Air Filters
 

Yes..I have to ask this question :confused: I posted a few days ago that my car was hesitating when I accelerated from a stop and also that it wanted to stall at lights. I received a couple of responses to that saying that it might be my crankshaft position sensor. MrMiata found one on Ebay for me which I purchased and then he walked me through installing it in my car. That didn't solve the problem so he just wondered how my air filters were looking. I just looked under the hood and don't see it..maybe if I pulled it out of the garage I'd have better luck locating it :D. I'm assuming there is a cabin filter and it's probably on the underside of the glove compartment. I'm driving a 2005 limited if that information is necessary. I checked the forum before I posted but couldn't find anything on changing the air filter. If they look okay, then I'm unfortunately heading to my mechanic this morning.:D Thanks in advance!

Re: Air Filters
 

The intake filters are in the shiny-plastic-looking cover over the engine. You pull up on the back of it, it will pop off and then you disconnect the two black hoses at the front.

Taking the assembly off hte car, turn it over - you will see the two covers, one on each side. Remove them using a screwdriver. The filters are inside the housing.

The Cabin filter just filters air to the cabin - has nothing to do iwth the engine.

Re: Air Filters
 

Great....thanks! I'm going to give it a whirl this morning and hope that solves my problem.

Re: Air Filters
 

You'll need a torx bit, probably size #25, for the screwdriver. Make sure it is the biggest size bit that fits the head of the screw.
I doubt it is the filters, unless you live in a real dusty area and they have not been cleaned lately. I say it could be a fuel filter or pump. It is hard to say though.

Re: Air Filters
 

Yeah..I walked out there with a screwdriver and saw it was going to be the regular one. I actually found one that fit and took out one of the two air filters. I don't think the guy I bought the car from took good car of it so maybe it hasn't been changed in years! Here's a photo of what the one looks like. I'm hoping it solves the problem, but if it's the fuel pump it's covered under my vsc. Is the fuel filter something I can change? Geez...I'm going from never having done anything but make sure the air in my tires was at the correct level to changing out a CPS and more! I've never uploaded a pic here so hopefully this works.

Re: Air Filters
 

Well, they do look pretty bad. And they will affect your overall performance and fuel consumption. So no one else has suggested cleaning the Mass Air Flow sensor, either. But I'd give that a try too, as well as checking the battery. Do you still have the original white one? If so, a voltage drop can give the computer problems and affect the throttle function and idle.

You are the first on that one and if you or someone can provide a link on how to do it and where it is I will do that also. Pics are always helpful!! I don't know if its the original battery. I wouldn't think so! The year is on the battery isn't it? I will check when I get back home. I'm on my way to get filters.

Can't find the Mann air filter but they have the purolator brand. Is that okay?

These are my choices on air filters. STP, Fram, K&M or Pro.

Re: Air Filters
 

Here's a general link on the MAF - and another on actually cleaning one. This was not done on a Crossfire - I think that it's VW - but the principles are the same. Don't worry about the clamps, etc. Watch the process and you'll see the similarities from the air filters and on. You can probably just spray the internal parts sufficiently without the full disassembly.

Re: Air Filters
 

You gonna listen to the ***-hat in the first video that don't even have enough sense to use his seatbelt ?
And BTW, I've been in computers for nearly 45 years now, and have yet to meet a "happy" or "sad" one.

Just managed to find a K&N but they have to order the second to pick up later today. I also picked up the mass air flow sensor cleaner and throttle cleaner. Wish me luck because I am nervous about the last two!

Re: Air Filters
 

If the battery is white, it's a Varta and PROBABLY original.

They are supposed to punch out the year and month of purchase, that's how you know when the warranty starts, so yes, there should be indication of install date.

The fuel pressure regulator and fuel filter are all in one unit. They sell in the aftermarket world for about $30. I've never tried changing one, I think it's four hoses and four clamps, not very involved, but there will probably be pressurein the lines when you loosen the clamps, keep that in mind!

Re: Air Filters
 

If the fuel pump is bad, is the fuel filter part of the same thing.....as in if it the fuel pump which is covered under my vsc would the fuel filter fall under the fuel pump repair? Probably separate! Okay..I took two pics of the battery...definitely not original and I don't see any date unless it's somewhere other than the top.

