[lukaszewski]

Hello all

Sorry for my English. My name is Łukasz, I live in Poland and I have a BMW E90 330i with a N53B30 engine from 2011. That year, I ordered the air intake system:

Magnum FORCE Stage-2 Si Cold Air Intake System

https://afepower.com/afe-power-51-81...m#applications

unfortunately during assembly yesterday it turned out that the MAF sensor does not fit into the hole in the intake tube. Should the MAF sensor go inside? The manufacturer claims that this intake system does not fit my car ... it can not be true, because the dimensions of the MAF are the same for N53 and N52. Should I enlarge hole in the intake tube?

[gunnerxq]

What if you press it in really hard? That's a rubber gasket that should flex. I bet it'll be a tight fit which you'll want.

[juld0zer]

Was the gasket ever cleaned with brake cleaner?

[lukaszewski]

I've already tried .. the green oring broke during the test and I had to buy a new one in the BMW service. Can it be coated with motor oil or Vaseline? ..

[lukaszewski]

no, I never cleaned it and never removed the flow meter before. the seal looked new, without dirt

[juld0zer]

Use a rubber care product or rubber grease.

[Biginboca]

My AFE came with a piece of foam shaped like a ring. It went around that hole in the maf housing and the maf sealed against it. You don’t have the foam installed.

[lukaszewski]

[lukaszewski]

after installing the foam gasket, the black screws look too short. does the MAF have to go inside the intake tube?

[Biginboca]

If you google there are directions on the AFE website for this intake. Maybe it’s time you read them.

Edit: they are actually right on the page you linked

[lukaszewski]

I have already read ... the manual is very laconic and nothing is said about it .. I also watched a movie on YouTube from JD Cars and also does not say anything about whether the MAF sensor should enter the whole into tube intake ..

[bluewater328]

Originally Posted by lukaszewski

I've already tried .. the green oring broke during the test and I had to buy a new one in the BMW service. Can it be coated with motor oil or Vaseline? ..

If you're actually using the MAF values, don't ever put oil anywhere near it...even the gasket. But it should be slipping in there without issue. N54s use the same MAF IIRC, so unless you bought a non-E9x airbox, then it's probably the right one.

[lukaszewski]

does anyone have any idea?

[Dpc2u]

Originally Posted by lukaszewski

does anyone have any idea?

I am not familiar with that particular application, but you may need to remove the o-ring. The foam washer will crush down and seal the maf. If you look closely at the picture of the maf after it is installed (the picture in the installation instructions) it is pulled down tight using the supplied m4 screws to flatten out the foam ring. Probably better to not delete the o-ring though.

[lukaszewski]

can I use sandpaper to gently enlarge the hole in the intake tube? then I would not have to remove the green o-ring from the MAF

[Dpc2u]

Green o-rings are known as HNBR o-rings, which stands for Hydrogenated Nitrile. You should be able to source one that has a slightly smaller diameter, but still fits tightly to seal the maf properly. They are commonly used in a/c systems and come in a multitude of sizes. I would first try a very thin coat of petroleum jelly on the one you have. It won't hurt the o-ring or maf.

[gunnerxq]

Hey Łukaszewski I figured it out for you. Do NOT make the hole bigger.

Buy the same maf gasket. It seems like it has to stay on top of the hole with the gasket provided. You do not have to force it in.

Skip to 3:10

[lukaszewski]

yes, I've seen this movie ... look at, the MAF foam seal provided by AFE is quite tightly compressed, suggesting that the MAF is hidden in the intake tube hole

[gunnerxq]

Can you not press it down hard enough so both screws catch then tighten it using a screwdriver? Use some strength.

[6ixSpd]

You're supposed to use the foam gasket *and* the screws supplied by AFE. Did you use the correct screws? The stock ones will not be long enough.

In the screenshot you posted above, it looks like the two screws to the left are what you need. Theyre longer.

[lukaszewski]

Originally Posted by gunnerxq

Can you not press it down hard enough so both screws catch then tighten it using a screwdriver? Use some strength.

I used so much power that the OEM green oring delivered by BMW broke ...I had to buy a new one ..

Originally Posted by 6ixSpd

You're supposed to use the foam gasket *and* the screws supplied by AFE. Did you use the correct screws? The stock ones will not be long enough.

In the screenshot you posted above, it looks like the two screws to the left are what you need. Theyre longer.

the screws on the left are the original BMW bolts. They do not match the new intake tube ... black screws are those that provide AFE and that's what I should use them, unfortunately, as you can see, they are too short. I still do not know if the MAF should go inside the intake tube together with the green O-ring...

[gunnerxq]

Take out the green gasket. Use the gasket and screws that were provided.

Step 9 says to install the sensor with the furnished gasket. We can safely assume to leave out the old green one since it's not mentioned.

A synonym of furnished is "provided"

Just press the included gasket to the face of the opening. Forget about the green gasket completely. There are only so many combos before this works.