Halltech Yellow Jacket – oil substance around MAF information

[caverman]

I called and talked with Jim Hall from Halltech about the oil look around the MAF housing and got the complete low down.

First off it is NOT an issue at all. What the oil look is coming from is the material (called “Magic Powder”) that is used to make the MAF housing. This material is different than the rest of the tube which is made from Polyethylene. The reason “Magic Powder” is used is because it fills in 100% of the voids that can be present in polyethylene. He said that even the smallest pin hole of void/air can cause bad readings with the MAF. They ran into the issue on the first batch and so they switched to the different material only on the MAF housing.

The good thing that “Magic Powder” does is fills in 100% of any voids. The downside is that it can release the oily substance with heat. He said if you were to remove the MAF it will be completely clean. This is not oil from the K&N filter and there are no issues on performance at all. The only issue might come if you were to paint the tube. Obviously paint and oil won’t mix.

He recommended that I look up and pass long info about the myth that over oiling your filter can cause MAF issues. Here is the link: http://www.knfilters.com/maf/massair.htm

Another logical way to think about it is even if for some reason there was oil and there was a leak around the MAF housing then it would be drawing air IN not pushing OUT. The system would have to be under a bunch of pressure (say a turbo setup) in order for it to push out of any hole or crack. The intake is a suction inwards….not pushing outwards. Beyond that the car would be running extremely bad due air coming in around the housing.

Jim also mentioned that he had a customer send back one of the Yellow Jackets because of the oil look without talking to him first. They took the intake and tested it under water at 10lbs of pressure and there were no leaks at all.

He recommended using something like Acetone (fingernail polish remover) to remove/clean around the housing and to not to use any harsh chemicals.

Jim said that anyone interested in seeing information about the “Magic Powder” or materials being used on the intake can just email him. He will send you back all the specific information about it.

Thanks to Jim for the great customer service. Any time I've every had a question or concern he picks up the phone I talk with him directly.

http://www.halltechsystems.com/


Here is a pic of the issue but I will say mine doesn't look this extreme at all. Mine only has a slight oil look to it....however I only have around 1,500 miles on my Yellow Jacket.

[fargomike]

Originally Posted by caverman

I called and talked with Jim Hall from Halltech about the oil look around the MAF housing and got the complete low down.

First off it is NOT an issue at all. What the oil look is coming from is the material (called “Magic Powder”) that is used to make the MAF housing. This material is different than the rest of the tube which is made from Polyethylene. The reason “Magic Powder” is used is because it fills in 100% of the voids that can be present in polyethylene. He said that even the smallest pin hole of void/air can cause bad readings with the MAF. They ran into the issue on the first batch and so they switched to the different material only on the MAF housing.

The good thing that “Magic Powder” does is fills in 100% of any voids. The downside is that it can release the oily substance with heat. He said if you were to remove the MAF it will be completely clean. This is not oil from the K&N filter and there are no issues on performance at all. The only issue might come if you were to paint the tube. Obviously paint and oil won’t mix.

He recommended that I look up and pass long info about the myth that over oiling your filter can cause MAF issues. Here is the link: http://www.knfilters.com/maf/massair.htm

Another logical way to think about it is even if for some reason there was oil and there was a leak around the MAF housing then it would be drawing air IN not pushing OUT. The system would have to be under a bunch of pressure (say a turbo setup) in order for it to push out of any hole or crack. The intake is a suction inwards….not pushing outwards. Beyond that the car would be running extremely bad due air coming in around the housing.

Jim also mentioned that he had a customer send back one of the Yellow Jackets because of the oil look without talking to him first. They took the intake and tested it under water at 10lbs of pressure and there were no leaks at all.

He recommended using something like Acetone (fingernail polish remover) to remove/clean around the housing and to not to use any harsh chemicals.

Jim said that anyone interested in seeing information about the “Magic Powder” or materials being used on the intake can just email him. He will send you back all the specific information about it.

Thanks to Jim for the great customer service. Any time I've every had a question or concern he picks up the phone I talk with him directly.

http://www.halltechsystems.com/


Here is a pic of the issue but I will say mine doesn't look this extreme at all. Mine only has a slight oil look to it....however I only have around 1,500 miles on my Yellow Jacket.

Caverman , thank you for taking the time to look into this issue . Posters like yourself that make this site hard to beat for any info . Glad to know its the Magic Powder . Love my Halltech , you looking into the CF ?

[caverman]

Thanks for the cudos....

I would like to go with the CF version but I'm saving for Headers/Exhaust at the moment. So...even if I get one it will probably be a while.

I like the CF look alot but I also like the look of the yellow Halltech I painted on my tube. For some reason it just really makes it stand out to me.

[shroomjohn]

So he said its magic powder and not to worry Lol Im just messing w you but man that just made me laugh. My old CJ7 has "magic powder" coming from everywhere

[v6sonoma]

I disagree about the "myth". Over oiling most certainly can screw up your MAF. I replaced the filter on my trucks injen intake with another oiled filter while I cleaned and reoiled the injens. (I used to have a parts store and have stuff sitting in the basement) Shortly after the truck ran like crap and a CE light came on. I put a code scanner on it and it came up with a MAF sensor issue. I bought a can of MAF sensor cleaner (who knew they made a cleaner just for MAF's ) disassembled the intake, removed the MAF, disassembled the MAF, and sprayed it down. Well it went from a carbon black to a shiny silver. Put it all back together and it ran great and the CE light went away. Over oiled filters wont destroy anything but it can cause issues and I can't blame any dealer for not wanting to foot the bill for wasting time cleaning a MAF that wouldn't have had a problem if we didn't install non OE parts.

[caverman]

Originally Posted by shroomjohn

So he said its magic powder and not to worry Lol Im just messing w you but man that just made me laugh. My old CJ7 has "magic powder" coming from everywhere

Yes.....I agree....it did seem funny to be called "Magic Powder" and I'm sure that's not the actual name but that's what he said it's called. I tried to Google the name but obviously that return a bunch of other BS.


Here is a quote from the other thread on this issue

I work for the company that makes these intake tubes for Halltech. The oily/shiny appearance of the MAF Housing Tower is not an oil leak and has nothing to do with the car at all. In order for us to mold the fine details of the MAF Housing Tower and to guaranty that there are no air leaks, we need to use a special molding compound that is made of a proprietary polymer resin. This material is different than the rest of the intake tube which is made of cross link polyethylene. The polymer resin has an oily/shiny appearance. This is not oil from the K&N filter or the engine or from anything else. This is the natural appearance of the polymer resin. There are no issues on the performance of the intake or the car at all. The only issue might come if you try to paint the tube because the paint won’t stick to the polymer resin. If you are concerned about the appearance you can try washing this area of the intake using a mild dishwashing soap and warm water.