KN Modification.

Submitted by Birdy on

Forum: 

Hi Folks, I have a 92 1.6 EFI Sportrak. Although I have read the forum since getting my Sportrak this is the first time I have posted.

I read quite a comprehensive account of the benefits of altering the original breather system for the cone shaped KN replacement. I want to go ahead with this basic mod, but something concerns me. I use my Sporty off road quite a lot, both on a nearby 4x4 track, and on some land a mate of mine owns. When doing this I go through some fairly hefty puddles, these throw a lot of water into the engine compartment, in fact there is mud all over the under side of the bonnet. With my basic mechanical knowledge I assume that this would not be good for the unprotected KN filter???? Has anyone thought of, or found a way of combating this??

Thanks.......

Good question, I'd certainly

Submitted by foxdie on

Good question, I'd certainly like to know if there's anyway, however here are one or two pointers other nice folk at this forum have made me aware of;

* I wanted to fit a cold air pipe to mine but that would surely result in the filter being exposed to water.

* If the underside of the bonnest is being coated in mud it's a safe bet the filter will get clogged up, you could perhaps try adding a snorkel kit with the K&N air filter at the end of it but from what I've heard there's a chance someone could try and nick it if you live in a rough area...

(Had I not lived near the Longbridge Rover plant in Birmingham I would have tried it but it's not an area I'd risk it in Lol

Hope this helps Birdy,

Jason "Foxdie" Gaunt

--

Jason "Foxdie" Gaunt

Several options available

Submitted by Rolling Stone on

Several options available for filter protection.

1. Get a universal type heat shield, angle it to deflect crud flying of the radiator fan (which is where a lot of the splashing comes from).

2. Fit an electric fan with in cab cut out for river crossings (expensive option).

3. Buy two filters, K&N one for road and a cheap crudder for 4x4ing.

Final note about cold air feeds - I have one routed from the gap in the bumper next to the number plate, people assume this would encourage a jet of water onto your filter, yes if you hit a river at 40 mph maybe, but under sensible wading speeds this does not happen.
Tested mine in water up to the valence panel, no probs. (check your axle breather lengths and door seals before swimming this deep!) Lol

Id defo go for the snorkel

Submitted by Dirty on

Id defo go for the snorkel if you plan on going through deep puddles.
If you have to have it " under bonnet " , do keep it as high as poss , as this will reduce risk of any water getting sucked in.
Sure having it high and in the middle of your engine bay isnt going to net you any power gains, but its up to you, safety or power Unknw
Regards Mark.

ps: if your engine sucked in even a small amount of water it could hydro lock. If your lucky you wont have your foot down on the clutch ( unlikely ) , so in reality youll be looking at bent connecting rods ( as water doesnt compress ) , probably more economical to buy a new engine if that happens .

Kind Regards from Japan,
Mark

Agreed, safest way is a diy

Submitted by Rolling Stone on

Agreed, safest way is a diy or custom snorkel, next best is a high flow filter in original cannister, then the most risky is an open K&N or cone type, your choice depends on how cautious you want to be.

If its all about maximum

Submitted by Dirty on

If its all about maximum power, then a cold air feed (totally sealed, not these cheap flexi pipe jobbies! ) that draws cool air from as low to the ground as possible is what you need.
Sadly on a 4x4 i dont think you will notice 1 or 2 hp gain.

But if you did insist on having your filter / feed ultra low, perhaps an AEM bypass valve could help. In the instance where the feed gets submerged in water, another air filter higher up allows air into your engine, and not water Wink hard to explain, dont know much about it as its not the sort of thing id use... just an idea tho...
But here ya go Smile

http://www.autosportz.com/air_intakes/aem_bypass_valve_example.jpg

Google" AEM Bypass Valve ".

Regards, Mark

Kind Regards from Japan,
Mark

KN Modification.

Submitted by Birdy on

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.It's certainly food for thought.