Keman Intake Mod

[ZX2Fast]

This is the original text from 2006. If you see something that needs updated, please let me know

Okay, this is the real way you do the Keman intake mod. The original is lost and it seems people aren't doing it the right way anymore, this will clear up the confusion.

GENERAL INFO
The stock intake was designed with quite in mind, not performance. So, it has two air resonators that slow and quite down the flow of air. The stock intake is a true CAI and draws all of the air through a 1" snorkel that goes into the fender. Doing this modification removes both of the resonators, opens up the air box, and makes the intake louder and deeper in sound.

Getting started
You will need a flat head screwdriver, pliers, and some sockets with rachet. A Dremel with cut-off wheels or a hacks-all will be needed to cut off the end of the air box. You also need some schedule 40 2" PVC, a 4" to 3" plastic drain adapter, and a 2" to 2" PVC coupling. Also handy would be some two-part plastic epoxy and clear silicone adhesive.
1. Remove the intake by undoing the hose clamp at the throttle body, the squeeze clamp for the valve cover vent at the air box, the squeeze clamp for the brake booster line, unplug the MAF connector and IAT connector (if you have the IAT connector), and remove the bolts that hold the air box down.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=17&d=1208488321
2. Remove the entire intake assembly. Separate the end of the air box by removing the lever clamp, this is where the air filter goes. Remove the air filter and set it aside.
3. Now remove the lower resonator. It sits under the spot the air box bolts to. It looks like this.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=18&d=1208488321
It bolts into place and will take a few twist and turns to get it out. You can throw this away. Notice at the bottom of the air box there was a snorkel that went into the resonator. It doesn't draw air in this way, it just uses that hole for resonating the air.
4. Now, when you removed the air box you had to pull the snorkel out of the fender. There is a plastic-rubber peace that bolts to the fender here. You can remove this to.
5. Now you can cut the air box. Cut it after the 'R' in 'FILTER' so that you now have a 4-6" opening. Here is a before and after picture.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=19&d=1208488321
6. With this opening you can leave it this way or put a sewer adapter in place of the hole, use some clear silicone to seal it up, and extend it to the fender so that you now draw cold air from the fender.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=15&d=1208488321
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16&d=1208488321
This picture shows the adapter installed but not sealed, you need to put the box back in the car to see how far you have to pull the adapter out to get to the fender before you seal it up with silicone.
7. Now we move to the upper resonator. Remove it and pick up some 2" schedule 40 PVC and a 2" to 2" PVC coupler. Since one of the resonator is bigger then the other, the coupler will make one end bigger. Just put the coupler on the end of the pipe and use the resonator to mark where you need to cut for the right length. To make sure everything will line up, install the upper pipe but leave the hose clamps loose. Now with the intake installed you can adjust it and tighten the hose clamps down. The hose clamps are usually enough to make this intake work fine. But, I've found that it sometimes will slide out of that upper pipe and this will make the car die. I used two-part plastic epoxy to seal it up good. It never comes apart now, it will look like this when you are done.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=14&d=1208488321
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=20&d=1208488321

You can paint it to match the intake if you like. Just wait units the epoxy is dry.
8. Now you are done. You have a CAI, if you used the adapter, or a good flowing WAI for much less then buying an aftermarket intake. You can also install a high-flow air filter for more flow through your intake.

-Brad (ZX2Fast)

[david gettle]

I found the copy I made of Keman's origional post!!!!

I don't have the pictures hosted anywhere, but here is the text:


Resonator #1 Removal.
Instructions:
Remove the main intake resonator and put in it's place a 7.5" long 2 inch diameter schedule 40 flared PVC pipe. It should look like this when your done:

Make sure you use Schedule 40 2" pipe. Anything else distorts with heat, and that's bad. The flared end is the end of the 20' section at any hardware store. It's slightly larger than 2" on that end, which is what you want- since the stock resonator was slightly larger on one end.
As you can see, I put in a couple of high quality hose clamps, as the stock ones do not make a round closures and will distort the PVC at high tempuratures. This will increase the sound of the intake slightly, but will add a few horsepower. It's the first on a series of modifications I have done to the ZX2's engine, which seems very willing to take them. I painted it engine grey, and personally, I think it looks a hell of a lot better than the cheap plastic resonator shown below that comes stock. Inside of that piece of crap, there is a plastic grid jammed in place to help create a tunnel inside the square portion of it. I originally removed the entire setup not for horsepower, but to get rid of the rattling sound the white grid inside of it made! What the hell Ford was thinking when they put this in here, rather, what crack they were smoking, is something that remains a mystery to all of us.
Below is the stock resonator, inside of it is the white plastic "grid". The entire thing restricts air and reduces intake pulse.

