Air Filter Box Contraption

[danygenesis]

What I did was to invert the magnet, now the flap remains open all the time.

 

[patrick49]

After a day of driving without the flapper magnet, I'll say the car definitely felt livelier when punching it. There were a couple times where there was still what I'd consider significant hesitation, but overall it seemed to be an improvement. Not perfect, but (especially for a $0 mod) definitely better.

 

[lobsenza]

Is there a flapper magnet on the V8s?

 

[dareckibmw]

Is there a flapper magnet on the V8s?

Nope, V8 doesn't have flappers at all. I checked in both boxes.

 

[RickfromChicago]

After a week or so without the flapper door magnet, the car is much more responsive and does have better acceleration, especially after about 5 mph, but does come with a slightly lower mpg.
There is still a little lag from a stop to about 5 mph and I am thinking that this is because the flapper door is closed at first, and takes a second or so to open up, even without the magnet.
I am going to re-install the magnet but insert it backwards so that the door stays open at all times.
If anyone has tried to keep the flapper door open by trying this method, does it improve the acceleration and responsiveness from a stop?
Thanks

 

[chris41]

Keep us informed...

 

[Seejay]

I opened my air filter box to inspect my filter and noticed inside the plastic box a strange looking flap type device which is held closed by a light magnet. What is the point of this thing? Can I expect to see a slight improvement in acceleration if I remove this flap?

THANK YOU for pointing this out to everyone here with a v6. The point of this thing is that there is no point. I cannot see how this works to any benefit at all. The engine computer has no idea of its position--hence there is no compensation. It's balanced with a magnet vs the static pressure of the cold air intake. Static pressure which varies wildly depending on vehicle speed, air temperature, altitude, throttle vacuum, etc. From an engineering standpoint, it's a POS. The only thing I can think of is that it could keep bits of road trash out of the filter box. Someone suggested that it affects gas mileage or emissions. I would say that it does--negatively. A magnet? I could see a calibrated hairspring with some kind of sensor, but, sadly no. It's a POS.

Rather than damage anything or remove something, I opted to wedge a tightly wound piece of card stock above the hinge, holding the flap wide open.

The effects are phenomenal. Small inputs to the throttle are met with immediate, measurable, and repeatable response. Large inputs are, well, I will just say that the performance is definitely improved.

 

[danygenesis]

After a week or so without the flapper door magnet, the car is much more responsive and does have better acceleration, especially after about 5 mph, but does come with a slightly lower mpg.
There is still a little lag from a stop to about 5 mph and I am thinking that this is because the flapper door is closed at first, and takes a second or so to open up, even without the magnet.
I am going to re-install the magnet but insert it backwards so that the door stays open at all times.
If anyone has tried to keep the flapper door open by trying this method, does it improve the acceleration and responsiveness from a stop?
Thanks

As I said before I inverted the magnet and the responsiveness from stop is better than with the magnet in "stock" position but there is still a lag in response, way less than stock but is there.

 

[RickfromChicago]

After measuring subjective performance/response and objective fuel economy in both modes over stock, here are the results:

1. Magnet removed completely (flapper door stays closed but opens up easily) - Performance/response much better than stock, decrease in mpg by ~ 1)

2. Magnet inverted (flapper door stays half open at all times) - Performance/response about the same as in 1., decrease in mpg by ~ 3-4)

Therefore, I now have the magnet completely removed. The negligible difference in performance/response between 1. and 2. was not at all worth the large difference in mpg.

I am not an engineer, but my opinion is that the magnetized flapper door is not a POS and helps maintain better fuel economy in the V6 engine by keeping the door closed during low acceleration loads or at idle. I noticed the largest difference in fuel economy during heavy traffic (stop and go) and between stock and having the magnet inverted (flapper door open at all times), so this logic makes sense (to me at least).

Thought it would be a good idea to keep everyone updated.

 

[Seejay]

I live in a hot climate (Houston) where the AC load is very high and urban mileage figures are all I have to date (2 tanks of gas).

If the engine computer does not know about this thing, it's a POS. All it can do is cause pertubations in relation to air flow and driver throttle input.

One of the most important sensors, if not the most important sensor on an ECU system is the air flow meter (MAF). It's usually located between the intake manifold and the filter box. On the v6, it is where you see the wiring loom connection on the large rubber hose. In theory, an engine with EFI can modulate the air-fuel mixture perfectly. If you starve the engine for air with a dirty filter or that stupid flap, the ECU will reduce the amount of fuel accordingly. In reality, performance and thermal efficiency are reduced, gas mileage flatlines and power is reduced. Troubleshooting charts for driveability problems in a modern car nearly always have the first action as "R/R air filter".

Small inputs to the throttle are met with immediate, measurable, and repeatable response.

Since I can "featherfoot" the car properly now, my urban mileage has gone up about 1/2 mpg. In addition, high AC loads no longer cause the engine to shake at idle. I seriously doubt there is going to be much of a change on the highway.

