COLD AIR INTAKE question (pics)

Rodn3y · Postby **Rodn3y** » September 3rd, 2007, 9:38 am

I just installed a CAI and the cone filter is in the fenderwell. when i look thru the bumper from the front of the car i see the filter so if rain is falling the filter gets wet from the rain itself while i'm driving.

Questions:
1. will the rain hitting the filter lead to hydrolocking (real heavy rain)?
2. should i invest in a bypass valve?
3. should i block up the bumper where the filter is located so it gets air from under d car only and not the front?

i did some research and everyone says only if the filter is completely submerged in water, hydrolocking will occur.

thanks..........

fafrumlosin · Postby **fafrumlosin** » September 3rd, 2007, 1:05 pm

quest 1,2, and 3 NO... leave as is

X_Factor · Postby **X_Factor** » September 3rd, 2007, 7:32 pm

can u relocate the filter probably higher up a bit?

u hadda be careful for dirt n mud...u dont wanna have to be cleaning the filter every 2weeks

Rodn3y · Postby **Rodn3y** » September 3rd, 2007, 8:34 pm

well i put d filter as high as it can possibly go.... its right under d battery is d lil hole .

Pedro · Postby **Pedro** » September 6th, 2007, 1:01 pm

Where you bought the CAI?
I looking for one for a while now. I just have my filter installed right where the box use to sit.

cacasplat3 · Postby **cacasplat3** » September 6th, 2007, 1:26 pm

Rodn3y, what kind of car?

X2 · Postby X2 » September 6th, 2007, 1:34 pm

The filter getting wet should not be a problem... but yes, completely submerging in water or a puddle will likely hydrolock the engine (oftentimes meaning it's new engine time).

The rainy season is not a good time to run a CAI without a bypass valve...so maybe you might want to run a short ram style intake until rainy season done... to avoid the hassle.

cacasplat3 · Postby **cacasplat3** » September 6th, 2007, 1:37 pm

^^^true but, a well placed CAI is not a problem.....i've seen CAI above the front wheel inside the fender and the space for the fog light feeds in the air....real sweet setup...hard to build though

Rodn3y · Postby **Rodn3y** » September 6th, 2007, 2:24 pm

^^ daiz exactly how mine is.. d space for d fogs open so d filter gettin air from the front of the car...
i have a 2003 almera n i got the hole setup from TSC on the forum...
i dont think i gonna drive tru ny floods but i c d bypass valves for like 50 $US from AEM and then i c in some on EBAY for 10 $US...
so i doh know if 2 buy the ebay one or the AEM ones??? wha u'all think ?????

cornfused · Postby **cornfused** » September 6th, 2007, 2:36 pm

right now as of yesterday my shield came out of place so my filter can be viewed from the outside , i will repalce the shield cause depending on the brand of filter and its condition ,some sputtering can occur with puddles and heavy downpours , keppin the filter well oiled helps.

ps no real need for the bypass valve really

Rodn3y · Postby **Rodn3y** » September 6th, 2007, 2:56 pm

d filter i got wit the system is a noname filter.... do u all think i should buy a K&N filter dat has to b oiled n stuff... i read that some filters can be power washed to be cleaned.. i guess dat is what i have..

one more thing to those of u who have the oil filters.... did u ever have any problem with the MAF sensor and the oil that u use when cleaning the filter... read that d oil damages the sensor.

cacasplat3 · Postby **cacasplat3** » September 6th, 2007, 6:32 pm

over oiling allows some of the oil to be carried in the oil path. that dameages the MAF. the key is to oil it just the right amount and let it soak overnight. if there is still excess it should be wiped up and allowed to dry again. the best by-pass would be the AEM....the $10 one might open under a low vacuum and cause leaks. the oil filters are usually better than normal paper disposable ones. u mind putting up pics so we could get an idea...cuz water could splash on it now but submerge it later :shock:

X2 · Postby X2 » September 6th, 2007, 6:41 pm

DO NOT power wash filters.... reuseable filters must be cleaned with low pressure water from the inside out.

Pick up a K&N cleaner kit from any local performance shop... it comes with the cleaning solution and re oiling kit and can be used on ANY oiled filter. Most ebay style filters work decently but they are not all oiled filters, so watch what you buy... but the K&N's normally out last most anything on the market and are priced reasonably.

And yes, over oiling can damage MAF's... it's not a rumour... but u gotta use the oil or the filter will not do it's job.

The best thing on the market now is the AEM dry filter... I wish I could buy one... no oiling and it's reuseable.

Rodn3y · Postby **Rodn3y** » September 6th, 2007, 8:41 pm

will try to post pic weekend....

X_Factor · Postby **X_Factor** » September 7th, 2007, 12:21 am

i use a compressor...blow out the filter from inside out...and re use...but then again its the cheep simota n them i using...and i change them when i notice its REALLY nasty and discoloured

Rodn3y, waitin for d pics

Rodn3y · Postby **Rodn3y** » September 9th, 2007, 2:02 pm

This is the Intake with the MAF adapter

This is the part that goes into the fender well

This is when you look thru the part of the car where the fog lights usually are

There are two of these (part circled in red), the middle of the rubber has a hole that goes straight through the aluminum pipe.. i blocked it up but i dont know if i was supposed to..

Any suggestions as to what they are for?

And this is d extractor, no problem with this except alot more noise

Rodn3y · Postby **Rodn3y** » September 10th, 2007, 1:56 pm

do you all think dat intakes and extractors will allow the engine to burn lean? how can i determine if it is burning lean?