Of course, if you've gone this far into modifications, chances are you'd like to get even more power out of the Zetec I4 engine, and probably should continue on to the rest of the mods...
-Keman
Resonator #2 removal.

These are pictures of the main intake resonator. It's located under your airbox assembly. The small metal object is a 4 inch (10 cm) ruler to give you an idea of perspective. The airbox assembly has three big bolts that holds itself in place. Slight overkill in my opinion, but, remove the entire airbox assembly to get a clear look at the resonator under it.. You'll be looking at it from above, just like in the upper right picture. Yank the airbox free from the rubber triangle shroud that's attached to the fender. It will pull lose. Then take the shroud out as well, as it's going to be in the way when you go to remove the above resonator. Two bolts hold the resonator in, just take it right on out and throw it as far as you can. What will happen now, is the airbox assembly, when put back in, will draw air in from the fender, AND from under itself where the resonator used to be. The stock airbox normally draws air from inside the fender. That's nice, but the fact is, it draws it in through a hole not much larger than an INCH. Way too small for this engine. By removing the resonator you will increase the volume of air able to pass into the engine. Major horsepower gain, probably around 10. But if you've gone this far... goto the next step. =)
- Keman
Airbox Modification.
The stock airbox assembly in your ZX2 looks like below. Minus the black tape, of course. The opening facing to the right is approx. 1.5 inches in diameter. Nowhere NEAR what the ZX2 needs in order to breath. It draws air in from the right, uses the resonator under it to quiet the intake, and then passes it through a cone filter. This is highly restrictive overall, and chances are you've taken the first and second resonator off. But enough is never enough, so break out that hacksaw, baby...
THIS:

BECOMES:
(sound of chainsaw)
THIS:

Now that's some superior flow. Gone is the two port intake and in is the roughly 6 inch (15 cm) opening to allow your ZX2 to breath like no tomorrow. Cut exactly to the right of the outline drawn around the word "AIR FILTER" that's been molded into the housing. That way you leave enough room at the end to attach a new enclosure explained in the next modification. This existing setup I ran for many weeks, unbeknownst to you ZX2 list members. There just was no way I could explain it without showing you pictures, I didn't want anyone to go out and take a hacksaw to their airbox and do it the wrong way. If you attempt this mod, do it EXACTLY as shown above, as there is no second chance. I took a file down to the edge and cleaned it up nice and smooth as well.
Run the stock airfilter or a K&N filter (as shown later) with this mod. Don't worry about water getting into the setup, as the entire area sees very LITTLE water. It can't get in from underneith, nor can it get in from the front of the car. If you do it right, the airfilter will still remain somewhat tucked inside of the plastic housing, protected against the occasional shot of water you might give it with the hose.
You will now only use two bolts to hold the airbox on, the third normally used to hold the other half which you should have thrown into the garbage by now. ;) The bolts your using at this point, are on rubber mounts, that is, the airbox will be able to shift around a bit. It won't feel tightly mounted, but this is perfectly normal.Continue on to the next mod...

Cold Air Intake Modification.

The assembly above can be created using a clay to pvc converter, 4" - 4" availible at most hardware stores. It comes with both pipe clamps you see. It's in the sewer grade adapters section. If you cut the airbox assembly correctly in the prior mod, the larger end should fit on it perfectly. The alluminum tubing is a short length of 4" flexible aluminum dryer hose. It fits exactly into the smaller end of this adapter. Tighten both clamps and it should stay tight. When your done and have it all bolted back in place, it should look like this:

