Z32 Liquefied air filter rubber seals

Discussion in 'Technical' started by NI85, Apr 10, 2021.

  1. NI85

    NI85 Active Member

    Liquefied air filter rubber seals

    When I bought my Z32 back in 2016, I changed it to pod filter as to be more affordable option than replacing two filters.
    A couple of days ago I grabbed my air filter box out of plastic storage box as a temporary air filter solution for my other car. I noticed a black tar like substance on the outside of the air filter box and upon removing the cover, I found that one air filter seal totally liquefied and the other one half liquefied. Air box itself is unaffected. Normally I would expect old filter rubber seals to just go hard and crack up.

    Anyone else come across this type of thing?
     
  2. beaver

    beaver southern zeds

    The seals on my 24yo stock filter box are still intact, a little discolored but certainly not liquified.
     
  3. MickW

    MickW Carntry member...

    Help me out here, I'm not sure which seals you're describing.
    I just grabbed an old OEM air filter box from the bone yard, it's on the desk beside me. As far as I know the filter panel's rubber edges are the actual seal to stop dust entering the donk. The black plastic housing has a labyrinth seal at the edges but no hint of extra seals on those edges. Or are we talking about the seals for the ducts on the sides of the air box?
     
  4. MintZ32

    MintZ32 Active Member

    Any chance it could have been exposed to oil?

    Oil vapour re-entering the intake system via the PCV system may potentially make its way to the filter and degrade any rubber on the filter after many years.

    Although it sounds unlikely, I have personally seen AFM's play up from oil film deposits caused by blow by. SBR or EPDM rubbers are some particularly susceptible rubbers to oil that may be present on Air filters.
     
  5. NI85

    NI85 Active Member

    Yes them rubber edges, liquefied back to sap/tar like state

    I don't know, as the air box as a whole was taken out a couple of months after purchasing the car. I know I partly disassembled (drilled out one side of rivets of the metal base and plugged the holes) the air box so the base is two pieces for easier future re-installation. I don't know if I wiped it down afterwards with anything that would melt rubber. The only two cleaning type things we have are degreaser and WD 40 If they are known to melt rubber, then maybe it's that.
     
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  6. MickW

    MickW Carntry member...

    What else was in the storage box? Are those afflicted panels OEM or aftermarket?
    I just found my old filter panels in the bone yard. They have metal surrounds, pretty sure they're OEM. They've been sitting on a dark shelf in an open fronted shed for 13 years now, I'd forgotten they were there.
    One still has an oil patina on the rubber, the other has almost none, both are perishing but not liquefying.
     
  7. NI85

    NI85 Active Member

    Random bits were in the plastic storage box, It had a clutch fan, exhaust manifold, old metal gaskets, old top and bottom radiator hoses, destroyed/cut up rear foam wing(had removed metal sub structure) and the air box.

    The filters; if they weren't Nissan, would have been generic paper replacements (Not K&N oil ones)
     
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  8. MickW

    MickW Carntry member...

    What, no kitchen sink in there as well?
    You're describing a rather large storage box :)
    Sorry mate, I'm having a quiet giggle as I imagine a plastic storage box big enough to be buried in without cutting me into pieces. Just fold me up a bit :)
    Not an industrial chemist here but my bets are on the cut up rear foam wing giving off nasties in a sealed box. Contradictions are welcome :D
     
  9. NI85

    NI85 Active Member

    You may joke, but literally :eek: a kitchen sink *sat* above the large container on a A-frame saw table.

    (Container is dead/breaking up, it's not alone though as a few other of our large plastic containers are dead/breaking up. Though they since left shattered on garbage night :D)

    I wondered about the rubber wing too, though I would have expected it to show some signs of a chemical reaction or deterioration. It's binned too, so no lab tests :p
     
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  10. MickW

    MickW Carntry member...

    Sorry, Friday night drinkies, but now I'm giggling even harder at a mental image of you using an A-frame to lower a very heavy kitchen sink (probably double bowl cast iron) into a very large storage box!
    Ah, we do love some theater of the mind :D *hic*
     

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