AEM Intake Installed = Car now hesitates
 

You read it here... after installing the AEM CAI... the car hesitates occasionally under light load. It feels like the throttle cuts out and back in within a tenth of a second. But it's enough to jerk the car when driving along smoothly.

Could the MAF sensors have gotten goober'ed up with the oiled intakes? Or is this a different type of issue... thoughts / suggestions?

:ugh2:

make sure the MAFs are properly positioned and that all connections are solid. it could be a leak as well; check for that. it is unlikely but the MAFs may be slightly dirty for some reason.

Did you disconnect the battery before installing? This way the ECU can reset and calibrate the new reading for the MAF's. Did the you take proper step to unsure the MAF's stayed clean during new install? Also did you make sure the new intakes were cleaned in the inside before installing. You never know what kind of junk is in there from the manufacturing process.

It's probably a good idea to take the entire thing apart and clean it, while you keep the battery disconnected so that the ECU can reset. If it continues to be a problem, a tune might help...

Also the AEM intake comes with dry flow air filters that should not be oiled. Did you oil these filters?

I have unplugged the neg battery terminal during the install. Also this came with the oiled red filters not the dry flow filters. Additionally there was nothing in the intakes before install. I have swapped the maf sensors and get the same result. Still troubleshooting...

Look at that ETI connector. I know it tries tricking the ECU to read the airflow properly.

Clean the MAF reguardless just to eliminate any slight mishaps.

Took apart and re-checked all the fittings and seals. Tightened accordingly... car still stumbles. What the crap?!! :mad:

Throw it on the dyno with a wideband. Even better id if you have cipher to datalog the "stumbling" and post it up. A video will help diagnose as well.

Don't you have to cut into the maf harnesses with the aem intake? If that's the case I would recheck all your connections. Hope you soldered the wires too and didn't use wire taps or butt connectors.

If everything is tight and there is no leak, I would havet to think its the MAF or if its the ETI version it might be messing with the stock ECU to the point its cutting throttle and timing to prevent damage. I would take it to PX or SP and see if they notice anything with UPREV software or a Wideband.







DAN

Okay AEM is sending new ETI connectors at their cost and hope that'll be the fix. I'll be in touch w results.

Just installed the same intakes and I'm having the same problem. Did you ever find out what it was?

Anybody else?

No issues like that with mine

bumppp car is still doing it, probably put the stock intakes back on for now.

I have the AEM EFI CAIs as well and it started doing the same **** for me too for the past week. Mind you ive had them on for nearly a year. When i took off the filters i could see dried up water spots on the inside of the pipe as well as all over the sensor. I took the sensors and filters and cleaned and dried them. The car is still doing the same ****. I was reading up on similar problems and some people had narrowed it down to a faulty brake sensor. But i checked and thats not the case with me or possibly any of u.

So did u change the MAFs and the EFI boxes and still does it? Any other updates on the issue?

So far I haven't changed anything yet. I have no CEL, the MAF's look fine and should be perfectly fine from how I handled them because I know they are sensitive and not cheap if you break one. I have the exact problem that the OP had. Hopefully he will get on here sometime soon and say what he did to fix it. His last post was about him getting the new ETI connectors so I'm assuming that fixed the problem. I emailed aem yesterday but no reply since it's the weekend. I will give them a call tomorrow and see if they will send me some new ones as well.

alright i'll wait and see if that helps at all. As a precaution im keeping my car out of contact with water for the next week, and im getting the AEM pre-filter wrap for the Dry-flow filters. That should keep any liquids from getting in my intakes.

Yeah it should, how did you even get water in there? I never bring out my car in the rain so I know that's not the problem.

Sounds like its summer time...

My car was parked outside without the car cover for a couple of rain storms in the last couple of weeks. And last time i took of the bumper i hadn't put it on proparly so on the driver side under the headlight there was a gab through which water just dripped right onto the filter, and got sucked in.