Rather hidden, eh?
The way this works, is that there IS some air drawn in from the lower drivers side air inlet, shown below. It's not got the most direct path, and does have quite a few baffles in place to prevent the car from having water rammed into the engine, but it DOES blow cold air past the air intake with this setup, and will give you a noticable performance gain in that, depending on the weather outside, it won't take as much of a performance hit when it's warm out, and when it's cold outside, the engine will pull VERY hard.
Remember, ignition advance is controlled by air intake temperature. The sensor in the large rubber flexible intake tube that's right below the PVC bracket is the air intake temp sensor. The warmer the air, the less timing advance you will get. That means this engine will benefit dramatically to cold air. So, shown below, I've taken a dremel to the little air intake and carved out the little slits to be one big opening. Seems to work well enough.
Also is a picture of the inside fender that you should route the aluminum dryer hose to press against lightly. This is the opening that is behind the triangle shaped rubber shroud that you should have long since removed and tossed. =)

Of course, this setup wouldn't be complete without a K&N Air filter. Onto the next mod.
K&N Filter Installation.
By now you've done quite a few mods, or... you just want to add this filter since you don't want to rip your nice stock ZX2 air intake (which is thoroughly EEEEVIL!) apart. If your leaving the rest of the setup alone, I can understand. It's a rare breed of us that are willing to modify the workings of our cars, but this setup luckily is a basic flat out easy mod. The K&N Filter flows just about the best out of any air filter, much better over stock. Press your lips up to the standard paper filter and try to blow through. You barely can, it's that restrictive. A K&N Filter is a washable media. It's cotton gauze surrounded by stainless steel, impregnated with red oil. The oil traps the smaller particles, etc... etc. Blah blah. I'm not going to sell you on this idea on how it works. Just buy the thing and stick it in. =)

It's filter #0995. Same for the Escort wagon, same for the ZX2, and same for the Ranger. It's not the same as the contour, since it's a more square setup. While your at it, check out the K&N oil filter. Yeah, $10 US a pop, but hey... it's worth it to me since it's got a 1" nut welded to the end of it. Makes deinstallation a breeze. I also like the way it looks, and the self assurance of knowing I have a high quality oil filter in my car is a nice feeling. My last car ended up costing me $7700 in repairs since the engine went south due to lackluster oil circulation performance. Lubrication is the key element to engine life. Spend the extra few dollars, it could go a long way.
It's filter #HP-2009. Very nice. Has an anti-drainback valve in it so each time you start up your ZX2, oil is allready in the system.
Well, that's about it for some of the mods I'm going to explain. Check out some of my other pictures I stuck online. They will have explanations on how to do em at some point in the future. The reason some of them don't, is because I have to take pictures of them- but need to take things apart to get them. The leather shift boot knob, shown elsewhere at this site, took 8 hours to install, and could easily take that again just to get you guys some snapshots.
- Keman

[simplicity05]

I saved the original post that zx2fast made about a month ago just before I did most of the keman intake (still gotta get the airbox to extend into the fender). I can copy/paste the exact text if you'd like.

Here's the pictures:

[ZX2Fast]

If the text is different then please post it. This is an old version and I can't remember if I had to update it at all. Thanks for the pictures, that keeps me from having to upload them again.

[simplicity05]

Looks like it's the same

[david gettle]

FYI. The text I posted above was origionally on ZX2.org, was saved on my computer on 01/13/2003.

[Fat_Dave]

if you have pics from kemans original post that would be fantastical

[zx2goldmember]

anyone have some reassuring words for me as to whether this would effect my ability to pass an emissions test? I suppose if anything goes wrong I can just go grab a K&N intake since they guarantee it to pass, but I'd rather save the 280 bux since I just bought all the stuff for the Keman (13 bux). Also when you say "louder and deeper sound" how much are we talkin about here? I'm not interested in sounding like a douchebag in this thing. Thanks for any information.

[arkarsk]

Also when you say "louder and deeper sound" how much are we talkin about here? I'm not interested in sounding like a douchebag in this thing.

hahah

I just did the mod today and really didn't notice much of a difference in sound. Just keep your old airbox and resonator so if you don't like the sound you can mount them back on.

[david gettle]

if you have pics from kemans original post that would be fantastical

I do have the original Kemen post saved as an HTML file, I'll try to e-mail it to CJW.

[david gettle]

hahah

I just did the mod today and really didn't notice much of a difference in sound. Just keep your old airbox and resonator so if you don't like the sound you can mount them back on.

:eek:How do you keep the old air box if you modify the factory air box?

