I was driving on the highway today and my Jeep started spuddering and acting very weird. The throttle light was flashing and the ESP light was solid. I took the nearest exit as soon as possible and pulled over. I looked at my air intake and my filter was scrunched up like an accordion. I undid the hose clamps and looked at the hose that comes off of the air intake. There was a plastic grocery bag stuck in the hose and about a quarter of it was missing. It looked like it started melting. I left it there and am looking at getting it towed.

My question is how bad could this mess up my engine? Would they have to take my engine apart to look or anything? Has anyone experienced this?

 

so the bag got passed the air filter and was stuck in the throttle body? and 1/4 was sucked into the engine!! Just making sure i read it right could be bad news.

 

How in the hell did a bag make it past your filter...???

 

Hey, yes that is correct. I do not know how it happened. When I took the cover off the air filter, the air filter plastic is broken in a few places and half of it was folded up.

 

Oh......so there was a hole in your filter big enough to let a whole grocery bag into the intake? Maybe it was only that piece of the bag...??? Did you try and start the jeep again?

 

That woulld make sense since the air flow was blocked which would cause the air filter to be deformed. I don't think, however, that the bag came in on the highway passing through the grill, making it's way to the air intake between the hood and fender. Unfortunately, I think it was more sinister like someone opened your hood and stuffed it into the intake.

 

x2, This seems more of a bad prank.

 

I agree, some one was f@cking with you.....who did you piss off?

 

Unfortunately, I think a hood lock and locking gas cap is in order.

 

There is no way a plastic bag will entirely get into the air filter box. And the filter breaking.. it does seem thst someone tempered with it.