Repairing Afm Mesh, Who Has Done It?

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

So like, totally, seriously I buckled the AFM mesh on the topside of my Z32 AFM when I was re-installing my POD & new pod partition which I got from Hi Octane Racing for $80

I'm quite pee'd off at the moment because I was being careless and I know for a fact that the mesh is required to smooth out air flowing through the meter.

I'm not going to remove it, because I'm not :

1. a moron

2. believe what autospeed has to say with their 11% increase that's crap

3. drive a VL turbo

I know for a fact the air is disrupted because:

1. My knock has all of a sudden rose to like 70~80 on full load, EVEN ON 1bar!

2. Economy is all over the joint

3. I look at my tap at home and it has a mesh too, which smooths out water flow

Who has actually repaired/replaced the mesh on their AFMs?

I was thinking of carefully removing the rear/bottom mesh and installing it on the top, but I'm not sure if it will pop off that easily.

OR

I find a fine stainless steel gauze/mesh matt, trace out the top side of the AFM and sandwich between the airfilter/gasket/AFM, but question is, where do I find such a fine mesh/gauze from? I thought fly screen wire might do the trick, but it's not as fine as the factory gauze

Ideas?

[R31Nismoid]

Hot glue gun + new mesh = win

Can be any mesh from anything really, about the same 'grade' of space or whatever, should be fine.

Where you get it though indeed - no idea!

[J34]

You could try to find a cheap 2nd hand AFM with the mesh intact and take the mesh off that and glue it onto your Z32.

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

Hot glue gun + new mesh = win

Can be any mesh from anything really, about the same 'grade' of space or whatever, should be fine.

Where you get it though indeed - no idea!

I was thinking even metal fly screen, but the gauze pattern/size is different.

What are your thoughts on removing the bottom (outlet) side of the AFM mesh and placing it back onto the top, i.e. run only 1 mesh on the inlet side of the AFM, the side that matters the most.

[daisu]

The symptoms you describe, is that with the buckled mesh installed or with it removed?

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

The symptoms you describe, is that with the buckled mesh installed or with it removed?

buckled mesh, scouring the forums, it also affects idle once the entire mesh is removed

[Shaun O]

buckled mesh, scouring the forums, it also affects idle once the entire mesh is removed

can you not just turn the AFM around?

[GT-RZ]

the mesh is only really needed at the intake side. All it does it attempt to disrupt laminar airflow and create evenly distributed turbulent airflow which can be measured more accurately. Any mesh would in effect create the same pattern however you would want a mesh around the same grade as not to upset airflow to drastically.

Interestingly enough i wonder if you have your pod connected directly to the AFM the mesh would even be needed as the pod's filter will indeed create a similar turbulent effect anyway.

GL, be more careful next time!

[08r3308]

i read a thread where rev210 did some testings and he said its fine to remove the mesh for more flow.

i would do what R31Nismoid suggested for easy and cheap fix

[Munkyb0y]

in my recent search for a z32 afm, ive been avoiding the ones with missing or damaged mesh. but now i'm curious about the exit side mesh. is it important? what purpose does it serve?

Edited August 26, 2009 by Munkyb0y

[GT-RZ]

i read a thread where rev210 did some testings and he said its fine to remove the mesh for more flow.

i would do what R31Nismoid suggested for easy and cheap fix

I would think it needs the mesh. The mesh simply attempts to even the density of the air through the passage. With air going through uneven the AFM could quite easily misread how much volume of air is actually going through the intake and as a result apply the wrong fuel...

That said, none of the above matters when on WOT. But anywhere before then you could and most likely would be running lean.

plus i hate to make judgment without doing any tests myself but i cannot see how removing the mesh would allow more air the flow through really... if it's made it through the filter a mesh of this density is hardly going to do much damage.

[PhilKenSebben]

Honestly, the mesh is not a bad idea. Mine is missing thanks to the previous owner, but let's face it, Nissan/Bosch probably did more R&D on this piece of mesh than any mechanic ever will, and they chose to put it on for a reason.

If they chose a path that was simply cheaper then that may over-ride what they consider optimal, but leaving the mesh off would have been the cheaper alternative here so that theory is out the window.

Mine runs fine without it, always has, and it doesn't bother me cos I'll ditch it for a Z32 soon enough anyway. I can't see that it would be that hard to find suitable mesh for the application. Go to a tobacconist and see if they still sell those gauze pads for cone pieces. They'll be way too small in diameter for this purpose but whatever company produces them obviously makes the mesh. If stoners can get their hands on it easily, you'll be able to.

