K&N FilterCharger Stalling

[jjraiser]

I just put in a K&N FilterCharger kit. Very nice power. Very nice sound. HOWEVER, the damn thing causes it to stall when coming to a stop. That is, when the engine idles and you use the power brake booster coming to a stop. The engine will stall leaving you with poor brakes and bad steering.

I went back and reinstalled the OE screen from the intake, but to no avail, it stalled again. What the #@&$+#, man?

Anyone have this problem? Anyone have a solution (aside from going back to the OEM pieces)???

[gnxs]

I just put in a K&N FilterCharger kit. Very nice power. Very nice sound. HOWEVER, the damn thing causes it to stall when coming to a stop. That is, when the engine idles and you use the power brake booster coming to a stop. The engine will stall leaving you with poor brakes and bad steering.

I went back and reinstalled the OE screen from the intake, but to no avail, it stalled again. What the #@&$+#, man?

Anyone have this problem? Anyone have a solution (aside from going back to the OEM pieces)???
Is the MAF sensor oriented the same way it was when stock? I had a similar problem with mine (not stalling, but hesitating) until I put the MAF in the same position it was originally.

Might as well give it a try since it only takes a minute.

[Firme]

Let me see if this is right, you are driving, have to stop, not slamming brake, but quickly, so you cluth and brake at the same time and the idel drops real low and the car dies. is that what you have happening??

FYI, this is a gremlin that people have had since 1999, and there is a fix.

It happened to me twice in my 2001 with no modifications to my intake, and went away after a reflash.

Yours is a 2003 right? You can get the dealer to reflash the PCM if its under warranty (take all the mods off before taking it in). A tuner can also fix this for you. It is a common issue.

Basically you need the stall reflash, which changes the setting for the idle air bypass solenoid.

P.S. if you take it to ford, the official fix of the stall reflash is # SSM-17542, that is what they can look up if they don't know what you are taking about .

[cobrastang03]

I installed a Mac cold air intake and it made my car stall. I later found out that when I was putting the filter on the intake pipe I put it on to far on it. It was getting choked off. I don't know how yours installs but it might be something that you can check.

[cobracrazy]

My K&N caused my 03' Cobra to stall as well but when I put the factory air cleaner back on the stalling went away. I took the car to the dealer and told them I wanted the computer reflashed to take care of a stalling problem I was having. They did and I put the K&N back on with no stalling problems.

Aggravating.... :mad:

[jjraiser]

From the sounds of the threads, there's not one source of the issue. However, good news, there is one solution. There's a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) on the Mustangs. It refers to a "loss of power upon decelleration." The "latest computer re-flash" is authorized as a warranty fix. I just took my Cobra in after installing the K&N FilterCharger Kit. Now, no problem, the rpm stands at attention when hitting the brakes hard (while decellerating in neutral, i.e. at idle). No charge as it was a warranty fix and it took about 20 minutes. They even did it with the aftermarket kit in place; no OEM re-install needed. It was as good as a trip to the shop can be!!!

So, if you have any issues, it's likely not your mod, but Ford's @&#*-up; and they'll fix quick and free.

[cobracrazy]

EXACTLY!!!! Glad it worked out for you. :thumbsup:

[Mirage]

jjraiser~ On a smimilar note: I just gave my '03 Cobra back to the dealer for this eaxct issue. I have a MAC cold air induction kit, along with some other goodies and I didn't take any of the new parts off. There's also another service bulletin about replacing the stock spark plugs with a hotter version. Now no more stall and new plugs which is covered under warranty. One problem though, there seems to be a slight hesitation between 2,500 rpm and 3,000 rpm. So the dealer kept my car and is waiting to hear from FORD's technical hotline as to a possible cause/fix. Anything over 3,000 rpm it rips but since we all have paid a pretty penny for our pony cars, might as well have everything perfect. Stay tuned....

[Sniperfox]

When you installed the K&N FIPK, does that void the warranty? I know that a replacement filter doesn't, but the FIPK is different.

[Mirage]

*** UPDATE ***

I picked up my Cobra today and after a week of diagnosing a hesitation issue, it appears that my CAI was the culprit. Along with new plugs, cats, a barometric sensor and a computer re-flash the problem was with the chrome pipe. When it was switched back to stock the problem between the 2-3,000 rpm range went away. Apparently the air coming in was hotter compared to the air with the stock unit. The stock unit's made of plastic as opposed to the chromed steel (which was blazing hot to the touch) version I had on. This was verified using an air temp sensor.

Now although I've installed many mods on prior Cobra's/GT's I can honestly say this is the first time I've seen data that contradicts what the third party manufacturers (MAC, BBK, etc.) state. Although I'm still a little skeptical everything works now so I'll leave well enough alone.

That said, the car's running like a champ and the only thing that hurts right now is my wallet (looks at aftermarket parts on the shelf). :(