Is the clean side of your airbox dirty too? (1 Viewer)

[bloc]

My rig got a new OE filter recently and I remembered watching a review of an Aussie VDJ200 where the owner mentioned the stock airboxes being bad about letting dirt bypass the filter. Wondering if this was a problem on the 3UR-FE I took a close look.. and didn’t like what I saw.

What you are looking at is the “clean” side of the upper airbox. The light material up against the corner is dirt that is presumably bypassing the filter and getting into the engine. This corner was the only spot with obvious dust on the clean side. I believe the crosshatch material is intended to smooth the airflow into the MAF sensor. And I doubt it is that brown from the factory. I haven’t done used oil analysis to see what the Si numbers are.. but from my diesel VW days I remember UOA being good at finding issues like this.

Always OEM filters. This one was about 20k miles, installed correctly, all clamps secured, and yes I made sure the rubber gasket was clipped onto the lip of the plastic filter housing. It can come loose if you aren’t careful.

When I put this filter on I was sure to clean up the upper airbox to make this a valid experiment.

Has anyone else had this issue? Can someone with a low-mile truck take a pic of their upper airbox mesh to show the color?

I’m considering a foam or rubber shim on the lower edge of the airbox gasket to put more pressure on the upper edge.

Thanks for any insight

 

[bloc]

Mention of vdj200 air filter leak here at 16:58

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

No, mine is totally clean. Even when I lived in west Texas

I do apply a good coating of silicon gel to the o-ring when a new one goes in. Just like how you apply oil to oil filter o-rings, lubricating any seal does make a difference.

 

[bloc]

No, mine is totally clean. Even when I lived in west Texas

I do apply a good coating of silicon gel to the o-ring when a new one goes in. Just like how you allow oil to oil filter o-rings, lubricating any seal does make a difference.

Does the grease attract its own dirt around the perimeter?

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

Does the grease attract its own dirt around the perimeter?

The immediate beginning on the gel on the dirty side shows signs of dirt. But most of the dirty side of the o-ring is dirty free, because I've made the seal... seal better.

That said, the media is still more dirty than any silicon I add.

 

[Markuson]

Does the grease attract its own dirt around the perimeter?

Like @Taco2Cruiser said, the silicone thing works...& I figure it doesn’t really matter if the goop gets dust stuck to it as long as it keeps it from getting in...


Honestly, I don’t know why Toyota doesn’t add some kind of super-soft gasket, or a gel. Maybe they’re afraid people will do it wrong and then gel ends up in the intake or something...? Seems like they could have made it a tighter fit...but oh well. In Aus they call it getting “dusted” on their diesels and folks on the huge FB 200 page in Australia gripe about it a lot. But it’s preventable.

Maybe Taco can take a photo of how he does his (I trust him more than I trust myself...haha) and then @Romer could pop it into the FAQ sticky...

 

[Chocolate]

The filter should not be that discolored if you recently changed it.

 

[bloc]

The filter should not be that discolored if you recently changed it.

That isn’t the primary air filter.

 

[gaijin]

Can someone with a low-mile truck take a pic of their upper airbox mesh to show the color?

View attachment 2101047

Mine is an egg shell white - no brownish discoloration like yours:

BTW, it is my understanding that no silicone products should be used in the air intake system because it could contaminate the MAF sensor. Although the possibility is, admittedly, slim, instead of silicone, I would recommend using a non-silicone grease like this offering from K&N to seal your OEM air filter:

HTH

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

Does anyone else find it ironic that the company who makes air filters that cover your MAS with crap, makes another consumable product that does not cover your MAS?

Hey @gaijin, does it say it is not silicon on the tube, or does it allude to what it is made of?

 

[gaijin]

Does anyone else find it ironic that the company who makes air filters that cover your MAS with crap, makes another consumable product that does not cover your MAS?

Hey @gaijin, does it say it is not silicon on the tube, or does it allude to what it is made of?

If it's any consolation, it's not made by K&N.

MSDS says it is a "Hydrotreated heavy Naphthenic petroleum distillate." That makes it non-silicone. Link to MSDS: K&N Air Filter Grease MSDS

HTH

 

[bloc]

@gaijin approx how many miles on yours in that picture?

For the record I don’t see any evidence of dust anywhere else in the intake stream.. whether the MAF housing or intake hose to the throttle body. I’m sure air velocity is much higher there which seems like it could prevent the dust sticking to those surfaces.

In the interest of public info.. stock US 2013 airbox part number is 17700-38182 and lists for $840. My price is about $550.. I think I’ll wait. I might see about removing the mesh and cleaning it.. but I doubt it’s causing any problems.