Either way i dried things out im getting those water proof pre-filters. I put the bumper back on proparly now so i wont be getting that either but we will see if the issue goes away over the next week.

glad i got the short intake never to worry about water! i mean unless i pull a retard move by cranking my car opening the hood outside while its raining.

nice selection on exhaust@ :tiphat:

Okay I talked to aem just now and they told me it's possible since I have a 2012 and intakes are for a 2011 not entirely sure because I got them used that the tune is probably off which kind of I figured. I was hoping that the tunes from the different years would not be that big of a difference to throw it off this much but I guess I was wrong.

interesting, im curious what they will say about my 2009 running the latest and greatest AEM CAIs. Honestly i didn't even know that there was a different model for every year. So what did they tell you, do they have ETI boxes for each different year? Are they going to send you the ones you need?

They didn't really help much at all -_- he was pretty much telling me to go get a custom tune to get it fixed. I think the boxes are different but I'm not 100% He said that he never tested them on a 2012 model so he doesn't know if the factory tune is the same. I asked Seb from Specialty Z if I should just go tune the car with them on and he said even with a tune these intakes sometimes will still run like crap because of the ETI module. He made it very clear that he doesn't like them one bit and to yank them off and buy something else. I bought them used so I'm not losing that much money but it still sucks that these intakes have issues with them for some of us.

gaah well that sucks. I actually like the idea of the ETI technology. I guess ill give my local Z specialist a call as well see what he advises in regards to tuning them in the condition they are in. For me its very wierd since my car ran fine with them for about a year, and it just started doing this now. I guess ill continue to search for a fix, for now it doesn't seem to be causing a show stopping type of problem.

If you get a tune, use the ETI module's harnesses to create MAF connector extensions. That way you can reach the plugs down low, and then have your tune done so that it'll run right. The ETI modules will definitely goof up a good MAF table calibration.

I know ETI is slightly different with the "Nismo" variation. I know they were able to improve the performance of them over the normal 370Z ones. ETI is fine after tuning, as it's really just a programmed adjustment for the larger diameter tubes so the sensors read it a bit better. I didn't have issues with mine at all. I drove in the rain, the heat, trip to Magic Mountain, they worked 100% fine. I think Seb doesn't like them because the ETI is already making some adjustments and he has to work with it as opposed to other intakes where he just tunes. Thing is, a lot of other intakes neck down at the MAF to trick the sensor, but it doesn't make sense because it's introducing a restriction anyways. If you were to swap, I would get AAM's as they have worked around it with a removable sleeve at the maf.

I just found this and the guy pretty much fixed it in that exact matter. He cut the ETI boxes out esentially used their cables as extensions to reach the MAFs then got it tuned. http://www.the370z.com/intake-exhaus...3-4k-rpms.html I think i am going to do that as well if the problem doesn't go away.

Exactly what I would do.

I was doing some work on a fellow forum member's car last week and he has the AEM's. My advice to him was to let me know when he wants to get tuned and I'll make the bypass cables for the ETI boxes so that the tuner can do his MAF tables properly.

Tangent: What's funny is that the piping is laid out in the exact same configuration as my Nismo intakes. Differences being the Nismo intakes were cut in the middle for the anti-hydo-locking thingies, and therefore had the MAF sensors placed right before the TB's. Otherwise the piping path and bracketry and everything else was the same. And I mean exactly, as they are both made by AEM.

Solution

AEM sent me replacement connectors for the MAF sensors, and those worked for approx 6 months before failing again. I am currently in OEM intake mode.

I am unsure this is a good product to have, IMHO.

Alrite so i cut the stupid ETI boxes out of the equation and used their cables as extender cables. The engine started up and runs fine, no bucking and choking what so ever. Interestingly enough i don't have a check engine light either. Im taking the car in the next couple of weeks to get it dyno tuned, which should optimize things abit more as i am sure im running quite lean right now.

That's good to hear so no issues that u know of driving with electronics?

I had the eti boxes working just fine for almost a year. Now ive cut them out and the engine runs just fine. I do sense a bit of an odd response, cant quite explain it, but i think its due to running lean and my car not being tuned. Ill get it tuned in the next couple of weeks and ill let you know if theres a difference. Other than that, no check engine light or other problems with cutting the ETI boxes off.

How did you exactly "cut the out." Did you pull the chip out of the little eti box??

i havent opened my ETI box but all you'd have to do is literally cut the box out of the circuit and solder the wires together accordingly to use it as an extension.

For those with OBD monitoring gear, did you notice anything weird with the intake air temperatures?