I've been doing a lot of reading on the forums, wishing I could do something inexpensive to maybe pep up the Accord V-6, but after reading, I think it's best to leave it as is.

Air Cleaners- K&N lets in more air for more power, but also more dirt for faster engine-destroying. The one I had on the 05 V-6 hybrid caused hesitation problems on acceleration due to allowing more air in faster than the sensors were set for at the factory. CAI? Don't make 'em for V-6's. Not enough room under the hood. Only for the puny 4-bangers in an attempt to make 'em as muscular as the 6's.

Mufflers/Exhaust-Maximum bucks and noise for minimum power increase. A no brainer.

Ignition-More than likely this car is like the last one I had, already has the best NGK plugs on it, and heavier wire is only that, bigger around. Nothing gained by bigger wire except great crowding or non fit.

Oil-I've had increase of power by simply switching from regular oil to a good brand of synthetic like the Pennzoil Ultra 5w I now use. Good stuff.

Summing up, the best thing to keep a powerful V-6 powerful, get good grades of gas like Shell, run some Sea Foam through about every 3-6k miles to keep injectors clean, and get a fuel system flush at factory-recommended intervals.

If anyone has a suggestion for an inexpensive power boost, I'd like to read it.

thanks

 

I don't know anyone whose car has been destroyed using a K&N or other quality CAI and filter. In fact, I know an old man in my neighborhood (must be in his late 70s, we talk cars a lot) has used K&N on his trucks for years and his current 1990 Tacoma has had one since he bought it new and it now has over 240,000 miles on it, never had an issue with it other than routine maintenance. Where did you get the notion that K&N filters destroy engines?

 

Proved it by holding the filter up to a high intensity light. Light shown brightly through the many tiny holes in this shoddy filter. Fine dust particles can easily be sucked into the engine. Not only this, I have had both the Honda shop foreman and another mechanic in town warn me against using this type filter, and of the damage that can be done to an engine. I listened! THAT is where I got "the notion".

There have been pages upon pages on forums of arguments both pro and con re: K&N and similar filters. I tend to lean toward "better safe than sorry". I would sure like to see the inside of that old fellow's engine. No, I don't think I would. It would not be a pretty sight.

As soon as I replaced the K&N with a standard filter, my hesitation problems stopped and I immediately noticed improved performance.

 

I disagree. I think Peli is right. K&N is fine. The only problems I can see are underoiling or overoiling. The whole argument about oil ruining mass airflow sensors on cars that use one is also overblown and fictitious. K&N actually ran tests while other people ran their mouths.

It's not that cut and dry to look at a filter and assume it's bad because you can see through it. In addition a Honda shop foreman and a mechanic aren't guaranteed to be correct, especially if it came to the tech behind an aftermarket filter. I'm sorry but there's really no authority here. Dealerships were the same people refusing to repair vehicles because they falsely claimed K&N filters damaged their mass airflow sensors until K&N ran tests to prove otherwise. So it's obvious even the dealerships aren't an authority when it comes to this. They're human beings, they can lie and they can make mistakes.

K&N Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Take a look at their FAQ and read bullets 21, 23 and 24. 21 even has a table that shows dust grade tests. It can't get any simpler than that.

You might be right but K&N offers a convincing argument and to argue that because it was held up to the light and you saw holes through it or that a honda shop foreman or a mechanic agreed doesn't really equate to a convincing argument. It's not that simple nor is it that cut and dried. It's obvious a lot of science goes into making a filter and K&N is no exception.

 

Well, I'm happy you can afford to trade cars when the old ones' engines are ruined with dirt inside. I'm not. I can't pop for a new car every year or so. I'm happy with being safe and happy you're okay with not being safe. I too bought the big K&N sales pitch. They have very clever writers who design their ad pitch. Very convincing. Bottom line really was for me, no real gain in pep. Just a lot of hesitation and fouled up acceleration until I went back to stock filters. Fixed the problem. As I said, I once read PAGES of arguments pro and con for K&N. I didn't intend to start the same thing here. Just sharing my experience with them. For old clunkers worn out anyway, a K&N would be fine. New cars that are really cared for, not a good decision. K&N's filters remind me of those plug in "antennas" you would hook up to your TV that plugged into the electric plug "guaranteed" to turn your whole house wiring into a giant receiving antenna. A clever selling gimmick, but JUST gimmick. The ad folks are paid big bucks to write convincing words to sell a product. K&N has the best around. They are even good a writing phony "test" results.

I wish you well with the K&N.

 

I've used K&N for awhile, but have read the same things. The oil should trap dirt that would continue blowing through a dry filter with the same pore size. That's how K&N can get away with larger pore size.

Oily deposits on MAF sensors can certainly cause problems. The air flow reads low, so the engine ends up running lean. In a higher-performance engine that can burn things up. OTOH, I used one on a 89 Saab for 11 or 12 years without any problems. But it's not real dusty where I live. So you see it's not a real simple question with one right answer.

 

I think the fact that that truck runs like a dream and has never needed any sort of major engine service aside from routine maintenance speaks for itself. Thing is smoother than butter. There are also filters that don't need oiling, looking at my own (oilless K&N sitting on an AEM ram intake) I don't see much more light than through the stock filter that's sitting in my garage.

You could also try for an icebox style setup, and there are ways to just remove the baffles on your stock intake to make it more of a straight shot into the TB, which sounds like it could be a good idea for you since you're obviously hesitant to use an aftermarket filter. Nothing wrong with that.

There's also the option of a lightweight flywheel and upgraded clutch, if you get quality parts it won't be super cheap but it probably won't break the bank. It will take some getting used to but once you do there is a notable difference. Assuming your V6 is a manual.

 

Don't know about K&K filter allow "more dirt for faster engine destroying", unless the air cleaner sit to low on CAI without the water bypass valve, and sucks up water or drive through alot of mud and clogged up the filter so not enough air to get into the intake and make it run like crab. My friend use a snorkel which doesn't even have an air cleaner in it, just wide open and he use that in his civic for a few years now without any problem. Like you said, the dirt can make it way through the tiny holes in the after market air cleaner right ? Now think about this, how fast the engine rev when you are driving, how fast and hard those valves moves with such a force that can put a hole in the piston, with some dirt or sand gets through the throttle body, intake manifold, through the valves and in there they will get beat up into like powder form and just get push out the exhaust side. Just my opinion, but i could be wrong, maybe some pro here will have more input. I used after market air cleaner in almost every car that i owned, and never have any engine problem because of after market air cleaner.

 

Thanks guys. Peli, I'm not a mechanic and don't know where these baffles are. The only ones I've heard of are in mufflers. I kinda doubt the Honda house would remove them for me unless it wouldn't void the warranty. I bet it would take a lot of fancy tools I don't have and a mechanic knack for doing this. I have neither unfortunately.

 

They're also called resonators. If you're worried about your warranty I wouldn't remove them. I'd leave that alone. It involves tearing off everything from the straight stock intake tube and plugging those holes. I know a couple guys who have done this but never on a car under warranty. You could always ask the dealer