[ZX2Fast]

anyone have some reassuring words for me as to whether this would effect my ability to pass an emissions test? I suppose if anything goes wrong I can just go grab a K&N intake since they guarantee it to pass, but I'd rather save the 280 bux since I just bought all the stuff for the Keman (13 bux). Also when you say "louder and deeper sound" how much are we talkin about here? I'm not interested in sounding like a douchebag in this thing. Thanks for any information.

If you have CARB standard test you won't pass the visual because you modified the original intake. It doesn't matter if the mod actually reduces emmissions, it only matters that it isn't factory. If you don't have to pass CARB standards then you'll be fine. This car will pass sniffer test even if you remove the cat.

[trekkor]

What kind if any HP gains are we talking about?


KT

[jdrzx2]

3-6 whp maybe.

[ParaDox_007]

so where do i purchase these items???

[silent_1999]

home depot, or lowes, or your local hardware store.

[Ali]

Hope it's not too dumb of a question, but what kind of paint can you use to paint the tubing? Spray paint ok?

[trekkor]

Rustoleum makes a paint that is specifically designed to stick to plastic.



KT

[Ali]

Thanks Trekkor, I appreciate it, gonna Kemanize my intake this weekend.:biggun:

[trekkor]

I'd be curious to hear your impression of the mod.


KT

[Ali]

Ok, sure thing, I'm going to the local pick and pull this weekend to pick up an extra air box, just in case I don't like it. Will hopefully get it done on Sunday, so I'll let you know next week sometime.

[ParaDox_007]

how long does this usually take to finish??

[blue_2001]

it took me a day but im picky with how things look on my car

[ParaDox_007]

and when they say scheduled 40 2" coupling

it doesn't mean a quantity of 40 of the 2" correct??

im noob to the googleplex power

[blue_2001]

schedule 40 is the type

[silent_1999]

I just used the 2 inch pvc pipe, this time I used a longer piece so I could get air directly from the fender. I also made a large opening on the bottom of the inner fender, so that I may get cold air all the time. here's a pic...
http://teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1127&stc=1&d=1214437614

[tre2000zx2]

jsut for nostalgia....heres the TRUE original text...from kemans very own site in 2002....

[ParaDox_007]

so am i able to use ABS pipe or is it strictly just pvc???

cuz i just went to lowes and got confused as hell and didn't know what to get...

some help?? part numbers cuz i had parts just not sure if it was the right ones...

[jesus45]

I think you should use PVC, i'm not exactly sure but it should work fine. Plus u don't wanna add weight to ur car with a heavy ass metal pipe.

[silent_1999]

i use 2 in diameter schedule 40 pvc. abs will probably distort w/ heat.

[trekkor]

Thanks for the picture.

What did you think of the performance increase?


KT

[silent_1999]

who were you addressing?

[trekkor]

who were you addressing?


If you know something... you!


Thanks



KT

[silent_1999]

well, i did the upper and lower resonators the week that I got the car, back in 2002. I noticed a huge difference. the engine breathes effortlessly. plus I like the tone that I get when I punch the gas on a freeway onramp! whoooooooooooh!

[trekkor]

OK, maybe I'll do that tomorrow, too.



KT

[ParaDox_007]

just did my mod...

out to take it for a test drive we'll see what happens

sounds pretty beastly so far

[trekkor]

Looking foward to the results.


KT

[ParaDox_007]

well will my results go up or down if i add a breather???

btw the car sounds beastly

and the reason why i added it was for look cuz that long piece of tubing from the engine to the air filter was bothering me

but if it hinders power i'll put it back on

oh yeah i didn't do the cold air

i just cut it off and thats it

if i added the extended tubing would i get better results??

cuz i really dont care about the resonating sound at all

[silent_1999]

which one did you do, the upper or the lower? The upper is the piping and the lower is where you saw the box to get more air? Btw, the power difference might take a day or two as the computer will start adjusting for the added airflow.

[ParaDox_007]

Well i did both... was i suppose to choose only one????

I sawed it off and I didn't add the tubing like the picture did, would that make a difference???

Its just cut off from the outline of the R all the way around with no adapter.

[Buster]

Now your engine has a vacuum cleaner attachment. :D

Sucks up dirt.

[ParaDox_007]

so that means i did it wrong?????

[Buster]

I was only joking, but I'm not sure what effects leaving it open will have. I think it's actually there to secure the filter more than to keep dirt out. I've seen other ZX2s on here with open-ended intakes.

