my current intake setup is a CTA intake with larger K&N filter with additional inverted conical filter element in the nose of the filter, and ported TB. my question is this, has anyone had problems, or is it possible for the stock MAF sensor voltage to be maxed out and cause problems.
trying to figure out a problem with my tour, ive posted in the troubleshooting section with little success. you can check there under subject "tour wont talk to me" for backround on the issue. any help would be greatly appreciated. symptoms have so far lead me to believe i need to drop a few hundred on a new computer.
You're not gonna max the voltage with just an intake. It's something else. Check for leaks, clean the MAF, replace the pcv valve, fuel filter, clean injectors, spark plugs, plug wires, coil,etc.
Not your problem,
but here's a suggestion,
dump the inverted cone filter,
not as good as a standard cone with plastic top.
As for your prob, Kremit is right.
It does sound like a fuel issue. You never mentioned if you've changed the fuel filter. I would go there first. Also check the fuel pressure. Or like was mentioned before, you may have a dying pump, clogged screen or a faulty regulator.
Originally posted by SleeperZ:
Not your problem,
but here's a suggestion,
dump the inverted cone filter,
not as good as a standard cone with plastic top.
Why is the inverted filter not as good?
Air flow, filtering, and enough power could suck it to the point it breaks. Get a K&N.
Originally posted by Ziyad:
Originally posted by SleeperZ:
Not your problem,
but here's a suggestion,
dump the inverted cone filter,
not as good as a standard cone with plastic top.
Why is the inverted filter not as good?
Quote:
Hello,
Thank you for your interest in K&N products. Given that the
filters each have adequate CMF flow for the application there is no
benefit.
Thank you,
Leon S. Collins
K&N Technical Support
4b5spd you said you had an inverted cone filter from K&N. I didn't think they made them.
well i thought it was a k&n, maybe not. picked it up at fun ford weekend in englishtown nj from a vendor. cant remember which one, but it was one of the larger companies that sell a multitude of different products to include manufacture their own. it didnt come in a box it was plastic wrapped and looked new, it has been structurally sound so far. i think it even came with a sticker that i have adheared to the underside of my hood, but that one may have been from the stock panel filter k&n replacement i had a long time ago.
anyhow, sounds like i need a fuel pressure guage. probably the pump which was one of our suspects initially as fuel filter, pcv, plugs, coil, wires, maf cleaning and the whole gambit of the other reg maint. stuff has been taking care of.
thanks a ton for you quick response gents, helps a lot.
Hmm almost sounds like you're talking about APC, which is not a good company.
To my knowledge, K&N has no inverted cone filter. It does have the xstream, but it's not inverted, it just has a filter surface in place of the end cap.
Originally posted by Ziyad:
http://www.knfilters.com/universal/univcustcap.htm
KN filter with an inverted top.
And that's why I said not to my knowledge. 
I didn't look at the custom caps.
Doesn't matter who makes it, inverted cones are
cr@p.Get a composite top cone.
Side note;
For those running their filter outside there engine bay, get an ITG foam filter.
What was wrong with the filter that came with the CTA intake? Mine is good, beside the oil from the filter dirtying my MAF, which I had to clean off.
I still have the stock MAF on like you, mabie you should get a larger one that can support the air flow of a larger filter and OTB.
Originally posted by WildChild:
What was wrong with the filter that came with the CTA intake?
Its an inverted cone filter, which has been proven to be less effective than a standard cone with a flat top.
Originally posted by WildChild:
I still have the stock MAF on like you, mabie you should get a larger one that can support the air flow of a larger filter and OTB.
Only one person on this site has a Zetec than needs more airflow than a stock panel filter can flow (which is between 220 and 240 cfm) and that's Hector (and me when on nitrous).
Yes an aftermarket filter will flow 500 to 800 cfm, but our engines don't need it.
A 2L engine producing 160 HP requires about 225cfm (varies depending on Volumetric Effeciency).
All the extra airflow equates to nothing more than longer intervals between filter cleanings and a bit less of a pressure drop across the filter.
The only real reason anybody swaps over is because its cool.
I have a K&N panel filter in the stock airbox and you know what, it yields the same 1/4 times as a K&N cone filter in the wheel well.
Why? Both draw cold air and both will outflow my engine.
Seawulf also needs more than the stock filter.
Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
Seawulf also needs more than the stock filter.
He doesn't count, he's got a Cougar. 
j/k with ya Seawulf.
I feel all warm and fuzzy inside!
Originally posted by LoCoZsc:
I feel all warm and fuzzy inside!
