weird...probably the AFM 'sending out an SOS' haha 
 
Mine leaks oil too, but oil leaks are common on 3SGTEs so I wouldn't worry about it unless its pouring out. I redid my sump gasket and dipstick O ring and it seems to be under control now. Might have to top up a cupful every few months which is nothing. Seems to have gotten worse running full synthetic oil through it, but at least my engine and turbo are better protected.  :P
 
defect state............so you must be from SA?? 
 
 

nah Vic.
 
the leak is about a cupfull a month. but my car eats oil last time my service was due, the oil was really low.
 
I know I need to clean out my intake / inter cooler next tho.
 
next time the engine's out I'll do seals (I'm pretty confident that it's the main seal that's stuffed on mine.

Stock airbox fail. you dont know what your missing out on

hot air and induction noise? :P

not if it's done properly.

Synthetic oil on an old engine is going to give you more leaks
Distributor o ring. Cam seals, cam cover seal, rear main seal, sump gasket/seal these are all usual culprits.

I'd like to see a pic of a pod filter on a turbo done properly. Most just whack the pod on a dodgy AFM adapter (like mine lol) which is FAR from ideal. At least mine kinda points down into the side vent though.
You don't get much induction noise either, just a 'whooshing' sound from the turbine muffled by the AFM.

I do like the idea of the ARC filter - it's not what I'd necessarily call a pod filter, as it's still a panel, but it's huge :)
edit: check this out - http://www.nengun.com/arc/sw20-3s-gte-for-induction-box-196199  ps the engrish on that is funny!

The apexi seems quite popular, I'm not sure how much warm air it sucked.  IF I upped the boost I'd definitely look at a pod, but since I have the darn boostcut problem, I wont.

^ thats awsome, bolts straight to the AFM by the looks. Do it!
A new ECU or decent piggyback will sure fix that boost cut ;)

yeah I would like to go to a new ECU.  I'm looking at something that would support either a 4 or 6 cyl engine.  But then at the same time getting a plug and play ecu would be sweet.
 
the problem with that ARC panel is that it needs a new filter - and it's not cheap. But it's hella cool!.
 
There's some cool stuff that I could do, but it's all starting to put serious money into the car.
ie:
ecu,
GT28 turbo upgrade,
fujitzobo legallis exhaust
 
I'm not sure how happy the engine is. I need to do a few checks - compression etc to see the state of my engine.
edit: and if I did that I'd probably want to look at getting a respray too... :P
I'm trying to save up for a house, but don't want to put too much $$ into a 21 year old car. :P
 
that being said, if my engine dies, I'm happy to do a swap / mini build.
 
 
back to what's next - a FULL intake pipe clean from airbox through to intake manifold.  Cleaning / removing the intercooler is going to be a BITCH, I'm considering an aftermarket cooler and doing a swap while I do it, but again - don't know if I want to spend the money.
 
 
 
 

Have you looked at the MAP ECU3? its a piggy back with a built in MAP sensor, features dual mapping, but has all the fruit of a lot of standalone ECUs. eg. full ignition timing control, launch control, adjustable speed cut, adjustable fuel cut etc. You can also delete your AFM with it too. Tuning is done with a laptop and an easy to use GUI. Also has boost control at 1000 rpm increments via a solenoid. It's a very good package. Retains the factory knock control also.
 
So you have the stock IC still? If you're going to the trouble of removing it, ditch it and get a decent core. An "eBay" style core is all you need and usually aren't very expensive. Made a very noticeable difference on mine, less pressure drop, and cooler air charge for more response.  But yes it was a BITCH, I had to cut the factory shroud out with a dremel and it took a whole day to do the job with two people. It might be a good idea to remove the side body vent so you can gain access from outside too.
 
That or you could run seafoam through it?