X2 · Postby X2 » September 10th, 2007, 2:00 pm

both free flowing intakes and larger extractors will allow the engine to have more efficient combustion and burn leaner yes.... enough to blow up the engine... unlikely.

The easiest way to check if you are running lean or rich is to read your spark plugs. If you don't know what to look for... do an internet search, I am sure there are 100 sites telling you what signs to look for and a method. If not... come back and ask... i'll type out the procedure.

Rodn3y · Postby **Rodn3y** » September 10th, 2007, 2:21 pm

^^ i now talk to a tuner who told me that i need a fuel pressure regulator b4 i detonate my engine... was reading about it on the net and some people use the regulator when they do intakes and exhaust.... ny one has intakes and exhaust and stock fuel pump? how is it working for u?

Got some info.. is dis it?
If the tip of the Spark plug is light tan colour - good burn
If the tip of the Spark plug is gray or looks like ash is on it - lean burn
If the tip of the Spark plug is black - rich burn

oh and... which is d better plug for an almera in terms of better gas usage and more accel. from your experience. already checked it out on d net n wanna know someone experience with them.. thanks
NGK Platinum
NGK Irridium
Denso Irridium

cacasplat3 · Postby **cacasplat3** » September 10th, 2007, 2:50 pm

i use NGK Platinum cuz thats what the car came with :!:

X2 · Postby X2 » September 10th, 2007, 2:56 pm

Rodn3y wrote:^^ i now talk to a tuner who told me that i need a fuel pressure regulator b4 i detonate my engine... was reading about it on the net and some people use the regulator when they do intakes and exhaust.... ny one has intakes and exhaust and stock fuel pump? how is it working for u?

Either you heard wrong or you were told wrong. Every car with a return based fueling system has a regulator. You can upgrade to an aftermarket one, but that is not the point. Cars with mods will inherently run leaner, but most computer controlled fuel management will compensate for minor changes in engine efficiency (intake, header, exhaust mods). For most ECU controlled cars, you DO NOT need to upgrade your stock fuel pump to run bolt on mods like the ones listed. If you running carbs... that is a slightly different story as you can control your fueling with hand tools... :oops:

Got some info.. is dis it?
If the tip of the Spark plug is light tan colour - good burn
If the tip of the Spark plug is gray or looks like ash is on it - lean burn
If the tip of the Spark plug is black - rich burn

basically that is the plug reading... very basic... but to the point... you should read up on how to run the engine to get an accurate plug read... basically run to redline, shut off and read the plugs.. not the easiest thing to do on public roads.

I will let the Nissan guys advise you on which plug works best for your car.

Tired Accord · Postby **Tired Accord** » September 10th, 2007, 3:38 pm

Rodn3y - in this rainy season, you will get alot of gunk on your filter (at least the forward facing part) in a short space of time. Especially seeing that the fog light is not there. This would happen more when you following vehicles on wet road...so my advice - stay in front! :twisted:

But seriously - yuh done run it already - so now you could consider turning it a few degrees every few weeks depending on how the front of it looks - so that you don't get just the front packing up with schit.

X_Factor · Postby **X_Factor** » September 10th, 2007, 9:41 pm

i using the NGK iridum--Bkr5EXI or something so...it works pretty decent but i cant compare to the previous plugs cause as soon as i got the car i did a tune up

how much did that CAI set up cost?

Rodn3y · Postby **Rodn3y** » September 11th, 2007, 10:36 am

^^ the price is 700 for everything from TSC on the forum

FugiTECH · Postby **FugiTECH** » September 11th, 2007, 7:40 pm

For most ECU controlled cars, you DO NOT need to upgrade your stock fuel pump to run bolt on mods like the ones listed

What if one thinks his Intank pump Is goin Bad and Getting a small MSD Out Tank Pump for his stock SR20DE with a CAI setup , the car has a return line so will the excess go back in the tank ??? or still Will the car run too lean , if its lets say a 60psi pump??

Postby **Dave** » September 12th, 2007, 7:50 am

u would run very rich, u will need a regulator to tone the pressure down

QG · Postby QG » September 16th, 2007, 12:11 am

Rodn3y wrote:do you all think dat intakes and extractors will allow the engine to burn lean? how can i determine if it is burning lean?

Great pic there...but u can get the meter to read if you are burning lean or not.

QG · Postby QG » September 16th, 2007, 12:12 am

^^^what dave said

krack korn · Postby **krack korn** » September 16th, 2007, 6:15 am

THE_FUGITIVES, ur SR is already blessed with a FPR on the injector rail that maintains the fuel presure at 3 bar relative to manifold pressure.

If u are changing to a very high flow pump then the stock regulator might not be able to return enough fuel to the tank and hence the pressure in the rail would exceed design spec and then what Dave said would be valid.

But u did say a small MSD pump (size does not indicate capacity however) and usually stock systems are unaffected by up to 190lph pumps, going to a 255lph pump may require an aftermarket FPR. The flow rate of the pump is what would be the deciding factor.

Rodn3y if u alone drive the car and u see a flood that may reach the filter just have a screwdriver ready, pop the bonnet, disconnect the coupling after the MAF and drive it like u stole it tru that flood. The rain and all that is negligible, just clean the filter more often, performance has a price. If u don't have control over the vehicle 100% of the time (female driver esp) u will want to get a bypass valve if only for piece of mind, don't matter what u pay $50 or $10 as long as it works.