[ParaDox_007]

well i still have the KnN filter on there i just cut it where the R is... Always had one in there its like a no brainer haha

But the basic set up

Is the PVC pipe where the first resinator is held down by stock clamps

2nd Resinator cut on the outline where the R is with no extended tubing

Should extended tubing be added??

Or should I keep it open

I just want the best gas mileage really

[trekkor]

I may look for a way to route the incoming air through the front bumper.
I'm sure most of you don't want a big hole in your car.


KT

[trekkor]

OK...

I did the intake mod.

I found that a 45° fitting worked better than the straight coupling.
Also, just used ABS pipe.

See what you think.

http://www.914club.com/bbs2/uploads/post-1413-1214529538_thumb.jpg



KT

[trekkor]

I cut the air box but did not add the extra material.

http://www.914club.com/bbs2/uploads/post-1413-1214529555_thumb.jpg



KT

[trekkor]

Here's the opening through the bumper and through the metal directly to the air box area.


http://www.914club.com/bbs2/uploads/post-1413-1214529573_thumb.jpg


KT

[ZX2Fast]

That ABS will probably warp with the underhood temps.

[trekkor]

I'll tell you what, I'll 'shoot it' with my pyrometer after a 30 minute session and report back tomorrow night.

I doubt it will get much higher than 150°.

Any other guesses?


KT

[Boski]

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i281/Bofur-78/car6.jpg


put a heat shield on it



all like did was took off that last air dam and blocked it with a thin peace of plastic so its just a straight thing now but it still looks stock

this photo was before my other mods

[trekkor]

After a long session in near 100° weather, I took a temp reading on the ABS section.
With the radiator fan running ( hot motor ) it read 135°.


Nice mod, BTW.
Noticeable improvement in throttle response.
One student rider asks: "Does this have a turbo?" http://www.914club.com/bbs2/style_emoticons/default/cool_shades.gif


Sounds good, too.
Before you could barely hear the motor. When I take student drivers out on track, I want them to hear when I'm on throttle.


KT

[silent_1999]

Great job Trekor! What kinda plastic did Boski use?

[ParaDox_007]

not sure if this is normal after the mod but

i did the mod as well as the resistor as i stated before

but i used a lil over quarter of a tank and i'm at 180 miles

is this a good sign or a bad sign

cuz unfortunately the gas gauge is funky on me cuz curising on the free way it went t a quarter tank ..... then when to full then back to a quarter and this is all on flat highway in San Diego on the I5 South going to Hwy 52 E

But its pretty flat

Oh yeah

I kinda did a bit more of a mod cuz I cut it open way more so I have my oxygen going into but still being easy on the quick take offs

Also wondering if I d/c the battery and reconnect it would it have to recalculate the air/fuel mixture or does it already do that on its own?

[Ali]

Did my Keman mod this weekend, looks, sounds and feels great, not a really big difference in sound but enough to notice. I'll get some pics up soon.

[somethingmore]

Does the engine still have a whine to it or is that just the stock intake sound? Cause I kinda like the whine, almost sounds like a supercharger/turbo...
And how much does this mod cost roughly, just the materials (pvc, clamps, adapters), no paint or anything? Thanks.

[Onespeed]

I did the mod last night... 2' piece of 2" ABS ($4.00), one 45 degree elbow ($1.00), one 4"-3" rubber boot, ($2.00), 2 hose clamps ($2.00). All this from Lowe's for a total of ~$10.00. I used a rubber boot that actually slips over the cut air filter housing, negating the need to use any epoxy to seal it. I will post up some pics tomorrow.

The ABS will hold up just fine, it's stronger than a lot of other plastic pieces under the hood. If it gets hot enough to warp the ABS, you got much worse problems.

Throttle response is much better and car seems to run smoother overall. Best $10 I've ever spent on a car.

I would imagine a true, purpose built CAI would be better once other mods start getting added on, just to get the most out of each other, but for now this will work fine.

[J_Mob]

I did this-I just used a piece of drain pipe I had laying around from when we installed our shower. The rest is the stock parts.

http://a456.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/42/m_c56fc631b4d39672644b8ca39ddba12f.jpg

http://a566.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/110/m_df14e4a83abea8ebf7aea00fbfd8c95d.jpg

[somethingmore]

Well I did the mods. I used PVC instead of ABS cause all they had at Lowe's was ABS in 5 foot sections and I didn't wanna pay for a bunch I wasn't gonna use. I used my Dremel on the air filter box and a reciprocating saw (sawzall?) on the pvc section. I haven't painted anything or smoothed out the edges on the air filter box yet but I just wanted to put everything together and see how it looked. It does make a difference in sound and throttle response for sure. I really like it, thanks for all the info everyone!

