Asked them about their cone filter and the problems I have read.

If you haven't heard people were experiencing problems before and getting CELs then bringing it to the dealer. The dealers would blame the intake for the MAF code that was being thrown. They would say that oil was getting to the MAF and ruining it. well this is what I was told by the guy at K&N

After many complaints they started taking down the numbers to the dealers and calling them up. Not a single dealer could provide evidence or a MAF with oil on it. The dealers told K&N the oil would dissipate which makes no sense since oil doesn't just go away. K&N did their own study and found the code that was being thrown was caused by this situation.

Stock intake is being read by the computer. you swap intakes and don't reset the computer or anything then run the new intake. The computer goes crazy because the engine is getting much more air then typical ran past the MAF. The computer has to think the stock airbox is in and there must be a crack or whole in the box and something is wrong so it throws the code to warn you.

The proper way to install the intake according to K&N is to disconnect the negative battery cable. do the install and wait about 2 hours after the negative cable was disconnected to allow all residual battery life to drain. After all battery power is gone the CPU will shut down. Reconnect the battery and the CPU will boot up when u turn the ignition and it will start all of its readings over again. Now it wont know your getting more air then normal but will calculate everything out to allow for more air. then take it out and drive it how you normally would, don't baby it because it will adjust to thinking thats how u always drive. If you do this correctly you shouldn't throw and codes and everything should be fine...... at least thats what they told me haha

Hope this helps

PS: Didn't read back through so if its poorly put together sorry but im lazy

 

Dear K&N ,
Thank you for your interest in K&N products. K&N has experienced rare instances where dealerships and/or repair facilities “blame” damage to a vehicle’s Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF sensor). The dealership’s most common unsubstantiated claim is that K&N oil contaminates MAF sensors, causing them to fail. The truth is, OIL DOES NOT COME OFF the K&N air filter. K&N has conducted extensive testing at both its own testing laboratory and at an independent forensic laboratory. To date, we have never found a situation where a K&N air filter has caused a problem with a MAF sensor. Unfortunately, this truth does not stop dealerships from making absurd claims.

Please click on the provided link to read more information regarding this.
http://www.knfilters.com/faq.htm#7

Thank you for writing and have a great day.

Sherri Sykes
Customer Service Agent

1(800)858-3333

 

and lastly found on the K&N FAQs area. I just bought the intake so i will share my impressions

7. Will a K&N filter cause my vehicle’s mass air sensor to fail?

No, it is both impossible and ridiculous. It is impossible because we know that the oil treatment on our cotton is very small (usually less than 2 ounces). Once the oil is properly and evenly absorbed through the cotton, no oil will come off, even under extreme engine conditions. It is ridiculous, because no dealership or service provider has ever been able to provide us with evidence to support this “myth,” and in fact, our investigations have revealed that even authorized dealerships are simply speculating and do not have the test equipment necessary to know whether the sensor has failed or why. It is even more ridiculous because some car manufacturers use and sell air filters treated with oil on a regular basis. There are also major brands of disposable air filters that are treated with oil. We all use oil for the same reason, it helps in the filtration efficiency of an air filter. For more information on this topic including videos, see our Mass Air Flow Sensor Statement page.
Out of the millions of air filters we sell, we only receive a handful of consumer complaints each month that a dealership or service provider has blamed a vehicle sensor repair on our product. We take each complaint very seriously and see it as an opportunity to stop a consumer from being taken advantage of. We investigate the situation thoroughly and take full responsibility for resolving the issue. For more information on how we educate and persuade the service provider to reconsider their position, see Mass Air Flow Sensor Information & Testing. We are so confident in our ability to resolve these situations and help a consumer fight back that we offer our Consumer Protection Pledge.

As a result of our standing up for consumer rights and providing assistance to resolve a disagreement, we have had 77 actual sensors sent to us by dealerships who claimed our product had caused them to fail. Microscopic, electronic and chemical testing revealed that none of the 77 sensors were contaminated by K&N oil (K&N Detailed MAF Sensor Test Results). What is perhaps the single biggest clue to what is going on is that over 50% of these sensors were not broken in the first place for any reason. Click here for more information on how this may happen.

 

hey guys, there was a thread recently, I think in renntech about the K&N intake system. I had a c5 vette with a K&N for about 40,000 mile Absolutely no issues. I put the K&N kit on my 2002 c2 about 3,000 miles ago & believe the performance of the car is improved. I have not experienced any problems whatsoever. After reading the thread on renntech I slipped on the drysock that comes with the kit on an extremely rainy day, prior to this on rainy days I hadnt bothered, but as the concern was also water ingestion, I decided to be cautious. In short, I think the kit is outstanding & complaints overblown. I will continue to use the system with no concern. just my 2 cents.

 

My .02: I had issue after issue with K & N and received the response from the folks at K & N. This seems to be a hit or miss issue with Porsche's and the K&N product. Some have issues and a smaller group do not.

After my third MAF, I spoke with TPC Racing (the folks that did my SC) and they directed me to the BMC filter. It is a cotton/silk filter with no oil charge. I have not had an issue since. The car runs and dyno's the same style and numbers.

 

8k miles with my K&N, no issues yet

 

My K&N does not require it be oiled, it is even imprinted with the words "Dry Filter"

 

Good info although that's exactly what I would expect them to say (finger pointing).

When i installed my K&N about one year ago, the filter came oiled. So I bypassed the K&N filter and opted for an AEM Dryfilter. No mass issues and yes, I did reset the computer. Should be done after performance upgrades anyway.

 

LowStro9: Did you reset the computer like is suggested? If not the MAF was reading wrong and may be the cause for codes.


Here is what sold me. The K&N filter has approximately 2 ounces of oil on it when it comes from K&N, TWO OUNCES, that is a pretty small amount of oil and to say that the MAF had oil all over it is pretty far fetched.

What Im going to do is this:
Receive filter wrap in newspaper overnight ( takes access oil away if any)
Install and disconnect neg batt cable to reset computer
Run with the "dry sock" on when it rains but besides that not worry about it
I will give my impressions when complete.

 

it seems that post 2001 996 are immune...or should be... to the MAF failure...

i went through 3 MAF using the KN in less thatn 3 months!!! ripped the whole thing out put in an EVO...whos design is much better..and have had ZERO failures in about 10000km!!!

KN can say what they want.... i am never buying there stuff again. the proof was in my results!!

 

How much is a new MAF and can I jsut buy a 01+ MAF or are they the same?

 

Also did you properly reset the computer to recognize the extra air that was coming in? and did you visually inspect your MAF and what did you see? what code was being thrown and how did you know it "failed?

 

my car was GIAC flashed right after the initial install .... and still is flashed!!

the EVO unit is far better designed...you actually get COLD air, and not cold mixed with hot engine bay air...

look at both products and you will see why.

the codes i recieved... by memory... out of range, and overtemp or high heat reading? there may have been one more, but i dont remember.

hope that helps... i took my KN hacked it up and stuck it in my civic..thats about all its good for!!

 

I'm not using a K&N and so I won't comment on these problems, but I did find the reports and findings on thier website to be interesting reading. I judged tone of their wording to be a 'little' biased in thier favor, but probably no more than other suppliers when they defend their products.

 

FWIW I have a few thousand miles on my KN and it has been rock-solid.
I did the reset before firing up my car with the KN, which is the proper way to do it. Forget to reset and you'll get the CEL.
Also expect to drive about a half mile first for the car to adjust.

I love the sound of the KN, it really rips at WOT. I don't think it adds any ponies though..