 

[gaijin]

@gaijin approx how many miles on yours in that picture?

For the record I don’t see any evidence of dust anywhere else in the intake stream.. whether the MAF housing or intake hose to the throttle body. I’m sure air velocity is much higher there which seems like it could prevent the dust sticking to those surfaces.

In the interest of public info.. stock US 2013 airbox part number is 17700-38182 and lists for $840. My price is about $550.. I think I’ll wait. I might see about removing the mesh and cleaning it.. but I doubt it’s causing any problems.

In that pic, probably only about 10,000 miles.

That mesh in the upper half of the air filter housing is NOT an air filter. It is a carbon filter to prevent fuel vapors from escaping the engine back into the atmosphere - obviously for when the engine is NOT running. It's an emissions filter. As such, it is permanently affixed to the upper housing and not removable without damaging either the filter or the housing.

HTH

 

[bloc]

In that pic, probably only about 10,000 miles.

That mesh in the upper half of the air filter housing is NOT an air filter. It is a carbon filter to prevent fuel vapors from escaping the engine back into the atmosphere - obviously for when the engine is NOT running. It's an emissions filter. As such, it is permanently affixed to the upper housing and not removable without damaging either the filter or the housing.

HTH

It is attached with melted plastic tabs that could easily be removed and replaced with small screws if one were so inclined.. but if carbon can be damaged by washing with soap/water there wouldn’t be much use in removing it.

Anyone able to snap a pic of theirs with more substantial mileage on it? I’m curious what a 100k mile fuel vapor trap looks like other than mine.

 

[RobW0]

Mine is an egg shell white - no brownish discoloration like yours:

BTW, it is my understanding that no silicone products should be used in the air intake system because it could contaminate the MAF sensor. Although the possibility is, admittedly, slim, instead of silicone, I would recommend using a non-silicone grease like this offering from K&N to seal your OEM air filter:

HTH

What was the hole drilled for?

 

[bloc]

What was the hole drilled for?

Search for “filter minder”. That’s the black/yellow/clear thing in the picture and it tells you when a filter is getting clogged to the point of needing replacement.

 

[gaijin]

What was the hole drilled for?

Search for “filter minder”. That’s the black/yellow/clear thing in the picture and it tells you when a filter is getting clogged to the point of needing replacement.

In situ:

HTH

 

[Markuson]

In situ:

HTH

Wow. Your engine bay is so CLEAN. Mine gets soooo dirty. Traveling in different environments...?

 

[Markuson]

Hey @gaijin ...I was about to ask you for a link to the filter minder, but remembered you posting about it in the past. Found your post...

It’s a great idea, since it’s not about the filter looking “dirty” but more about restricting flow.

Anyway... Pretty cool, and looks like a super simple install.
Thanks!

SQOD Squad - Stupid Question Of the Day

Whoa. Very nice. Thank you!! As you can tell, I'm doing this real-time. Turns out I didn't need to pop out the cup holder, as your directions show. Just give the panel a yank. However, I also had to remove the upper section to get to that top bolt on the subwoofer cabinet. GEEZ that is a...

forum.ih8mud.com

And your link to it:

Filter Minder® Graduated Air Filter Restriction Monitoring Gauge - Grommet Mount

The Filter Minder® Air Filter Gauge monitors filter restriction, mounting directly to the air cleaner housing or air induction piping.

filterminder.com

 

[KLF]

Hey @gaijin ...I was about to ask you for a link to the filter minder, but remembered you posting about it in the past. Found your post...

It’s a great idea, since it’s not about the filter looking “dirty” but more about restricting flow.

Anyway... Pretty cool, and looks like a super simple install.
Thanks!

SQOD Squad - Stupid Question Of the Day

Whoa. Very nice. Thank you!! As you can tell, I'm doing this real-time. Turns out I didn't need to pop out the cup holder, as your directions show. Just give the panel a yank. However, I also had to remove the upper section to get to that top bolt on the subwoofer cabinet. GEEZ that is a...

forum.ih8mud.com

And your link to it:

Filter Minder® Graduated Air Filter Restriction Monitoring Gauge - Grommet Mount

The Filter Minder® Air Filter Gauge monitors filter restriction, mounting directly to the air cleaner housing or air induction piping.

filterminder.com

This is a great idea. Also available on Amazon:

Amazon product ASIN B000E5XQDY
Edit:
OK, I don't get WTF is happening, but I can't get the Amazon link to work, something is changing the URL back to the main page. Weird. Anyway, just do a search on "K&N 85-2445".