Any tips on sealing CAI?

luttersj

luttersj

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On full throttle acceleration my car slips into Failsafe mode near the top of the RPM range. I can only assume that it must be sucking air somewhere along the way. It didn't ever do that with the stock intake system.

Someone here told me to use a little hairspray to help keep the fittings tight but i don't now if that will help it seal. that will just help it stick. The thing is, I'm not sure if it's sucking air right at the MAF mount or if it's somewhere else...

It's a KKM by the way...
 
You sure there is no hole or break in the seal in one of the sound deadening chambers? If there is then some RTV sealant should patch it. Or the circle clamps holding the intake on are tight and on right?

I'd figure a hole big enough to put your car in failsafe should be easily noticeable.
 
If your check engine light flashes then it's a coil. If your check engine light and battery light come on and the car shuts itself off then that is failsafe.
 
glanga said:
You sure there is no hole or break in the seal in one of the sound deadening chambers? If there is then some RTV sealant should patch it. Or the circle clamps holding the intake on are tight and on right?

I'd figure a hole big enough to put your car in failsafe should be easily noticeable.
Click to expand...

Right after I installed the KKM (like 10 minutes!) the car went into failsafe. I went back and tightened all of the connections and things were good for a couple days. Since then, about 2 weeks ago, I can pretty much expect every 3rd day that it goes into failsafe. usually when at high RPM but sometimes under hard acceleration from a stop before reaching high RPM. I don't think it's ever happened while simply cruising down the highway.

Where are these sound deadening chambers?
 
glanga said:
If your check engine light flashes then it's a coil. If your check engine light and battery light come on and the car shuts itself off then that is failsafe.
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the message center displays the failsafe error code, cuts power drastically (but doesn't shut off) and puts a warning light on. I usually just pop it into neutral, turn off the key, restart the engine, put it back into gear and keep going...
 
I can't remember if there are 2 or 3. They look like big bladders coming off of the intake tube. You can see them here. One is directly in front of the engine coming off the intake tube and the other is smaller and on the underside of the intake tube. They are on there with some sort of sealant that after time can probably wear out.

http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=35863&highlight=sound+chambers+intake

I capped mine off just like 04SCTLS did in his post and it fell off. I only used RTV sealant to hold it on (stupid me) and it went into failsafe. Luckily I had duct tape and that held until I could replace it.
 
Did you ever disconnect the battery after before installing the KKM? I found that after installing mine and I did not do this the car would reject the new intake and throw codes. After disconnecting the battery for about an hour, the whole car was reset and the car adjusted to the KKM. Now I never have any problems.


Failsafe Mode can occur with the throttle positioning as well and the the throttle body going out. Mine was replaced after several instances of Failsafe.
 
I never pulled the battery when putting my intake on. Never had any problems.

Did you place the 2 small lock washers where they're supposed to go per the instructions?
 
glanga said:
I can't remember ....
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info/link. I'll take a look at that!


King03LS8 said:
Did you ever disconnect the battery after before installing the KKM? I found that after installing mine and I did not do this the car would reject the new intake and throw codes. After disconnecting the battery for about an hour, the whole car was reset and the car adjusted to the KKM. Now I never have any problems.

Failsafe Mode can occur with the throttle positioning as well and the the throttle body going out. Mine was replaced after several instances of Failsafe.
Click to expand...

I did disconnect the battery while I was installing the KKM. Then I got the failsafe right away. Pist off, I unplugged the battery for nearly 24 hours (until I needed the car again).

A couple weeks before I put the KKM on the car I had a new throttle body put on under warranty. I need to get the codes read to see what this one is to be sure. I stopped at Checker the other day but their reader was down. I suspect they just didn't want to do it, though. But I suppose to be certain that it's the intake causing problems I should get the codes pulled.


NYC LS8 said:
...washers...
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yeah, I'm pretty sure the lock washers are on as the instructions stated. I guess it's worth another look. You never know.
 
