Injen CAI problems
 

i just installed the injen CAI in the car a couple weeks ago and at first it was great (sounds nice and much better performance) but my check CEL started coming on and i cant figure out why because i was extra careful with all the sensers and i made sure to disconnect the battery. anyone got any advice??

Most likly an air leak. I'm sure you checked it but if its running ok and JUST throughing a cel then you have a leak. Just go back over all of the bolts and retighten. Then reset the ECU.

thanx, i'll double check it and hope that an air leak is the problem

didnt work, i might just have to go ahead and just take it off and reinstall the whole thing but i would like to know if anyone has any more advice before i go and do that

It's not an air leak.

What an intake does it add more denser, cooler air into the engine; thus affecting the air/fuel ratio. This produces more power but also pushes the car out of factory specs, which makes it vulnerable to CEL's. Injen intakes are known to produce the most power gain but also throw the most CEL's. If you don't like the CEL, you can just reset it by disconnecting the battery for a while, but that won't fix anything. You need to get it scanned by a dealer or someone with a CAN capable scanner to figure out which CEL code it's throwing and then figure out what to do accordingly. Most autoshops like Autozone will carry it and can help you scan your CEL.

Remember, a CEL doesn't necessarily mean that your car is in any immediate danger. Your car may not be taking any damage at all. There are literally thousands of reasons a CEL would come on. You just happened to have come across one (or possibly more).



I'm a member of the http://forum.mazda6club.com and CEL's aren't too rare for cars with aftermarket intakes.

^Especially the 6... LoL.

If the MAF is a part of the piping on the intake like it is on the 6 (on some cars it's a separate piece), and you put a bigger pipe on there, it is going to throw off the readings, and will throw a CEL because it's running lean.

occasionally, every couple of months ill have my check engine light come on (AEM CAI)...the error code is always for the MAF...all i do is reinstally the intake, and the CEL goes away and the car works just fine.

i have never thrown a cel since august when i put my injen on. You might have a filter that has too much oil, so the oil is getting on the maf sensor?? You should give injen a email and see what they say.

How-to clear your CEL(on a protege, at least)
-disconnect the battery
-pump the brakes a few times to get any charg out of the capacitors
-wait 15 minutes
-connect the battery
The car's computer will now be able to deal with the extra air without throwing a CEL, and you'll get your +3 HP or whatever gains the Injen will give.

I've got the same CAI and have had no CEL - except when I failed to put the fuel cap on properly. If you refueled recently check the gas cap, reset your ecu as suggested above.

my CEL came on today, roughly 1.5weeks after I installed my Injen, I have a 00 Protege ES though.. but I'm going to get it scaned @ autozone today to figure out if it's possibly something else.

You shouldn't be getting a CEL from an intake...the 3 is another story, though. Their MAFs are a PITA.

wasen't the intake it turns out. scanner read a large emissions control leak (gas cap?...)

erased the ECL and if it pops up again I'll have a pretty good idea of what could be the problem.

the 3 is another story? how so? ive no problems with my AEM cai on my 2004 mazda3s. if anything goes wrong its most likely an installation problem. if so, just reinstall it with extra care and you should be fine.

CELs and hesitation problems are fairly common with the 3. Same MAF as the 1.6L Protege.