2007 S80 3.2 Auto FWD -- Engine Air Cleaner Topic is solved

[E Showell]

While changing oil yesterday, I noticed a gap in the air cleaner box in my wife's car, probably sufficient to allow unfiltered air into the engine. It seems like one of the holes for the torx headed screws/bolts that hold the lid on is stripped.

Anybody else experience this?

I am thinking I could drill through and just get a long bolt and put a nut on it to hold the lid down, or replace with junkyard unit if available.

[pbierre]

Be thinking about passing smog test with whatever repair you do. The air cleaner box costs about $180, and is very easy to replace.
If the smog inspector sees a DIY repair, they will usually flag it (part of visual inspection).

[E Showell]

In NJ, they don't even open the hood for inspection.

[abscate]

beat drum.......

zip tie zip tie zip tie

[Steve H]

air filter boxes on these are pure JUNK. Not to have a metal inserted threaded hole in the bottom section should be criminal. Not selling just the bottom failing section should be tantamount to fraud.

[E Showell]

How difficult would it be to find a threaded insert and jb weld same in place after boring out holes? Although I like my longer bolt with nut after boring out hole solution as well.

[Steve H]

The lower section is made of the most fragile plastic known to mankind. If you drop it because you handled it by the cool air snorkel and the snorkel falls out and it hits the ground it will split open. Guess how I know that? The sad part is that was my replacement part that this happened to after the original split all the screw holes it had.

[E Showell]

Steve H -- Now tell me how you really feel.

[Steve H]

Yep, frustrating to buy such an expensive part as the entire air filter assembly and it be made out of plastic that is sub-par to any injected molded plastic that you would find at your local Dollar Tree store. Also to see no corrective engineering changes to address this problem between the original part and a part purchased 10 years later is also a problem.

[E Showell]

Mechanic put some longer and ever-so-slightly larger diameter self-tapping screws in. Problem solved.