What can a plastic bag do to your car?

[ddv_nk12]

As the title suggest, have you guys wondered what can happen? Let me share something that happened to me while i was driving on the NSE last week.

I was driving at night. A plastic bag flew from the other lane to my lane. I mean its a plastic bag, what can it do? So, just drove over it. After a few seconds, a loud sound came from the engine bay. it was like a sharp screeching sound. Immediately pulled over, turned off the engine, the sound stopped and i opened the hood.

Guess what i found? A plasic bag. Where? Covering my air filter. Damn. It was so tight that it was quite difficult to remove the plastic bag from the air filter. I thought that was it and i was good to go. but i was wrong. Look what happened to my air filter.

This pic was snapped in the morning.

In the middle of the highway, at night, what am i to do? just continued driving to my destination. First thing in the morning, i got it changed. I only managed to get a Simota airr filter. I am not familiar with this brand. I've heard about it but how is it actually? It cost me RM120. I dont know if the price is reasonable. I was desperate and had to accept the offer. So how does this air filter perform? is it good, bad? here's the pic of it.

So ppl, lets educate one another not to throw plastic bags around simply because its just a plastic bag. Look at what can happen. Because we have been irresponsible, i had to go through this. I mean the plastic bag is unavoidable when u r driving especially when there are cars in front or behind u but throwing a plastic bag anywhere we like is avoidable. hehe.

 

[yeehau86]

it entered through your CAI perhaps bro?

 

[ddv_nk12]

i dunno la bro. maybe. i was driving quite fast to notice it. hehe. just bad luck. i surely got some bad omen on the nse. hehe.

 

[Kevin Lee]

your CAI became an airduct i suppose!

 

[ddv_nk12]

lol... i dunno la. CAI also got drawbacks now because of plastic bags??

 

[yeehau86]

maybe what you can do is DIY a wire net at the end of the CAI hose to prevent something like from happening again. And on the NSE, I feel you bro :)

p/s: lesser chance to happen on Saturday as it is a non plastic bag day :)

 

[ddv_nk12]

but do u really think it went throught he CAI? i mean the hole is so small, the chances of it going through it is really slim. could it have gone through from under the engine? anyway, i learned a lesson and will not take any more chances. will just do the netting.

and yes, u r right. it was not on a Saturday. happened on Monday night.

anyone has anything to say about the simota air filter i'm using now? i just find it a lil noisier. i mean the air suction sound is clearer now compared to my old apexi air filter. did i pay a reasonable price? performance?

 

[Izso]

The simota you're using lookings like a metal mesh one. Those should be pretty free flowing but filtration won't be as good as the Apexi so watch out for engine oil contamination. May want to shorten your OCI.

As for the plastic bag from the CAI - I kena a small bird before. That's why I don't use one anymore.

 

[ddv_nk12]

wtf? u mean a small bird went through ur CAI and got stuck at ur air filter? did the poor fellow survive? hehe.

yea, that guy showed me the filter actually allows light to pass thru it unlike my apexi. means more air and more dirty air as well.

 

[Veloc]

I have been debating within my self whether to change to fabric or wire mesh open pod. Well, for me, I cannot afford to give up engine's longevity for that extra performance. I know it performs far better due to the free flowing. But I just can't.

As for CAI, I plan to do it some time but not fixing it at the lower part of the bumper like most car. I'm trying to find a space where I can mount it higher, near the radiator grille or somewhere to avoid hydrolocks.

Thank you for this post. Didn't know that can happen. Now I will consider putting some net/shield to prevent big stuff going in...

 

[ddv_nk12]

yeah, its too late for me. better use a fabric open pod. i had no choice at that time. will have to bear with it for sometime now. n u MUST put some shield to prevent unwanted things like to get in your engine bay. to avoid hydrolocking, as what i learned from fellow forumers, u can mount it a lil higher knowing our malaysian roads. but to be on the safer side, just use a heat shield instead of an air box. air box means no way the water is going anywhere but straight to ur engine. if u do like what i did, i think it should be ok because there is still room for the water NOT to go directly to ur air filter.

 

[Veloc]

i prefer a closed intake system with CAI. Because I believe a heat shield or even air box is not significantly effective as the engine bay's heat is extreme. Plus being in this climate, all the heat is just locked down the bonnet and sucked into the engine.

But of course for closed systems, one has to mount them properly, not too low... In our country, we have heat and floods... Sigh... Want to customise intake also hard...