Re: Air Filters
 

Yes there is a constant pressure in the fuel line.
This may be of help and there are many other places here that discuss fuel filter changes as well.
I've heard the clamps can be quite tricky and this filter and pump are located together underneath the car in front of the right rear wheel

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum/685927-post3.html

Re: Air Filters
 

The word "tricky" coming from men who work on cars is a tad nervewracking and may have me rethinking the idea of doing that. Maybe I will get lucky and the filters and/or the mass air flow sensor being clean will do the trick and I won't have to think about going down that road.

Re: Air Filters
 

Where he says you can unplug it to see if you need a new one based on how the car responds.....do I just let the car idle in the driveway to see what happens as I assume I can't be driving it with it unplugged.

Re: Air Filters
 

You can drive it with the MAF sensor unplugged, just don't expect it to run smooth.

Re: Air Filters
 

But that video link said that you can tell if you need a new one if you unplug it and the car acts normally..or almost normally, although I'm not sure what almost normally means. I was hoping, if I do this, that I could drive it because that's when I notice the problem. I wouldn't even have to get out of my neighborhood to hit a few stop lights/signs to know.

Re: Air Filters
 

I wouldn't worry about all the testing. Do your best with the aerosol cleaning process because it won't hurt anything to clean it as part of a general maintenance item, put it back together and go for a drive. This is a simpler thing than the fuel pump and fuel filter, and you want to eliminate the simple things first. If this fixes it, problem solved. If not, you can look into the next issues.

Re: Air Filters
 

You should take a look at all the vacuum hoses when you have the engine cover off, whole thing sounds like a vacuum leak to me.
Try this :
Over on the drivers side you will see a hard plastic tube going over to the fender well and connecting to a solenoid close to the antilock brake stuff.
With the engine idling, unplug the hose from that solenoid. If the engine starts to shake worse, then probably no vacuum leak, but if it makes no difference when it is disconnected, then you need to find and fix the vacuum leak.

As to previous question about driving with the MAF disconnected, I have done this a couple of times, but not on purpose.
My MAF is in my NeedsWings single CAI, and I used to have to unplug it to remove / install my Mercedes C320 engine cover.
I have overlooked plugging it back in a few times, the symptoms are very rough and sometime high idle, also stumbling on acceleration.

Re: Air Filters
 

Good advice from alaxafire. It doesn't really sound like fuel filter or fuel pump to me because these will usually cause problems under load - when accelerating, etc. Because the MAF is related to the air filters and you have an obvious problem with dirt there, I suggested looking there first. All are trouble shooting ideas and take you from the simplest fix to some of the more complex. And don't ignore the battery even if it has been changed - I've had fuel issues related to the battery on other cars as well.
Please let us know how things work out for you.

Re: Air Filters
 

Changing the fuel filter/regulator is not the most difficult task but does require some hose clamps,( like large hemostats) and jacking up the car. I would suggest if it came to that, turn that job over to a more experienced mechanic. IMO though, that doesn't sound like your problem, I believe you're headed in the right direction.

Re: Air Filters
 

Well I certainly hope that you are correct that it's not my problem with the car. I'm going to do the MAFS and the Throttle body cleaning because I think I can manage it. I saw that the fuel filter itself is not expensive but that the mechanics charge an arm and two legs to do it so I'm hoping not to have to take it to them. Replacing the CPS was pretty easy thanks to MrMiata's instructions but I couldn't have put the connectors back onto the sensor backwards could I and that's why I'm still having the problem. I figured it was an only one way kind of fit like a plug in a socket.

Re: Air Filters
 

The CPS is a go/no go thing as far as the connector. If you put it on "wrong", the car does not start at all.

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I don't know how old the battery is because the darn thing isn't marked, so I will do the cleaning issue on the two things and if that doesn't work Auto Zone should be able to hook something up to the battery and tell me if it has a problem right? I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of this advice because #1) I need it and #2) it has me doing things I never thought I could do! And I will lyk how it finally turn out.

Re: Air Filters
 

good to know I didn't screw that up!

Re: Air Filters
 

If they do a draw test (the only test they can do) and it fails, then replace it.

But there is on way to test it's filtering ability. I go by age on batteries, or worse yet, by replacing them and seeing if that fixes the problem. A costly troubleshooting technique, I know. Id try the MAF and other things first.

But that battery SHOULD have an install date on it, or a "sold" date - how else could they have prorated the warranty, should a claim have been made????

Re: Air Filters
 

Beats me on the date not on it..did you see the pic I posted of the battery?

