT for the scanner alone is worth the price of admission.

[infinitereality]

Originally Posted by gtfoxy

HPT for the scanner alone is worth the price of admission.

I 100% agree, HPT for the scanner alone is more than worth it's weight in gold. I've been on the edge of ordering one to use on the SLC for a long time, this issue most definitely pushed me over the edge and will ASAP. I've spent more than I needed to for random things for the car over the past few weeks, I need to chill for a bit....but HPT is 100% the next purchase soon.