Hi all

Went out for a drive today and on the way home I braked hard at a roundabout. I heard a very loud metallic sound from the front of the car. This happened for 4-8 seconds but I was in VTEC do didn't realise immediately. As I went around the roundabout the rear end skipped around and I heard more noises as well as drove over something. I thought there was something stuck under the car and then the tin/plastic noise stopped. At this stage I was doing about 20 mph and looked in my side view mirror and saw a black bottle shaped item fly towards the outside of the kerb. After a few seconds it clicked, this was the main black plastic bit from the PRM.

I went around the roundabout and stopped the car. I looked at the plastic item and it was indeed the PRM nozzle. I opened the hood and the PRM which holds the air filter in place was missing. I then looked around some more and found the aluminium bell shaped piece totally flattened. It is clear I drove over this piece. I checked my drive belts as it hit those before falling out of the engine bay and tomorrow will check the tyres because they must surely have cut into the tyre as I drove over it.

Two good things came off this. First I knew that it had failed because I was not due to check the oil for another week and so would never have know and would have driven around without an air filter for that time. Secondly I am so glad this happened at a slow speed or else I could have lost control of the car when I drove over the cylindrical shaped plastic. Amazing thing is that this piece survived although the whole of the rear tyre went over it!

I do not know the reason for this failure but it happened. I do not want to panic anyone but please check yours to make sure there are no cracks occurring. You need to take the end piece out of its holder to make sure. I can only assume that the pipe is long and under hard braking is having to hold its weight. This surely is why it sheared off or there was a flaw in the abs plastic.

Pics here:

 

How tight did you do it up when you put it on. There is a chance that in overtightening the screw clip around the main tube you could have cracked the tube.. 16 clicks up the clip I'll check mine and see how far up it is.

Just a thought.

 

GSI

That is a possibility which I did consider and could be true. I do remember that I did not over tighten the clip when fitting it, being careful to stop when the clip felt like it was starting to resist. I have had it in for about 2 1/2 months now. It might have been my fault but the original airbox is back on for now. I have never heard of this before so it might have been a one off.

 

Its hard to explain this in words but I have mine supported at the 'horn' end. I initially did it to stop it banging about on the lug which is used by one of the Airbox screws.

I have a big circlip on the 'horn' end which rests on the screw hole and is kept in place by a tie wrap. This stops any banging around and also takes some of the strain.

 

I seem to remember some posts from back when the PRM was initially popular about NOT securing the horn end of the tube. The engine will vibrate when in use and this movement would normally be absorbed by the flexible tubing on the OEM airbox. On the PRM there is nothing to take this movement, so the horn end should remain 'floating' and the whole thing move around with the engine, otherwise the vibration will be absorbed by the PRM and could result in a fracture as per Rahulas..

I had mine secured with a couple of ties which were loose enough to allow for movement, but provided some security should it fall off.

 

I will contact PRM today and see if they have had this problem before. I might get a new black bottle and horn but only if it turns out that there was a flaw in mine or I overtightened the clip. I can not afford to have this thing again. Like I said, if this had happend on a high speed corner I would have been in a lot of trouble. It is also next to impossible to belive that I would have another failure and it would fall out in the same way and I would drive over it. Will keep you posted.

 

I agree.

Mines secured but loose enough to take the strain...the circlip is bent around on itself so acts a bit like a spring. Therefore the pipe can move with the engine.