I have a pet theory: The flap serves to slightly lean the mixture at the RPM range used for emissions testing so that it can pass particulate limits. GDI engines tend to create more particulates (mostly carbon soot), while producing less CO2. On the wiki page for GDI, you can see the carbon already building up on a Ford engine. There is a thread on this forum about carbon buildup on the induction and intake valves.

I am fairly certain that if this is true, then Rick is spot on and I am wrong. If you hold the engine at the speeds where the flap is closed or nearly closed using the normal or eco setting, you can extract more mileage. The driveability of this is horrible--it's what I experienced when I first had the car, and it is related to the fact that the engine computer has no feedback. My foot is so heavy, it matters little to me. My last gas mileage average in the city was 16.8 MPG.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_direct_injection#/media/File:3.5EcoboostCombustion.jpg

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[namorbrowneyes]

How did you guys remove the magnet? Thing looks kinda odd I couldn't figure out how to remove the magnet altogether. In the meantime I just stuck foam pad tape to be a barrier..

 

[srobak]

I pulled the flapper off entirely back when I did the LED/DRL brightening mod. Had to punch out the hinges - but it came off Significant difference in launch & lag.

 

[Man of Mystery]

I pulled the magnet out of my air box in September. The magnet is in a very small plastic piece that slides into a holder on the flap. I needed to use a small flat screwdriver to catch the tab to get it started out. I put the magnet holder back in the slot on the flap so I wouldn't lose it. Didn't think about putting the magnet in backwards. I might have to give that a try when it warms up enough to work on things again.

Over the time (almost three months) that I've had the magnet out I've noticed that my gas mileage has dropped approximately 1mpg. To me, there is a discernible improvement in throttle response. Not so much from a dead stop, but definitely once rolling it seems to have a lot better response.

 

[namorbrowneyes]

I pulled the flapper off entirely back when I did the LED/DRL brightening mod. Had to punch out the hinges - but it came off Significant difference in launch & lag.

I pulled the magnet out of my air box in September. The magnet is in a very small plastic piece that slides into a holder on the flap. I needed to use a small flat screwdriver to catch the tab to get it started out. I put the magnet holder back in the slot on the flap so I wouldn't lose it. Didn't think about putting the magnet in backwards. I might have to give that a try when it warms up enough to work on things again.

Over the time (almost three months) that I've had the magnet out I've noticed that my gas mileage has dropped approximately 1mpg. To me, there is a discernible improvement in throttle response. Not so much from a dead stop, but definitely once rolling it seems to have a lot better response.

Thanks for your help guys, waiting to take a bat at it..

 

[2015Gen5.0]

Does anyone know if the Gen2 5.0 have this flap? Or a better way to improve throttle response.

 

[carguy75]

Does anyone know if the Gen2 5.0 have this flap? Or a better way to improve throttle response.

No flapper on the 5.0.

I found a product called Sprint Booster that eliminates the throttle delay in electronic throttle systems.

It seem like many auto makers program a delay in the throttle input for better driveability or safety which causes the engine to accelerate in a progressive manner(delayed throttle). Sprint booster modify the throttle signal so the full throttle response is instantly applied.

I am saving up for one for my 2015 5.0, but they are expensive at around $300. My car is already faster than most on the road so it hard to justify spending $300 just to be even quicker in the rare event that I may want to take on some Dodge SRT model or Mustang 5.0 in a straight line drag race. It happens, but not that often.

BMW owners seem to really love this product. Hopefully it works just as good for the Genesis.

 

[2015Gen5.0]

No flapper on the 5.0.

I found a product called Sprint Booster that eliminates the throttle delay in electronic throttle systems.

It seem like many auto makers program a delay in the throttle input for better driveability or safety which causes the engine to accelerate in a progressive manner(delayed throttle). Sprint booster modify the throttle signal so the full throttle response is instantly applied.

I am saving up for one for my 2015 5.0, but they are expensive at around $300. My car is already faster than most on the road so it hard to justify spending $300 just to be even quicker in the rare event that I may want to take on some Dodge SRT model or Mustang 5.0 in a straight line drag race. It happens, but not that often.

BMW owners seem to really love this product. Hopefully it works just as good for the Genesis.

Thanks any other diy?

 

[carguy75]

Thanks any other diy?

Not much to be honest other than replacing faded/chipped interior/exterior parts.

My only performance mods is that I added twin K&N air filters and use Royal Purple gear oil.

The car is pretty good as is stock.

 

[2015Gen5.0]

Not much to be honest other than replacing faded/chipped interior/exterior parts.

My only performance mods is that I added twin K&N air filters and use Royal Purple gear oil.

The car is pretty good as is stock.

Did the K&N already and soon aftermarket mufflers to hear the v8

 

[MorrisGray]

So does the 2012 3.8L v6 have this magnetic flapper?
And is it actually inside the air filter box?