Acorn-y Story

[etherdude]

As March is starting to warm up the air here in New England, I started thinking about Spring cleaning for my 2015 Ultramarine FR-S. My FR-S just turned 21,000 miles and I figured I needed to wash and wax it, check the oil, and clean the TRD CAI air filter.

So last week the car got the wash and wax. It has been looking spiffy but recently it will occasionally idle a bit rough and when cold might hesitate just a bit. I checked the oil and found it down a quart after 6,000 miles, so today I bought a quart of Mobil One 0W-20W synthetic. I opened the hood to top off the oil level and got the thought that I really should also pull the air filter (the full TRD intake, not just an insert in the stock intake) and clean it.

The 22,500 mile free service is coming up. While I know that the dealer will replace a stock air filter, they don't actually clean a reusable one, even the TRD. SO I figured I'd pull the filter and use my K&N clean and recharge kit.

Took me a while to figure out that I had to loosen one bolt and remove another to spearate the two halves of the intake. Once I did, I got a huge surprise. The front side of the intake plenum was FULL of oak tree acorns, deposited by chipmunks. The filter itself was full of crushed acorn meal! Once I tipped the front half down to keep the debris from entering the intake, this pile of acorn dust, husks, and other debris dropped down on the exhaust and the aluminum front pan!

While I was able to clean up the intake, tap out all of the embedded debris from the air cleaner, and use my K&N kit to recharge the filter, I couldn't clean up the acorns dropped on the exhaust and aero pan. I did take a drive and can tell the engine definitely is idling smoother.

I guess this will bring new meaning to the phrase: "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire!"

[Clipdat]

Thanks for reminding me that I need to check mine, as I fear the same thing is happening.

[soulreapersteve]

AAAAALLLLVIIINNNNNNNNN!!!

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by soulreapersteve

AAAAALLLLVIIINNNNNNNNN!!!

Well it does appear to be their car of choice even if it is the elusive 2017 convertible model.

[finch1750]

wtf so this was in the snorkle? or the side tube past the filter?

[etherdude]

Originally Posted by finch1750

wtf so this was in the snorkle? or the side tube past the filter?

They came in through the snorkel. This was in the plenum in front of the air filter. The air filter did its job, but it was REALLY full of crap.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by etherdude

They came in through the snorkel. This was in the plenum in front of the air filter. The air filter did its job, but it was REALLY full of crap.

So far this is the third I have heard of this happening to on here (various different nuts/seeds in the intake). There have also been at least 4 of us that had the engine covered in maple keys.
Apparently something about these cars really attracts rodents.

[finch1750]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

So far this is the third I have heard of this happening to on here (various different nuts/seeds in the intake). There have also been at least 4 of us that had the engine covered in maple keys.
Apparently something about these cars really attracts rodents.

must be education day. whats a maple key?

[rookie]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

So far this is the third I have heard of this happening to on here (various different nuts/seeds in the intake). There have also been at least 4 of us that had the engine covered in maple keys.
Apparently something about these cars really attracts rodents.

They have good taste?

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by finch1750

must be education day. whats a maple key?

Little helicopter things with the maple tree seed attached. They make them by the billions in the summer! They go bloody everywhere and the rodents like to hide them for the winter.

[Vracer111]

This is why cars should be kept in a garage...

[etherdude]

My 1955 award winning Chevy pickup hot rod gets the right side of the garage. My wife's car gets the left side. The FR-S gets the driveway behind the pickup. In my next lifetime, I will have a 5 car garage with a lift, a dyno, a shop. It will have a 1500 sq. ft, 2 bedroom, 3 bath attached single level house with separate offices, a gourmet kitchen, and a room set up for an 80" panel TV with theater quality surround sound and 1 Gb/s fiber optic internet..

That'll show them darned rodents!

[Wind2017]

My friends truck had a air intake code pop up, decided prob time to replace the air filter. In the Lordco parking lot we popped it open and a pile of seeds/nuts and grass fell out Lol almost died laughing.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by etherdude

I checked the oil and found it down a quart after 6,000 miles, so today I bought a quart of Mobil One 0W-20W synthetic.

That seems unusual for a car with only 21K miles on it. Do you suppose some of the dust from the garbage the yard rats put in your intake made it through the filter and caused damage? Unfortunately a better breathing filter also typically lets through more microparticles, which is fine for normal conditions but not for rodents nesting on it.

Personally I think I would throw that filter away and install a new one. That thing probably has crap embedded all in it so that it doesn't flow the way it's supposed to.