Pics included!

[ilarson007]

I removed the lower resonator and noticed no difference in anything: sound, throttle response, nor power. Guess the restriction is in the intake holes and the upper resonator.

[somethingmore]

Some of the restriction is in the upper resonator but unless you cut the air filter housing you're not gonna see a lot of difference in anything. Just go for it and do it, it's easy as hell and doesn't take long at all.

[ilarson007]

We now have original text with the original pictures!! Located over here... (http://www.teamzx2.com/showthread.php?t=4402)

[Quimrider]

It's been so long since i've done this but you can use a piece of tail pipe that is flared at one end. Prime and Paint it and you don't have to worry about melting or warping from heat. I did have to put a small dent in it keep it from rubbing on what I think is the fuel rail pressure sensor. I think it was 2.5" or 2.75" tail pipe you can get at autozone. In theory it would flow more air as the tailpipe would have a larger inner diameter. I highly doubt it would be possible to measure the difference though.

[somethingmore]

Quimrider... what a name lmfao... anyway
In that same vein you can just go to a muffler/exhaust shop and get them to bend you up an intake using some exhaust pipe also. Most big chains might not do it but if you can find a good local shop they probably will. Then you just have to drill holes for your sensors and other connections to the pipe, you'll definitely have to get a cone filter though. K&N FTW!

[J_Mob]

You can go to autozone or checker and buy pieces to make your own chrome intake too.....but the idea was to modify what you have without spending too much money i think.

[ZX2Fast]

Using cheap pipe from the local shop is a good way to ruin your engine. That aluminized steel will rust inside and the engine will eat it. Not only that, but the bends are most likely to be crush bends which means flow will be interrupted and you will lose power over your stock intake. The exhaust pipe will also heat soak much more easily then plastic.

[somethingmore]

Well ok... Then go to a shop that has stainless steel pipe and uses mandrel bending instead of crush bending. As far as the heat soak issue, just run with the hood off :)

[ZX2Fast]

Any shop that has stainless and a mandrel bender is probably going to charge you more then just buying an intake from a dealer that comes with the adapter, couplings, and grommet. You probably didn't think about this, but you have to buy at least two couplings (90* for the TB and straight for the MAF) to install an intake. You'll need the MAF adapter and air filter as well. Once you think of all this, paying a shop what they want for stainless and bending just might cost more then just buying an intake.

[Quimrider]

The pipe I got is either stainless or a high grade steel, It's been there for 4 or 5 years and hasn't rusted where my cheap paint job has chipped.

[zx2goldmember]

Well my pre-noob questions are about 3 pages ago, but I did my mod. I actually did it in 3 sessions, to mesh with my work schedule due to drying times on the 2-part plastic epoxy.

The first day I put the 2" schedule 40 pipe together with the coupler with epoxy and let it hang out for 24 hours. The next day I took out the upper resonator and replaced it with said fixture. I used the epoxy to bond each end to the rubber, and let it sit for another 24 hours, while also removing the lower resonator.

At this point, I noticed: Very little sound difference and no performance gain whatsoever.

The second session was a week later when I grew the balls to cut the airbox. At this point, I didn't have the time to deal with glue dry-times and went straight to driving. My car was like this for about a month.

At this point, I noticed: Beautiful throaty sound which wasn't choppy like the quintessential bean-mobile. 30 miles to the gallon consistently IN-TOWN! No highway driving whatsoever and I wasn't driving like a grandma either. As a WAI in Reno during the summer, I noticed sluggish power but I still had the sound and mileage.

The 3rd session was just a couple weeks ago. I finally found the part at home depot (they were out for a while) and used my days off to bust out the epoxy. After I removed the useless triangular gasket thingamajig and pointed the 3" opening into the fender, I went to bed.

At this point, I noticed: Same beautiful throaty sound but less sluggish behaviour in our hot weather. Down to about 27 mpg now, in town.

If this helps anyone, sweet....if not, blame my noobishness.

