Wondering if anyone has ever had their plenum blow up? When I turned my ignition over I heard a loud bang. Refired the engine...seemed like I was running on only a few cylinders and sounded like I had an exhaust leek. Motor quickly stalled. Opened the hood to find a piece the size of a football had blown out of the plenum just past the throtle body. It is a 2003 with only 130 000kms. Is this normal, expensive, will it damage my motor? My mechanics, with a combined 50 years experience, have never seen anything like it.

 

what plenum you use?

 

Pics?

 

+1, lack of information FTL.
I bet it's an old version V+ though.

WOW!! You have an army of Mechanics huh?

<------(Hates when people refer to "their mechanics")

 

pics please

 

It idled?

 

you had a significant misfire - the question is what caused it? I have never seen a stock manifold just let go like that. Was it ever dropped? Is it the original manifold that came with the car?

It can be the result of any number of things - best bet is to have the car examined by a competant shop

 

It's the factory plenum (intake). My mechanics think the blow up was caused by my cold air intake system running in cold weather. Engine back fired because of unburnt fuel in the plenum.

 

Happens to be two brothers in a shop...easier to refer to as 'my mechanics'.

 

Only for a minute...and not well.

 

the cold air has to pass through the MAF, which tells the computer the air temperature and the computer responds by telling the injectors how much to fuel is needed - so that explanation seems unlikely

is the plenum the original one for the car, or did you buy it used? has it recently been removed for any reason? have you checked the condition of the coils/plugs to see if any arcing took place? Have you checked the PCV?

 

You are right...it was not caused by my cold air intake as thought. Turns out that I do NOT have a stock plenum. The owner before me put on a plastic, aftermarket plenum for reasons that escape me. The factory alluminum plenum, I've been told should not fail even in a back fire. Thanks for the interest and help.

 

can i haz blowed up strut bar?

 

Like i said earlier, probably the early version V+ plenum.


Way to be aware of what's under your hood! Unless the previous owner painted it silver, and you merely glanced at yoru engine, i have no idea how you didn't notice that you had a black plastic plenum, probably without the stock engine cover.

I'd contact Kinetix, i'm pretty sure they are doing free upgrades for those that have the old version that have collapsed.

How about some pics?

 

gotcha

do yourself a favor, get yourself a stock upper plenum. They are easily available used. Fit a spacer while you're at it, and you'll have a plenum that is better than anything plastic, and won't cause similar issues in the future

 

Im glad you got it all figured out, but am i the only one that thinks this is crazy!!! refired the engine after hearing a loud bang????


-J

 

another failed terrorist bombing

 

Okay...I love my Z but you guys know way more s..t about your cars than I do. I feel like a retard for not knowing that I had an aftermarket plenum. I had a new, stock plenum put on and it is angry compared to the Kinetix plenum. The powerband starts way lower in the rpms and the wheels wont stop spinning. Funny that I'm excited about the stock intake considering some of the mods you guys have done. And yes, I refired it after hearing a loud bang. I'm really not car illiterate...no really. Thanks for not 'flaming' me too badly.

 

The newer version Kinetix is quality, and should be an improvement over your stock plenum. I don't think there is much difference between the older version Kinetix you had and your stock plenum, thus any performance boost you are "feeling" by going back to stock is probably a plecebo. (Sorry to burst your bubble). Like i said before. Contact them, and have them replace your old plenum with a new one. Should be a one for one swap since the product obviously failed under normal circumstances. If you don't like the newer version, you can always sell it on here, and boom....free $200+ bucks!

 

Ahh, yet another Kinetix V cracked.