Or you could buy another and sell me yours for $50, offsetting the price slightly, whatever floats your boat.

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

I was in woolies and found a strainer with a very similar mesh with very similar gauge, I might buy that and trace it out, I'll see how it goes and take photos.

I'm already using a Z32, hence I want to try and fix it and not replace it... I;m already low on cash owning a Liner lol

[femno]

Well I think your conclusions about why the mesh is there is a big crock of shit! Youre reading waaayyy too far into the purpose of said mesh.

Think about it...the afm is a uniformly circular unit which is fed by a circular tube from...let me guess...a circular pod filter?? What uneven airflow?

Im sure the current state of the mesh is having a placebo effect on your fuel consumption and idle etc.

The mesh is there so 'morons' dont put their fingers in there and upset the sensor itself. Yeah its that simple.

[08r3308]

mine has no mesh and its running fine , and its not using anymore fuel and car runs fine.

i actually removed the mesh myself from aft as per rev210 thread.

im sure you could fine a replacement mesh somewhere for it if its really worrying you

[GT-RZ]

Well I think your conclusions about why the mesh is there is a big crock of shit! Youre reading waaayyy too far into the purpose of said mesh.

Think about it...the afm is a uniformly circular unit which is fed by a circular tube from...let me guess...a circular pod filter?? What uneven airflow?

Im sure the current state of the mesh is having a placebo effect on your fuel consumption and idle etc.

The mesh is there so 'morons' dont put their fingers in there and upset the sensor itself. Yeah its that simple.

doh, why didn't nissan realise this! they need more people with your basic thinking on there development team. 'uneven' ariflow is a laymans term i used to describe laminar airflow.

[OMGGTR]

can you not just turn the AFM around?

Bahahahah sorry for laughing but no u cant..

______________________________________________

Honestly if you think trying some f***ing miracle of putting mesh bak on that thing will work by all means fix it i think u should just rip it off n let it flow through if u notice any difference u should ask Bill gates to manufacture u the perfect car since hes got moulah!

cant f***ing these people manufacture AFM with changeable meshes? like they used to!!!

[Kwyjibo]

Pretty sure the mesh is just there to protect a delicate sensor, its unlikely the mesh would affect airflow in any reasonable way. My understanding is the sensor itself just checks how quickly the passing air cools the wire.

I'm by no means an expert but if this is the case the only problem with not having a mesh is less protection of the sensor itself.

[PsYLoR]

I reckon and im just speculating,

On a stock engine the front & back mesh may give a very slight advantage by breaking & evenly distributing the air towards the sensor itself, otherwise without the mesh slightly more air would pass around the sensor taking the path of least resistance. But i reckon the mesh is probably most effective in stock range, Ie with a lot more boost you might find it has the opposite effect by restricting the flow a little bit. Taking the trailing mesh off would make a slight difference too.

I reckon its one of those things that might benefit one car but not another, and if the car has been tuned after the mesh is gone the effect it has probably wont matter anyway. just my 2cents.

[GT-RZ]

i think we are getting too deep. it's not worth buying a new AFM if you hurt the mesh. But if you have one then don't take it off thinking you will benefit.

Despite what some think the mesh is not there to keep fingers away. stupid thinking. It is most definitely there to distribute airflow so the sensor in the AFM has a mean reading and can adjust correctly.

The mesh clearly does this by becoming an obstruction to the air so as the air collides with the mesh it changes direction inducing turbulent airflow effectively 'spreading' the air evenly inside. Like i said before though IMO a pod infront of the AFM will replicate the same thing to a degree so i would not be worried about not having it (and those who say i don't have a mesh, i bet you have a pod or filter in front? correct?)

If you need an anology think of a high pressure water gun and you can fiddle with the nozzle, just by introducing different forms of resistance for the stream of water you can physically see the difference in sparay patterns. If there was no mesh in the intake (or filter) the air would most likely just travel the quickest path of least resistance which would most likely result in the AFM missing a great deal of air molecules resulting in a potentially lean running engine.

You would be foolise to think otherwise, It's exactly the same reason why the intake ports of an engine head/ plenum should not be polished they should always have surface resistance to create turbulent airflow upon entry of the cylinders which in turn leads to easier ignition.

sorry, i wabble on.