[Duffurban36]

Ok well I just started this mod yesterday. Only took off the lower resonator. Noticeable sound difference but not power. Hopefully will find some Schedule 40 2" PVC pipe somewhere around town. I'm still nervous as to cutting into the airbox. Hopefully will get this done tomorrow.

[J_Mob]

^If your up in Denver ever I'll let you try mine....I put in a CAI now so the parts are sitting in my garage.

[Ali]

It's pretty easy to do and if you're unsure about it, do what I did, I went to the junkyard and bought an extra airbox, just in case. If you don't find one there, I'm sure somebody here has got an extra one for sale.

[Duffurban36]

Well today I cut more of the Air Box off so now I'm not so nervous to do it. Took like 10 seconds to cut it too. I only have the lower resonator off but with that good size gap it has a nice deep sound. Just waiting to get some kind of tubing for the upper part

[trekkor]

some kind of tubing

?!? It's $3 at *any* hardware store ?!?


KT

[Duffurban36]

I still don't have my license yet. I drive around illegally. So going far distances is kinda hard. Closest hardware store is like 20 miles away...

[trekkor]

Get a ride?


KT

[Spyware]

Does everyone here use the epoxy or have people had decent success with just the hose clamps? I'm not looking to make mine a perm mod as I'm not sure how well the mod would look on the wonderful required emissions testing here where I live.

[J_Mob]

I used the hose clamps that were on it and didn't have any problems.....

I'm about to put mine back on. I'm hating the lag with this cold air intake....might hybridize the two with the bigger inlet and the kemanized stock from the MAF back...

[trekkor]

I was in OSH today. The PVC display said 'cold water only'.

Why has it been suggested to use PVC over ABS again?



KT

[Loser47]

would it be better to do just the top part now and the cai later or would it be better to do them both at the same time(meaning would i see some benefits from just doing the top part of it?)

[J_Mob]

I think the biggest benefit is from opening up the air filter housing, though removing the upper baffle and replacing it also seemed to make a noticeable difference when I did mine. (I did the lower baffle and the housing first)

[ZX2Fast]

I was in OSH today. The PVC display said 'cold water only'.

Why has it been suggested to use PVC over ABS again?



KT

There are different types of PVC. You'll have to use schedule 40 for this mod or it will warp.

[trekkor]

It doesn't get that hot.

I already proved that.


KT

[Loser47]

I think the biggest benefit is from opening up the air filter housing, though removing the upper baffle and replacing it also seemed to make a noticeable difference when I did mine. (I did the lower baffle and the housing first)

ok, i was just gonna take the upper baffle out, then do the airbox thing when i have more time

[Beodude123]

I still don't have my license yet. I drive around illegally. So going far distances is kinda hard. Closest hardware store is like 20 miles away...

What happens if you hit somebody? Do you even have insurance? How about you just wait to get your stuff before you start driving.

[trekkor]

ok, i was just gonna take the upper baffle out, then do the airbox thing when i have more time

The whole project is about 30 minutes long.

You'll spend more time setting up/cleaning up twice, than just doing it once:winkyface:


KT

[Loser47]

well, i guess it could wait until saturday.. i want to run a wide strip thing that catches air behind the grill and funnels air into the intake. i dont know if you get what im saying so ill try to do a paint drawing later. so i dont know how long this is gonna take...

[trekkor]

I get what you are saying.

I did a ragged version. It can be done 'cleaner' for a street car.


KT

[Loser47]

will doing this cause it to run hotter?

[5whiskey]

I wouldn't cover the entire grill, but honestly I don't think it'll really matter too much. I don't think you'll pick up anything by doing it either, but I could be wrong. You never know until you try ;)

[Loser47]

i guess its worth a try then i'll do it this weekend

[Spyware]

Finally did mine!

http://joshmoyers.com/dump/keman1.jpg
http://joshmoyers.com/dump/keman2.jpg
http://joshmoyers.com/dump/keman3.jpg

Took about a half hour. Would have gotten it faster if I would have bought a bigger saw...

http://joshmoyers.com/dump/tinysaw.jpg

PVC pipe, 2" couple, saw.. Total price was less than $7...

