I just got my 03 back from the dealership after experiencing problems with the throttle sticking. They told me to remove the AMSOIL air filter right away, saying the engine can draw oil out of the filter and damage the air flow sensor. They also tossed in that it would be $700 to repair. They also said it had glazed the throttle plate glazed with oil. Is this for real???? Can I clean the throttle plate myself? I have used K & N and AMSOIL filters for years without problems. What you do folks think?

Hmmm... I was reading up on the K&N air filter and was leaning towards getting one, and now this post scares me in the other direction. I think on the K&N site I read that if you were told by a service Dept. that the filter caused some kind of damage, that they would write a letter to the service dept. on your behalf and tell them that they are full of it. I don't know about the one you are using. Now I don't know what to do. I'll read the posts on this thread to see if I can be swayed the other direction again!

I think the dealer is FOS. Think about it, the oil making it stick?

Run a couple of tanks of gas with TB cleaner in the tank and see if that solves the problem.

You need a can of throttle body cleaner and a soft toothbrush. Spray and brush the TB on both sides of the blade. You also need to inspect and CAREFULLY spray the Mass Air Flow Sensor(it is delicate). The problems with K&N, Amsoil and other aftermarket filters usually occur in high dust areas, like when wheeling in a group kicking up lots of dust,(you could stick a fresh factory or Fram paper filter in just for the short time off road). The other cause of aftermarket filter problems is over oiling when they are cleaned. My buddies shop has never had a customer with a problem using a new K&N on the road. But off road, because they do allow more flow(less restriction accomplished by allowing larger particles to pass through), you can clog the MAF pretty quickly. Mojave

The dealer is always full of it. They tried to blame my regular Fram filter for screwing up the MAS, when in fact the ecm was recalled on the supercharged trucks, and it hadnt been done yet, leading to the Check Engine Light I received..

They said the "aftermarket" fram filter was made of cheaper paper than the nissan filter, and little pieces broke off resulting in a broken MAS not covered under warranty. Bullshit..

I couldn't agree more.. Bullshit..Yup that sums it up pretty well.

This can happen if you over oil your filter when reoiling it after a cleaning. Just go easy on the oil (like the directions say, at least on the K&N filters) and you should be fine. DO NOT OVER OIL!

The dealer was right in this case. Make sure you oil only the fresh air side of the filter. Don't over oil it. Do let it dry before reinstalling it.

K&N had some dyno posts for some vehicles. Usually it shows HP increases maximum over 3500 RPM and minimal at 2500 RPM. Since my tach reads 2000 rpm at 70, I don't see how the K&N type filters will help out most of the time. I will change the factory filter about every 2000 miles.

I think it'll help me... I usually shift at around 8500RPM...

...but that's my *other* car

the K&N does it's job when you get an airbox full of swill.. it doesn't get wet and break apart. It just gets wet

I'm keeping mine.

Just oil it right.

I've had KN filters in 3 of my vehicles. I've never had a problem, I'm likely oiling them right. Has anyone had any experience with Nissan trying to void the warranty because of this? I've never had a car on warranty, and screwng it up is not my idea of fun. I've been quite happy with the increased gas mileage on all of my vehicles with the KN filters added.

I've had the K&N replacement filter in since the 5k mark. Cleaned and oiled it once right after the fires here in San Diego at about 40k. Got 75k on it now so it's about time to clean it again, or get a Volant. No probs at all. Dealer is full of BS.

kinda what I was thinking.

Like everyone else said, dont over oil it.. and keep your stock filter to throw in when you need to go to the dealer.

Well, there is some truth to the K&N possibly damaging the MAF sensor. I put a brand new K&N filter in our Audi. Two days later, the CEL came on. Took it to the dealer and they replaced the MAF sensor under warranty. They said that it was caused by the K&N and that they would pass it this time, but if I kept the filter in, they wouldn't warranty the MAF sensor again. I did some forum searches that backed this idea.

With that said, I had a K&N in the X for years with no problems at all. From what I was told, the Audi's MAF sensor sits right below the air filter. This is not the case on the X, so I think it is safer. As far as it making the throttle stick... I don't buy that for a minute.

Yup, but I think it's because of over-oiling. The K&N doesn't need very much.

That could certainly help to create the problem, but we had the K&N installed 2 days before the CEL came on. It hadn't been oiled outside of the factory yet. I don't think it's as much of an issue with the X.

correct me if i am wrong but weren't the k&n's originally designed FOR dusty off-road conditions???