Dude, you better get whatever's fuzzy inside you removed, thta cr@p can kill you!
yeah that looks like the one i have, universal. true i got it because it looks good. i was actually wondering if it was hurting idle performance and related issues by reducing air velocity in the intake tract causing the air to stall and the maf to not get a proper reading. you can see it in the pictures on the link below. ive ditched the rain guards, tinted the windows and got a set of khumo ecsta 711's in 215/50 15 since those photos.
by the way, my cta intake didnt come with an inverted cone filter, just a regular cone flat nose style.
The MAF should be atleast 6" from anything that might cause turbulence to allow the airflow to smooth out as much as possible.
I know I am guilty of not following this, my only complaint about my intake.
I will probably get a MAF screen (like the SVT) to help smooth out the airflow.
ive heard you say that before about the maf, sounds like good advice.
so guess what? got a fuel pressure guage from o'reileys and installed correctly with no visible leaks.
chiltons says psi for my year and model shoud be 37-41. at full throttle its at a steady 38-39 psi. through the entire rev range. idle pressure i think is low, reading 28-29 psi. does that sound right? any how there is no fluctuation in pressure.
im becoming more convinced it is a timing issue. today while feeding throttle in nuetral the car sounded like it had a two step on the ignition up around 5 grand. wouldnt that be the computer? unless, although rare, my mechanic buddy said itmay have been possible for the timing belt to have jumped teeth during some of my fast high rpm shifting. but wouldnt that send a code unless i have a cam timing sensor that isnt working?
Having the timing belt jump is technically possible but very, very, very, very unlikely.
Check your timing belt, if it feels tight I would be ahrd pressed to believe it jumped.
my thoughts exactly. so now im back to it possibly being the computer.
unhook your battery for 10 minutes and then put it back on and drive it around and see how it behaves
done that 100 american times. thanks though.
Originally posted by 4banganda5spd:
done that 100 american times. thanks though.
ok big dog in looking at your first post...I would still point to your MAF.
The MAF sensor is more sensitive than most people give it credit for. In other words...you may have a completely clean MAF BUT, you could be out of range on your sensors within the MAF. The MAF looks at several different things to adjust your AF ratio. Things such as humidity, relative air incoming for elevation, etc etc. What can happen is that the actual metering going on in the actual MAF module could be giving erronious info thus causing a rich or lean condition and giving you loss of power...and oh yeah...no CEL.
I had this SAME condition of NO power or sagging response in the higher RPM's. Just cleaning the MAF won't solve it. At first I thought it was the timing belt too. Found groves caused by a frozen idler pulley in the timing cover...the mechanic was pissed cuz he thought I messed with it...anyhoo to make a long story short too late, he installed timing belt and this did not fix it either... that is where the research started. So after butting heads with the mechanic guy on to why my car STILL had no power he made a couple of suggestions and I went ahead with the MAF....Swapped it and all was well
Two things I recommend. You are using two filters? An oversize K&N and an inverse? If I were you, I would remove the inverse filter and stick with the K&N. Then I would run up to AutoZone and get the MAF with a lifetime warranty or 3 year warranty...some long time like that. Do the swap in the parking lot like me so you can get your core charge. Let it sit while you reset all your radio stations then take off.
Have fun
Rich
thanks a million man. good information. i was actually pricing the MAF this last week and i couldnt decide whether to get that or the computer even though the maf is a lot cheaper. just really didnt want to spend money on either one id it didnt fix the problem. i can get a remanufactured maf for like $80 from parts depot couple towns away. ill look into it further. thanks again,.
replaced the MAF with a remanufactured from o'reileys and no change. still have same symptoms. just ordered a reman. cumputer from them that should come in wednesday. if thats not it then maybe its the timing belt or cam gears, then maybe its the valve train.
the car clatters slightly when i turn it off like it is a timing issue, but still troubleshooting. could there still be a fuel problem with the regulator or the injectors even though fuel pressure is correct? i checked the injectors using the screw driver to the ear method, they're clicking, but thats all i know.
jeesh!! cant wait till i figure this out. its incredibly frustrating driving around with 88 hp.
finally got her fixed guys.
hauled five dudes around for a short bit in the tour last night, and i guess the extra load on the motor made the condition worse cuz when i left my friends house the car was studdering and sputtering badly. could not accelerate past 1/16 throttle position. heard hissing coming from the engine compartment while driving and could not see any vaccuum leak.
figured it could only be one thing, the one thing i hadnt really taken time to check out,... catalytic converter. so this morning i went with my hunch and without even pulling the 02 sensor to check, had a different mechanic guy i knew "remove exshaust flow obstruction" for an hours labor, and BAM!, she's runnin like a top! volume on the exhaust knob was turned up too as a result and im freakin happy.
now the blaster coil gets to go back on as does the superchip. definitely gonna have to make another visit to the track for some fun. first cool night in april im there. o'reilly's is refunding the cost for my computer as i type. ha!!
thanks again to all who took the time and effort to offer help on this issue, always keeps me motivated. keep up the good work fellas!