Targatoo

...to the squirrel that's been living in my engine compartment?

Heat is included.

aj986s

Whatever it is.....make sure its a nutty number.

Gonzo911

Ouch...check your wiring!

seanmcr6

^^^ what he said. They love to eat wiring and hoses! :\

Macster

That's probably the source of your engine's idle troubles...

That and that aftermarket air filter.

Sincerely,

Macster.

thirteeneast

Depends on how much of your loom his been dinning on?

Marc Shaw

Charge him extra if he wants hydro included.

Marc

Targatoo

I'd love to give him hydro. Where do I attach the jumper cables? Oh, wait. I know.

The squirrel is not the source of the idle roughness. I've definitely had the idle problem longer than the squirrel nest. I could have damage from a different squirrel, though.

Macster; are you serious about the aftermarket intake? It's Evolution. Or is the filter not an Evo? It was on the car when I got it.

ivygreen

Found a mouse nest on top of my engine when I replaced the starter last week. Do mice get a discount because they're smaller or do I charge more because they come in multiples?

C4CRNA

Dissect the nest and look for wiring insulation

b8_rdc

Looks like you have the dreaded rodent+oil intermix

Ubermensch

The filter looks like the one that comes with EVO intake.

BruceP

Just so nobody takes this as gospel, I've run the EVO CAI with no issues for five years. Idles just fine

Macster

Aftermarket air filters based on what I read account for more than their fair share of problems.

Sure there are those that swear by them and that's fine. But most end up swearing at them.

In the picture you posted the rubber seal looks suspect which if it is could let hot engine compartment air into the intake which is not a CAI but a HAI system.

Additionally air entering this air box via this path may upset the air flow past the MAF which can cause problems. It is important all air enter the air box through the correct path and its flow smooth out before it passes through the MAF.

The stock air intake system brings in cold air, as cold as it can be and the filter removes the dust.

The aftermarket filters have a more open construction and rely upon oil to trap dust particles as they navigate the path through the filter element and encounter the oiled fibers of the filter and adhere to the oil.

The effectiveness this depends upon the quality of the oiling.

Not many owners are good at this or fail to realize how critical it is and just slather the oil on thinking if some's good more's better or having heard/read about overoiling under oil the filter to avoid having the excess oil possibly foul the MAF.

You can leave the filter alone for now, though I note the filter element looks to be a bit grey which suggests it is dirty or possibly under oiled.

The attention needs to be on inspecting for any damage to the wiring or hoses/vent lines the creature in the car might have done. Squirrels I have no (2nd hand) experience with but I've seen several cars in Porsche dealer service bays that have been a home to mice or rats and the damage can be substantial.

In the case of a Turbo it was the damage to the harness and the resulting odd behavior of the engine coupled with a CEL (I do not know the codes) that prompted the owner to bring the car in. The engine had to come out and the engine wiring harness among other things replaced.

In the case of a Cayman mice not only chewed bare patches in the carpet, but also chewed holes in the molded rubber that helps seal/direct air flow into the radiator ducts and also chewed a hole in a gasoline vent line from between the gas tank and engine compartment. It was this hole that triggered a CEL that led to the finding the car had mice in it.

If you do not find any damage from the squirrel then you need to look elsewhere for the cause of the engine's behavior.

Sincerely,

Macster.

BruceP

The EVO filter housing seals at least as airtight as the stock item.

The value of this kind of mod is debated on car enthusiast boards with the same vigor as fuel octane and nitrogen in tires and, like those issues, the debate is powered by a lack of hard evidence either way. I've never seen anyone convinced away from their ingoing bias. The folklore around CAIs is even worse, because there actually are cheap, stupidly designed ones out there decorating the engine compartments of slammed Hondas and 5 liter Mustangs. The EVO doesn't deserve to be painted with that brush, whatever your opinion of CAIs in general.

What I can tell you is that the mod is not intended to make the intake charge any colder than the stock airbox, it's designed to bring more volume and/or do it with 'better' flow characteristics (like velocity or pressure or whatever). The general consensus seems to be that this is pointless if there are no other modifications to the engine to allow it to make any use of this air, but a lot of people will concede that it might be useful if you've also modified your exhaust and remapped your ECU. Again, nobody ever has enough proof to win the day. I've even seen people's dyno charts dismissed as inconclusive.

It's worth remembering this, though: no car company designs its airbox (or anything else) with only power in mind. They have to contend with a matrix of noise laws, emissions rules, the cost of building the part and the efficiency with which the car can be serviced. The aftermarket doesn't have those worries. If you have the EVO, I don't personally think you have anything to worry about as long as it's properly maintained. Mine has not been a problem.