installed cai.... what now?

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disallow
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Postby disallow » Sat Nov 07, 2015 7:51 am

ok just trying to help. my first thought when I saw it was to check to make sure the filter is configured properly and that the engine is not taking unfiltered air.


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eieio
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Postby eieio » Sat Nov 07, 2015 7:52 am

disallow wrote:Not sure what you've done there. I would switch back to stock.
yep, stock works just fine:
no extra work
no additional mods to fix the mods
no loss of performance
no loss of money
no aggravation (unless you like aggravation - some people do! :? )

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disallow
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Postby disallow » Sat Nov 07, 2015 7:55 am

no ecm codes
no potential damage to the engine when the filter doesn't do its job.

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eieio
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Postby eieio » Sat Nov 07, 2015 8:00 am

disallow wrote:no ecm codes
no potential damage to the engine when the filter doesn't do its job.
big one, right here! :wink:

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Sat Nov 07, 2015 8:24 am

Air follows the path of least resistance. While the air that is pulled through the end of the filter as you have it setup will be cold air, the sides of the filter are still exposed to hot engine compartment air. The air inlet inside the fenderwell is not a forced air design, just an opening into an area where there is cooler air than what is inside the engine compartment. If you build a sealed box around your current filter, you should remove the air duct at the front of the filter because you would then be limiting your air intake to the small filter surface area at the inlet of the cone filter. With it removed, the air would be able to be pulled into the box and surround the entire filter and use all of the surface area of the filter.

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Postby smj999smj » Sat Nov 07, 2015 8:32 am

disallow wrote:do you mean an intake spacer?

I've always thought these were snake oil, but then I saw that SMJ was thinking about putting one on so now its got me thinking...

t
The throttle body spacers don't seem to do much for performance and some of them cause an annoying "whistle" noise. A lot of people, especially those at the Frontier and Xterra forums, have installed the XTP spacer and raved about them. There are dyno charts to show the before and after affects of the spacer and they do seem to smooth out the power and torque curves compared to stock and give it a modest increase in power and torque.
One of the things I first noticed about the stock upper plenum design when I first replaced spark plugs was the sharp angle the air has to take right before it goes into the lower intake manifold. Then the spacer came out and to my eyes, it seemed to give a more gradual path of flow from the plenum to the lower intake just by simply extending the runner length 1/2". It will probably make replacing the spark plugs without removing the upper plenum a lot easier, too! I'm hoping it will allow me to be able to remove the #1 coil pack without disassembling it to get it through the hole in the plenum.

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ValleyWalker
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possible fix...

Postby ValleyWalker » Sat Nov 07, 2015 8:33 am

https://www.dropbox.com/s/35beasmerqx97 ... 4.JPG?dl=0

Here, the airflow goes into the box at the top and the filter won't fit inside at that angle. So, I'll have to get a hose that goes from the filter, to the end of the air pipe. But at least this way, I can rule out the potential problem of hot engine air.

See my super awesome graphical aid:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1fogwbus8ot69o6/27.jpg?dl=0

Here you can see that the shape of my filter prohibits it from connecting to the air hose going OUT of the box (b/c that hose sits too high/close to top of box).
I need to stop at store and buy an flexible hose (highlighted in yellow).
It's jury-rigged, but at least this will eliminate one problem at a time I guess, lolz.
Last edited by ValleyWalker on Fri Nov 13, 2015 5:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Postby smj999smj » Sat Nov 07, 2015 8:45 am

You could have simply got a drop-in filter like a K&N and accomplished what you have here and saved a lot of headache and work. Can you return the kit you have purchased to the place that sold it to you, maybe even for store credit? If so, I would return it and get a CAI that has been designed for your vehicle (i.e. Volant, Nismo, aFe, whatever). They may be a little more money, but the company has already taken the time to design a system that will fit and work so all you have to do is bolt it in. I'm not saying this to pick on your system; I'm just trying to save you a whole lot of headache!

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Postby ValleyWalker » Sat Nov 07, 2015 8:47 am

I just added a pic to my above post.... what are you're thoughts on that?

Anyway, I've reached out to the seller and told him it's not working.
I'll see what he says when he gets back to me but I'll return it and go w/ a full K&N setup

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SETI20
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Postby SETI20 » Sat Nov 07, 2015 9:36 am

While I am not a mechanic, I did work in the "automotive tuning industry" for over a decade. I have worked for shops where they researched and manufactured performance parts. Intakes were some of them.

Lemme tell you this; according to measured dynamometer results, intake temperature is MUCH more important than filter flow. And those filters don't flow such a vast amount more to compensate for the increase in air temperature you get from sucking in boiling hot air. The factory air box is quite heat efficient.

I would go back to stock. This is more trouble than it's worth the gain of half a horse power. Sounds cool, though.

Those intake manifold spacer claims are marginally more believable. Plenum air speed does have an effect on power.

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Postby smj999smj » Sat Nov 07, 2015 3:05 pm

ValleyWalker wrote:I just added a pic to my above post.... what are you're thoughts on that?

Anyway, I've reached out to the seller and told him it's not working.
I'll see what he says when he gets back to me but I'll return it and go w/ a full K&N setup
The problem with your putting the filter in the stock box at an angle is two-fold. First, you are adding a 90 bend, which adds restriction. The second is that the cone filter is not positioned in the most optimal direction.
K&N systems run in the $300 range. For that much money, you could get an Injen or for even less, a Volant air intake for around $250 or an AirAid for $235:

http://www.lmperformance.com/car.asp?c= ... 5&b=0&su=N

Of course, if the store offers you store credit, your options might be limited.

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Postby SETI20 » Sat Nov 07, 2015 11:24 pm

Seriously. Just go with those flat K&N replacement filters in the stock box. And if you're feeling particularly DIY like, you may replace the plastic piping to the intake with some of those cheap aluminum tubing kits. Spray with rhino liner to make them nice and stealthy. Smooth tubes > ridged tubes.

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Postby smj999smj » Sun Nov 08, 2015 1:46 pm

SETI20 wrote:Seriously. Just go with those flat K&N replacement filters in the stock box. And if you're feeling particularly DIY like, you may replace the plastic piping to the intake with some of those cheap aluminum tubing kits. Spray with rhino liner to make them nice and stealthy. Smooth tubes > ridged tubes.
The K&N drop-in filters only produce about a 2 HP gain and is not really worth the expense, IMO. It's probably why K&N never show any dyno results from the drop-in filters.

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Postby eieio » Sun Nov 08, 2015 3:03 pm

too much oil on an air filter can gunk up the intake tract & foul the MAF sensor

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Postby disallow » Sun Nov 08, 2015 6:28 pm

smj999smj wrote:The K&N drop-in filters only produce about a 2 HP gain and is not really worth the expense, IMO. It's probably why K&N never show any dyno results from the drop-in filters.
I recall reviewing a study on airflow K&N Filter Charger drop in vs OEM Paper.

I can't find it now, but IIRC the K&N had a much better performance once loaded with dirt, whereas the OEM Paper filters became quite restrictive.

So performance is similar at the beginning, leaning to the K&N, but better over time, if that makes any sense.

That and I haven't bought an air filter in 6 years, which up here are $20-30 a piece. So this filter charger has paid for itself at least twice now. And it seems to be doing a great job with filtration, based on the white rag test I did on the intake the other day. Win-Win-Win! :)


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