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Okay...unplugged the vacuum hose and with the car idling, it started to shake so I guess that's good news. I have installed the new air filters and I'm going to find and review how to removed the MAFS and the throttle body and do that since the engine cover is off. Thanks for the tip on the vacuum hose and wish me luck on the next two things!

Re: Air Filters
 

Well I was going to go ahead and take out the MAFS but I don't see anything to unscrew. It almost looks like I could put a screwdriver at the top and pop it off? I took two pics of opposite sides incase I'm wrong and you can tell me what to do and also of what I think is the throttle body since the hose from the MAFS runs to it. Do I just unscrew it to get it out, or just open it up once it's unscrewed? Sure wish their were videos of the stuff specific to the crossfires. I think I'm going to buy the repair manual!

Re: Air Filters
 

The first picture shows the MAF sensor, it is held in with two screws. These screws are tamper proof screws and have five sided sockets in them, I opened mine after I had removed the whole sensor.
I doubt it is the sensor anyway. To remove the sensor itself is harder than removing the MAF unit as a whole and spraying the sensor while till screwed in place in the MAF unit as you do not need the special screws driver bit.

The repair manual can be down loaded from this site.

Go here. (Click)

The MAF unit, from the bottom, showing the sensor, your one is on the left in the picture.
https://www.crossfireforum.org/galle...m/DSC_0836.JPG

Okay well I don't see those screws anyway so I will just spray into it where it sits and wipe it up with the blue shop towels and take it for a spin and see if I'm good to go.

Re: Air Filters
 

So here is where I am at so far. I've replaced the crankshaft position sensor, replaced the air filters, disconnected the vacuum hose and let the car idle *it started shaking*, cleaned the MAFS *just through the top of it since I couldn't find the screws to attempt to remove it* and drove up to Auto Zone and had them check the battery which was deemed perfectly fine. Although the car is driving better it still is not normal. It did not act up at every stop sign and light. The few times it did in the 3 mile trip there and back, it just shook a little *not rough..kinda of a gentle shaking for a few seconds* and then stopped doing it while I was still at the light. One of the few times it did that, it then felt like it got a surge of energy after shaking so that if my foot was off of the brake it would have taken off. The change for sure is that when I went to take off from a green light it never hesitated like it was doing before. Any other ideas? Spark plugs? I didn't disconnect the MAFS because the opinion has been that that's probably not my problem. It's too bad I don't know what's been done to the car over it's life. When I bought a lexus I was able to access all of it's repair history which was helpful.

Re: Air Filters
 

Changing your spark plugs may help overall, depending on your mileage, but it will not be the cause of your problem. If you are noticing an improvement now, but not perfect, then that brings me back to your MAF sensor, and it may need a little more cleaning. I'd say keep doing what you're doing for a little more and see if you can improve it further. The sensor is really not much more than a thin bare wire inside the housing that sends a reading to the computer. As the air goes through it, it sends a signal to the computer to tell it how much fuel to supply. If it's dirty the computer won't get the proper signal and you can experience these problems. If the sensor is defective, you won't fix it by cleaning and it will need to be replaced. It won't always turn on your check engine light, but there may be a code stored and a reader will tell you that.
It's likely a simple problem that's relatively easy to fix, but frustrating to diagnose properly.
But I'd try a little more cleaning - spray inside and try to flush off that internal MAF wire, but don't exert force by physically rubbing on it - it's delicate.

Re: Air Filters
 

I didn't spray a ton in because I didn't know how much is too much. I just sprayed down throught the top which looks like a grate. Do you think I need to figure out how to take it off and just clean the entire thing really well? My mileage is under 60,000.

Re: Air Filters
 

I don't think that there is a "too much" for the cleaner. You really want to flush the components out and that means dislodging whatever might be interfering with the signal. And if you have noticed an improvement so far, then it's worth pursuing further. 180 provided pictures from the bottom, so you can see the sending unit under the "grate" that you mention. There will be a small wire inside this and that is what you need to clean. Give it a good flush or two, take it for a drive, and if need be give it another flush.
Hopefully this solves it for you, but please let us know.

Okay I took the engine cover back off and sprayed through the top really well and went around it at different angles so I was hopefully getting everything in there. Just want to say thank you to you and everyone else who has given me advice on my problem. It's all shown me that I can do things I didn't think I could do and has kept me out of my mechanic garage spending too much money so far.

Re: Air Filters
 

You're very welcome - but did it help?

I didn't take it out yet. I left it in the garage with the hood up. Was planning on spraying it some more in the morning and taking in out for a test drive.