new 1/19/04
This is the first CAI I have designed for my SHO. I hope to make improvements, and I welcome any suggestions (sixfofalcon@earthlink.net.) Eventually, the whole thing will be made of fibrous composites instead of building supplies, but that is several months into the future. For the mean time, this seems to work pretty well. It gives a nice throaty sound to the intake, and theoretically it can increase HP and torque (although I won't make claims I can't back up with dyno charts.) Best of all, it's pretty cheap… mine cost under $80 total, including the cone filter ($35).
Please read all the instructions before you delve into this. If something just doesn't make sense to you, ask me about it before you start! (sixfofalcon@earthlink.net) It sucks to have everything apart and then to have to put the old stock system back in when you discover you are missing one part, or you can't understand my ridiculous instructions. Read the notes at the end too!
Materials needed:
Tools:
Instructions:
1) Remove the battery and relocate it to the trunk, if you haven't done so already.
2) Remove the current intake system… everything upstream of the TB needs to be taken off.
a. Remove the two smaller tubes from the "accordion" tube.
b. Remove the accordion tube from the TB and MAF.
c. Remove the MAF and IAT sensor from the stock airbox.
d. Remove the stock intake tube and silencer, if you haven't already. This involves pulling the driver's side front wheel and removing the inner fender.
3) Insert the 90° 3" elbow, male end first, through the hole leading into the fender. The flange on the female end will not fit through, so it should sit right on the edge of the hole.
4) Attach the MAF adapter to the MAF using the hardware supplied with the MAF adapter.
5) Trim off the last ¾ inch or so on each end of the 3" Plastic Socket to 3" Pipe coupler. There are two sets of grooves for the band clamps to sit in on the coupler. We will only use the innermost set.
6) Attach the wider end of the coupler to the MAF adapter.
7) Drill a hole large enough for the IAT sensor and grommet in one of the 45° elbows. I drilled the hole along the inside of the curve, right before the elbow flares out for the female end. Clean out any PVC chips. Insert the grommet and IAT sensor into the hole.
8) Connect the coupler on the MAF adapter to the female end of the 45° elbow (the one with the IAT sensor.) Angle this elbow so the male end turns toward the front of the car.
9) Connect the other 45° elbow to the 90° elbow in the fender and the one on the MAF.
10) Cut the top ¾" of the soup can off with the Dremel. Insert this band into the flange end of the cone filter. Mine fit perfectly so that the rolled edge of the soup can stopped the band from slipping into the cone filter.
11) Attach one of the 3" to 3" connectors around the flange on the cone filter. The steel band inside the filter flange should give the flange enough strength that you can tighten the band clamp without the flange buckling.
12) Cut the very bottom of the juice jug off. Cut the top so that the 3" rubber coupler on the filter can slip through the opening, but the cone filter itself cannot. The juice jug will act as a splash shield so the filter doesn't get waterlogged on rainy days. I also cut a window into the side of the jug, ½ way around and one inch from each edge for more airflow.
13) Slip the splash shield over the cone filter, coupler end first. If you cut the top of the jug correctly, it should stop when it hits the cone filter.
14) Attach the coupler, cone filter, and splash shield to the male end of the 90° elbow inside the fender. Position it so that the window opening in the splash shield faces the front of the car.
15) Reattach the inner fender and put the wheel back on.
16) Now line up the elbows in the system so that the MAF lines up with the TB. This can be tricky! I had to loosen up the clamp that held the rubber coupler on the 45° elbow, and loosen the elbow-to-elbow joints in order to get everything to line up. Don't tighten anything after this!
17) The final 3" to 3" coupler will connect the MAF to the TB, but it is too long. I used a long kitchen knife to trim it to the right length. (My kitchen knives are razor sharp… you might rather use a razor knife.) In my case, it was a little longer than half the original length, but this will vary a little bit depending on what part you used up to this point. I drilled two holes for the small tubes that were in the "accordion." (I know at least one of them is part of the PCV system.) I made the two holes about 2" apart, right in the middle of the coupler. Make sure you clean up any debris.
18) This is another fun part. The band clamp on the 45° elbow should still be loose enough to move the MAF around so you can attach the coupler on the TB and MAF. Once that is done, reconnect the electrical plugs on the MAF and IAT sensor, and connect the PCV tubes to the coupler between the MAF and TB.
19) If everything seems to line up correctly, tighten all the band clamps and you're done.
NOTES:
-You may want to seal all the elbow-to-elbow joints with RTV silicone adhesive so no dirty air from the engine bay gets into the intake.
-NOTHING in this set-up is really proven beyond a reasonable doubt. I have driven around with this setup for a few weeks with no problems. I encountered lots of rain and I haven't had the filter get wet yet. The car seems to perform about the same on the butt dyno.
-I spray painted the two 45° PVC elbows with flat black Hi-Temp Krylon before I installed them. It gives the system a more professional look. "Why Hi-Temp? Isn't this thing supposed to stay cold?" Well, once you shut the car down, it will heat up since there is no airflow to keep it cool. Maybe regular paint would work; I don't know for sure how hot the thing gets.
-Please think about the FUNCTION of each piece as you are working with it. If you have a better idea to serve that function… GO FOR IT! This is my "rough draft" and it is definitely open for criticism and improvement. (sixfofalcon@earthlink.net)