[J_Mob]

^HAHAHA Did that saw come in a crackerjack box? LOL

[Spyware]

^HAHAHA Did that saw come in a crackerjack box? LOL

I think it's cute. =(

Besides.. It was only like $3.. =P

[J_Mob]

Hah...OK whatever works I guess. Am I the only one who didn't use a larger piece of pipe glued to the 2 inch? I just shoved it in the intake and tightened that hose clamp down. (Shoved it past the lip). Checked it for leaks and everything....worked A-OK.

[trekkor]

Nice!


KT

[nvSpeed]

Spyware.. buy some Gunk engine degreaser in a can, degrease that engine, you'll love it.

http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/7389/cimg1487fy4.jpg

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w122/speedx07/DSC01452.jpg

[doyoucompute]

So I'm pretty sure i'm gonna do this tomorrow. I got a friend to help me do some maintenance and I figure while I got him handy, I'll go ahead and do this. It looks most people now are leaving the filter housing open instead of adding on the extra material (like the sewage thing zx2fast used or the aluminum hose keman used) Should I go ahead and do that step, or have most of you found it works well without it?

[Ali]

I originally epoxied mine with the sewer thing, but must not have gotten the mix right so it fell off. Decided just to pull it off and leave the end open and it seems to work pretty well. Most other intakes like K&N and MMI have the filter open anyway so why not.

[doyoucompute]

I got it done last night as well as replacing the IAC and the fuel filter. It was dark and I didn't have time to paint the pvc, but I'm gonna go do it now. Love the sound though.

[doyoucompute]

Here are a couple of pics - I painted it with krylon for plastic spray paint with a satin finish:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3047/2871017470_68a20bbffd.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3087/2870187125_c4584ed036.jpg

I had fun doing it for sure.

Also, I noticed that when I took the intake off and was getting ready to start cutting the air box, there was a small hole, close to the diameter of a dime but smaller in the air box. The hole was in the part I cut off so it's not a problem now, but could that little hole have been causing some idle anomalies?

[Spyware]

I don't see why it would. The hole was before the filter so there wasn't anything getting in that shouldn't be. And basically you just made that hole a LOT bigger. =P

[doyoucompute]

I don't see why it would. The hole was before the filter so there wasn't anything getting in that shouldn't be. And basically you just made that hole a LOT bigger. =P

You're probably right. BTW, I wonder which of us has the dirtier engine?

[Spyware]

You're probably right. BTW, I wonder which of us has the dirtier engine?

I think my battery is cleaner than yours. =P

[Buster]

Just picked up and painted (black) a scrap piece of PVC. This will be next for my car.

So, in the last month, I will have done the knocker mod, MechTech's resistor and oil, a Keman intake, a new alternator, new upgraded grounds and battery terminals.

Car's running smooth and hopefully will be even better on gas. :D

[Buster]

I did mine this weekend. Noticeable difference when I mash the gas pedal, even though I don't usually do that. I had to try this out though. Great mod.

I also used a longer pipe and extended the cut-off piece at the filter closer to the fender. I did not use the sewer thing on the end, just left it open. The end of it where the R is in AIR FILTER actually rests just underneath the AC line. :D

[chevroletwizard]

Just done the intake mod myself two days ago. Wow what a difference in throttle response and virtually eliminated prior lag in acceleration. When I say that I mean in everyday driving, I'm no street racer I just drive normal, but trying to help it out anyway I can. What I liked about this is that if after performing it, you don't like it, it is easy enough to reverse. I cut the air filter housing and just left it open, and left the lower resonator there and the triangle rubber in the fender. Basically, this is no different than flipping the air cleaner lid on old small blocks like we used to do. Thanks.

[Buster]

It sounds so nice. I'm killing my fuel economy experiment with the resistor/knock sensor/oil in fuel. :D

Actually, the MPGs are still looking at a nice improvement despite my 3 days of heavy-footing it to hear the intake sound.

I'll stop it. Hopefully. :)




chevywiz - get that lower res out of there. It takes up so much space and blocks so much air. You'll be amazed how restrictive it looks when you pull it out. It only has a couple of bolts holding it in.

[Spyware]

Lol you aren't kidding. In the pictures I saw I was thinking it was about the size of my fist. Turns out that thing is GIANT.

[Buster]

I pulled it and and said "HOOOOOOOOOOLY CRAP" outloud. Then I looked around for any way for air to get in...saw nothing. What is that thing, just like some kind of silencer for the intake? :rofl:

[Beodude123]

Pretty much. It's just another spot for sound waves to bounce to.