Corksport AEM Dryflow Air Filter Cleaning and such

[Orangutan]

I picked up my Corksport SRI used with about 5k miles on it and put another 17,000 on since I got it. AEM says you can go as long as 50,000 miles between cleanings but my CEL was flickering (P0171 System Too Lean - no noticeable symptoms otherwise) and I assumed it was because the filter was dirty (noticeably). I figured I didn't want the dealership yelling at me saying the intake was the problem so I might as well clean the filter and save myself a headache. I picked up some K & N filter cleaner from O'Reilly and cleaned it yesterday afternoon following AEM's instructions. I shook it out and set it on a wire rack to dry. I checked on it every few hours and shook it out some more. I let it dry 18 hours and checked it this morning to reinstall before heading to the dealer for an oil change and a double-check on the CEL. It was damned cold outside and the filter was still slightly damp but I figured it would be okay. After all, I read that the synthetic filter is hydrophobic. Well, it might be, but the slightly damp filter (which AEM says is okay) combined with the ridiculous cold meant the thing basically froze up. My car went into limp mode and barely managed to get the couple miles to the dealership. At the time I didn't think to change back to my stock airbox so the dealership hit me with an $80 diagnosis charge saying that my "CAI" was the cause of the CEL and limp mode, which is true to some extent, and was not warrantied therefore.

Anyway, I feel like a dumbass but I figured 18 hours would be enough to dry the damned thing out. After Googling I see that others have let their filters dry for 48 hours and the DryFlows were still damp afterward. So, word of warning, when you clean your filter, give it a nice warm, arid, long time to dry.

The whole series of events has left me shaken and worried. They checked the car out and said the MAF was fine and nothing else was wrong, just that the intake was too clogged and sent the MAF into a conniption. I'm worried about keeping the SRI on there, that I should just throw the stock airbox on and leave it at that.

Any thoughts?

 

[ErikO]

My thoughts:

Is it worth doing damage to your engine and possibly voiding your warranty to have an intake (that will maybe give you 5HP) on a minivan?

I don't see the point, frankly. Keep the OEM setup, lose the headaches.

 

[manualist]

Is it easy enough to just swap out for OEM during winter, and put it back for summer? I think the main problem here was that it was still damp. So either dry it real well next time, or have a second filter to swap. Is the filter expensive to buy?

 

[Hi5_0]

i had the same problem in my other car, P0171 System Too Lean. After drying my AEM filter out for 48 hours, the CEL still came on. My MAF was okay. My friend told me to check the o-ring seal on the MAF, sometimes it doesn't fill in the gaps therefore letting in more air. After I changed that, my CEL has never gone on again. One more thing, I bought 2 AEM filters and swapped out the dirty one with a clean one just to be sure and I would keep extra o-rings handy too. Good luck.

I picked up my Corksport SRI used with about 5k miles on it and put another 17,000 on since I got it. AEM says you can go as long as 50,000 miles between cleanings but my CEL was flickering (P0171 System Too Lean - no noticeable symptoms otherwise) and I assumed it was because the filter was dirty (noticeably). I figured I didn't want the dealership yelling at me saying the intake was the problem so I might as well clean the filter and save myself a headache. I picked up some K & N filter cleaner from O'Reilly and cleaned it yesterday afternoon following AEM's instructions. I shook it out and set it on a wire rack to dry. I checked on it every few hours and shook it out some more. I let it dry 18 hours and checked it this morning to reinstall before heading to the dealer for an oil change and a double-check on the CEL. It was damned cold outside and the filter was still slightly damp but I figured it would be okay. After all, I read that the synthetic filter is hydrophobic. Well, it might be, but the slightly damp filter (which AEM says is okay) combined with the ridiculous cold meant the thing basically froze up. My car went into limp mode and barely managed to get the couple miles to the dealership. At the time I didn't think to change back to my stock airbox so the dealership hit me with an $80 diagnosis charge saying that my "CAI" was the cause of the CEL and limp mode, which is true to some extent, and was not warrantied therefore.

Anyway, I feel like a dumbass but I figured 18 hours would be enough to dry the damned thing out. After Googling I see that others have let their filters dry for 48 hours and the DryFlows were still damp afterward. So, word of warning, when you clean your filter, give it a nice warm, arid, long time to dry.

The whole series of events has left me shaken and worried. They checked the car out and said the MAF was fine and nothing else was wrong, just that the intake was too clogged and sent the MAF into a conniption. I'm worried about keeping the SRI on there, that I should just throw the stock airbox on and leave it at that.

Any thoughts?

 

[fitzski]

If you have a shop-vac, hooking a hose or extension onto the exhaust makes a great tool to use for drying the filter more thoroughly.

 

[MarkVII88]

I had previously installed an AEM cold air intake with dry-flow filter on a 2004 Corolla. I only put about 10,000 miles per year on the car so I cleaned the air filter once per year. Following the AEM instructions, I would tap out any dust and debris from the filter, then immerse and rinse the filter in a bucket of soapy water. I would gently rinse it with tap water from the clean to the dirty side and shake it out thoroughly. I would do my filter cleaning in the late summertime and would leave the filter to dry on my picnic table in the sun or I would set it up in the garage with a box fan blowing through it to ensure full drying. Leaving the filter like that overnight, especially in front of the box fan, and I never had any issues with MAF sensors or check engine lights.