Cold air partition installed and now running a bit crap

[Burns]

I installed a cold air partition over the weekend and took the car for its first good drive since tonight and it's not running right.

It seems to be missing intermittently at boost levels above .5 bar and is more noticeable around gear changes.

With normal gentle driving and gradually rolling on the power it seems fine but when I give it good stomp (70%+ throttle) from a steady cruse or standstill it builds boost, starts to accelerate then seems to cut ignition pop and fart a bit, shift a gear keep missing popping and farting and not making much power then pic up for a bit drop off again and so on.

I have double checked all the plugs, hoses etc but can't find anything amiss.

The only thing I can think of is that the colder air is giving a denser air fuel mix and therefore higher cylinder temps and the ignition system dose not have enough spark to ignite it.

It has always missed and popped a bit on gear changes and I have put it down to the ECU cutting ignition to protect the gear box. When I turn my Blitz DSBC off or on its lowest setting keeping boost under .5 bar it seems to run fine.

It my reasoning on track and I just need a spark plug change and a tune or is something horrible going on?

[caminperth]

Colder air making you hit boost cut perhaps? It's like the engine stops completely for a second and then pick up again...

[MrMayhem]

are you sure the intake tube is clamped onto the turbos inlet properly

[Evil]

did you touch the AFM at all? check it's clean and the connector is in properly...

[Blitz]

I was just about to say make sure you didnt knock the afm

[Burns]

Yes I pulled the intercooler pipes and AFM out but I made sure I put it all back together properly. But I will double check it all. I also cleaned the mesh on the AFM as it had little bit of a build up on it but I made sure nothing went into the wire and I gently blew it out with compressed air.

I thought if it was a leak or AFM problem I would experience the problem on vacuum and at other loads. It still runs fine if I set the boost to .6 bar and only plays up over that.

[Al]

I think cleaning the AFM with compressed air may have damaged it. Should only use contact cleaner, and even then be very careful.

Have you got a cold air duct feeding you new partition? If not, maybe not enough air is getting through to the induction system (ie: you are suffucating the engine).

Another theory is that the condensed air, you mentioned, is playing tricks on the ecu and is causing it to splutter. I remember my car didn't like the fmic, pod, 11psi boost and cold nights, until i replaced the ecu with a programmable one.