Motorcycle - my air filter box is not completely sealed on one side will this result in loss of power?

i recently changed my air filter on my 1999 honda cbr f4 motorcycle. The cover of the air filter housing/box would not seal completely the screw holding it down on one side were not able to fasten very tight. Can air manage to fit through the crack and cause my to lose power? how can I check this?
Motorcycle - my air filter box is not completely sealed on one side will this result in loss of power?
Hi,it may loose power and if your unlucky enough it will also drag Road dirt in and may cause more damage ..Unlike the answer above me from (parrothe... ) dont take any chances (strait airflow DOES NOT mean more power).. take out the air box (a little messy ) and look why its not closing properly if its just the screw threads are gone generally a bigger screw will fix this but just in case something more silly is gone wrong %26quot;ie%26quot; the filter itself is not seated right your better off taking it out and make sure the casings are not cracked..Hope this Helps Best Regards Steve
Motorcycle - my air filter box is not completely sealed on one side will this result in loss of power?
yes it will lose power...remove the cover and find out why itrs not fitting.....
No, it will NOT lose power.



Suck something in, like a sand bit or dirt, it may lose an engine or rings, but opening a carburetor to not flow through the filter technically gives better flow, better flow equates to more power.



Unfiltered air equates to potential disaster.



Use a body filler puttty or JB weld or even a heavy bead of silicon and seal that puppy up.



If using silicon, make sure it's well cured before you start the motor.



In response to the disagreements below. So, air that is coming to the engine, doesn't bypass the filter via any open hole in the seal? What's the motive force pushing the air through the filter and not through the opening?



I understand if the opening is small enough, and the airflow is large enough, yes, some of the air will be filtered.



And where in the question does it say the ram air induction is cracked, not the filter to housing seal is not whole?



And most importantly and to the question - Generally speaking, more air is needed for more flow for more power. Yes, there are exceptions to this, but USUALLY, you don't lose HP when you increase flow. Hence, we keep buying K%26amp;N air filters (They flow significantly better than standard OEM filters!)



I stand by my answer. GR Jim's point is more accurate, only if the filter surfaces are still sealed when the cover is in place. That's not how the question is posed.
A non sealing air box cover on that bike will not hurt the engine.

Air still has to go through the air filter before getting to the engine.

But there may be a slight decrease in engine performance (probably not noticeable unless you push the bike to it's limits every time you ride it).

With a leaking air box cover, the ram air system will slightly be inhibited.

If you don't notice a difference, I wouldn't be overly concerned about it.

If you're going to lose sleep over it - repair it, replace it, or close the opening with a piece of duct tape.