Dirty Butterflies and Holes in Airbox!!!

[janfmiller]

Reassembliing my TTSE after 40K maint.

Cleaning the butterflies on the throttlebodies is one of the tasks.   Found them very very surprisingly dirty.

Decided to replace the air filter before I put the airbox back on.   Glad I did.  there is really no way you can properly clean it installed.

The inside of the throttle spigots were dusy, air filter not that dirty really.   Difficult to tell if the filter was bypassing somehow as so much crud falls off it during removal.

The most astonishing part was:  There are 4 1/16" holes downstream of the air filter on the bottom of the airbox.

I ASSume they are there to drain any fluid that may accumulate, but I'm astonished that Triumph did not run hoses from this with an accumulator somewhere to be occasionally drained!!!!

I'm tempted to plug the 4 holes with silicone as I'm sure some dust is entering the system there.

I'd be curious if anyone else has inspected their air box this way and if the holes were present...

Pics attached...

[1150newguy]

Same issue when I did my valves. I wonder if the seal between the airbox and the throttle bodies can be suspect. The airbox boots just sit on the throttle bodies, no clamps or anything to make a tight seal. My filter was fairly dirty at 20K and was ready for a change. The butterflies actually looked pretty good. I just noticed when I installed the airbox that it would be easy to install without getting a good seal on all three boots.

[dsinned]

Did anybody replace their air filter with a K&N?  It looks like the stock filter is a dry, paper element type.  As I recall K&N uses a oil impregnated type.  I think my dealer has the K&N in stock for around $60! 

[janfmiller]

I replaced mine with K&N about 2-300 miles ago.  Hard to say if it increased performance, but it seems like it.   There is more of a howl when you whack the throttle open I believe.   Don't know if gas mileage is improved yet, it's getting cold here, and mileage always goes down when cold.  I routinely see 57-58 mpg average over time, and that's where it's sitting now, after being reset when the filter was changed...
Time will tell.  I've used K&N in every bike I owned since my '74 Z1 with never an issue...

[freeride4tom]

I know this is an old post but there is one more somewhat hidden drain hole in the air box downstream of the air filter on the top in a galley for the intake air temperature sensor.

[Mr.Goodwill]

Greetings,
This "holes in airbox" business scared me a lot. I've just replaced the air filter (which is a pain in a neck job) without knowing the issue. Also I've noticed the small particles which passed air filter. This worries me , too. It suggests that air filter does not seal properly the airway.  . Triumph engineers/designers  . I am now thinking about selling the bike. .

[freeride4tom]

Originally Posted by Mr.Goodwill

Greetings,
This "holes in airbox" business scared me a lot. I've just replaced the air filter (which is a pain in a neck job) without knowing the issue. Also I've noticed the small particles which passed air filter. This worries me , too. It suggests that air filter does not seal properly the airway.  . Triumph engineers/designers  . I am now thinking about selling the bike. .

All bikes have a fix or tweek needed. Don't sell one of the best bikes out there over this. I believe the real cause for dirt to get to throttle bodies is the gap between the clean and dirty side of the filter in the middle of the airbox. I discovered it as others have by inspecting with a small mirror and flashlight, easily fixed with lightweight weatherstrip foam, silicone or grease filling the gap. I live in Texas and my bike stays in a garage so I filled the little holes anyway without fear of condensation but you may need them in the UK.