 

[^pomen_GTR^]

well....

me decided to route the intake funnel at slight angle at edge of bumper's corner...

my car is proton btw...so i just remove the bumper's corner fog light and hide the funnel inside the bumper....air sucked through the opening of removed foglight hole....

so far so good....going through water pool slightly lower than the funnel still no sign of wet air filter....i still use stock airbox tough with minor cut to allow bigger flexible intake hose to be fitted....

frequently check(once a week) my air filter only saw dust and a little bit of sand....


p/s:my rule of thumb is to avoid direct front facing funnel position.....my funnel sucking air at about 45-60degree from front.....

 

[AD_EG]

i stop using CAI already. cause of things like this...its too much of a risk for not much performance gain...i mean i really cant feel like immediately gaining so much or anything at all when i installed the CAI...im not saying its useless, im sure it serves its purpose, just that the gain isnt really so drastic.

somore must cut hole in bumper etc..if route to lower part fo bumper where there is a grill(if possbile), might be too low and risk sucking in water... haihs...so i stop using it. if really wanna go all out, just get a vented bonnet, air scoop, and channel cold air into the engine bay.

and about plastic bags, it can get pretty nasty if it sticks to your radiator, exhaust, or even manifold, becareful guys... try to avoid if possible...

 

[Kevin Lee]

i stop using CAI already. cause of things like this...its too much of a risk for not much performance gain...i mean i really cant feel like immediately gaining so much or anything at all when i installed the CAI...im not saying its useless, im sure it serves its purpose, just that the gain isnt really so drastic.

somore must cut hole in bumper etc..if route to lower part fo bumper where there is a grill(if possbile), might be too low and risk sucking in water... haihs...so i stop using it. if really wanna go all out, just get a vented bonnet, air scoop, and channel cold air into the engine bay.

and about plastic bags, it can get pretty nasty if it sticks to your radiator, exhaust, or even manifold, becareful guys... try to avoid if possible...

i never did CAI, i understood flood water might gush in, if ur stuck in a flood/jam. so yeah, i think for the minimal gain, its better off trying something else

 

[ddv_nk12]

i stop using CAI already. cause of things like this...its too much of a risk for not much performance gain...i mean i really cant feel like immediately gaining so much or anything at all when i installed the CAI...im not saying its useless, im sure it serves its purpose, just that the gain isnt really so drastic.

somore must cut hole in bumper etc..if route to lower part fo bumper where there is a grill(if possbile), might be too low and risk sucking in water... haihs...so i stop using it. if really wanna go all out, just get a vented bonnet, air scoop, and channel cold air into the engine bay.

and about plastic bags, it can get pretty nasty if it sticks to your radiator, exhaust, or even manifold, becareful guys... try to avoid if possible...

ad, mind to explain what's the worst case scenario if the plastic sticks to the radiator, exhaust and manifold? any other parts? if such a thing to happen what should we do?

 

[^pomen_GTR^]

if stuck at radiator surely car overheated....


so if happen stuck/realized then stop to remove it....

else keep an eye on temp. meter....

 

[AD_EG]

i never did CAI, i understood flood water might gush in, if ur stuck in a flood/jam. so yeah, i think for the minimal gain, its better off trying something else

yup... i on the other hand learned hands on, but i never got into a situation where water was sucked into the engine....but it was very close... so i stopped using it 3 years back and never again for any of my cars.

---------- Post added at 09:24 PM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 09:20 PM ----------

ad, mind to explain what's the worst case scenario if the plastic sticks to the radiator, exhaust and manifold? any other parts? if such a thing to happen what should we do?

bro,

if stuck to the radiator it will melt on the radiator and will not be able to remove it...and it wil prevent/reduce ur radiator from cooling efficiently as all the plastic will melt and harden....and highly possible to start overheating etc....if can the moment you pass a plastic bag, and you dont see it in the rear view mirror, stop at the side, and check if it sucked into the radiator,manifold or exhaust...if exhaust susah la to take out and nothing you can do....if manifold or radiator try to remove as much as you can....if severely melted...cant remove as its becomes super hard...not sure if there is a special chemical or what you can use to wash it off...if cant...change radiator is the only option.

 

[ddv_nk12]

thanks adeg. plastic can be very scary. thanks a lot. i learned smtg new. at least now i know what to do if it happens again. most importantly, i'll be extra careful when i see a plastic bag on the road.
zth-ians, please pass the word around. tell ppl not to throw plastic bags around as it has effects on the environment and also our cars.