If it is throwing codes then get them checked out. If you cannot narrow it down from there then I suggest going back to your stocker CAI for a few weeks and seeing if it still has any problems or not. I have seen instances where it came down to just real bad timing versus the new mod actually causing the problem.
 
Can you take a picture of your KKM CAI while still in the car. I have an idea of what it might be (if it is related to the CAI) but I need to take a look at the picture first.
 
ILLS said:
Can you take a picture of your KKM CAI while still in the car. I have an idea of what it might be (if it is related to the CAI) but I need to take a look at the picture first.
Click to expand...

Sure, I can do that. Is there any specific area that you want me to get a close up of?
 
luttersj said:
Sure, I can do that. Is there any specific area that you want me to get a close up of?
Click to expand...


If you could take a picture of things with your MAFS in the rough center of the picture that would be good. No need to zoom in closely either. Just get that and the rest of the CAI in the picture. What I am thinking about may or may not turn out to be correct. If it is not then you waste only 5 minutes with the picture.
 
ILLS said:
If you could take a picture of things with your MAFS in the rough center of the picture that would be good. No need to zoom in closely either. Just get that and the rest of the CAI in the picture. What I am thinking about may or may not turn out to be correct. If it is not then you waste only 5 minutes with the picture.
Click to expand...

alright, let's give this a try:

IMG_0647.JPG
 
Everything looks good to me. If I were you I would check the MAFS electronics to make sure you didn't forget to transfer the little rubber sealer piece that seals the electronics to the tube that it bolts into. It is pretty hard to get a CAI install wrong so if the little rubber sealer piece is there then I would look into the codes.

I think your next steps should be:

1) Get codes read if your car is throwing them. If no conclusion then go to the next step.
2) Put intake back to stock and run for a few weeks to see what happens.
3) If you put the stocker intake back on and the car still doesn't run well then look elsewhere besides the CAI.
 
Yesterday I walked out of the office, started the car and while it was idling it slipped into Failsafe mode. Then this morning, under light acceleration and heavy traffic, it died twice on the way into work. So I dropped it off at the dealership. I explained to him that I had it in 3 weeks ago for the same warning and also told him that I put the CAI on. he called me back a few hours later with the diagnosis: 8 bad coils!!! W T F?! 8?! $994 of which I'll only pay the $100 deductable, thankfully. So NYC LS8 wins the grand prize: a new oven mit!!

I'm trading this pile of ship in ASAP. I've had the car since August and it's been nothing but trouble. Without looking at my paperwork, I'd estimate that I've racked up $3000 in repairs. POS But I still love the car. That's the frustrating thing...
 
glanga said:
If your check engine light flashes then it's a coil. If your check engine light and battery light come on and the car shuts itself off then that is failsafe.
Click to expand...

Yesterday under high rpm's down the street my Ls's dashboard check engine light up. It wouldnt turn off, untill i restart the engine on a top sign. Then after that it was all fine so far... Does this mean is a Coil????
 
I can only tell you what happened to me.

With high RPMs the engine would drop into Failsafe mode. It did that a couple of times. Then it started doing it at low RPMs but heavy load. Like when you find that spot where you're getting max acceleration without a downshift. Then it started going into failsafe under light acceleration and finally while idling. Each time I was able to turn off the car and restart with no warning lights on. But this last time I went into Failsafe the engine light came on and stayed on.

When the dealership pulled the codes they said it was coils and replaced all 8. So maybe you're in the beginning stages of coils going bad. Or maybe your throttle body has a short in it like I had 3 weeks ago.

I'd suggest taking your car down to Checker or NAPA or whatever you have in OC and have them read the codes for you. At least you'll know what you're in for.
 
tepos said:
Yesterday under high rpm's down the street my Ls's dashboard check engine light up. It wouldnt turn off, untill i restart the engine on a top sign. Then after that it was all fine so far... Does this mean is a Coil????
Click to expand...


Most likely. I remember being on the phone with my Ford mechanic friend and telling him the cel light was flashing and he was saying it's definentely a coil then.

You can always have the code pulled to see yourself.
 
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