Modifying the Stock Air Intake System

[ArdaPro]

Big thanks for the guys who came up with this stuff, big thanks for GOLDPRO for letting us now and developing the thread
Happy Zoomin around

[FortySixxand2]

Does anyone have pictures of the mod yet? I'd like to do it because i'd like the little extra push free and my engine bay seems to get a little hotter than maybe it should sometimes. And also I see in the later posts about taping holes? Which ones? I tried to detach the MAF sensor but it looks like one of the screws is pretty much stripped and won't budge, anything i can do? Thanks in advance.

[koyb02]

hello, i have 20003 Protoge 5 & just purchased a short ram intake from eBay, the one that cost $30.00+/-. do i eliminate the whole intake box? and i noticed that there are 3 hoses that connect to the BIG tube intake, the short ram kit only came with 2 hoses. dunno whut to do.... do i use the chrome pipe or just connect the air filter to the stock pipe???? can anyone help on this one????

[Mazda_Powered]

if you're struggling with installing a short ram intake, i'd almost recommend getting a shop to do it...its a fairly easy install. Remove your stock air box, piping, resonator crap. Install the pipe, connect it to your maf, then connect the filter to the other end of the maf....

JACK.

[koyb02]

I just installed a short intake on my Protoge 5, and looks cool. The only thing wrong now is that it doesn't start as it did before. I have to try 2 or more times to start. It runs/sounds great but it feels slower... Also, now the ENGINE light is now on, is this normal & will I mess up the engine with this light on????? Please help, I don't wanna ruin the engine.. Oh, I drove it on the freeway & it feels a little bit slower...? S.O.S.!!!!??

[FortySixxand2]

First of all...$30 intake off ebay? Tisk tisk. Secondly, disconnect the negative cable from the battery for about 10 minutes, and put it back on and start up the car and drive it around for 5 minutes or so. The ECU needs to recal. If that doesn't help you did it wrong..

[koyb02]

this is what i installed a couple of days ago & the engine light is still ON after i disconnected the battery & drove a around for a while..... it still sounds good feels good when driving but still have problems starting the car a couple times....... also, still feels slow on the freeway........... it was pretty easy to install........

[FortySixxand2]

this is what i installed a couple of days ago & the engine light is still ON after i disconnected the battery & drove a around for a while..... it still sounds good feels good when driving but still have problems starting the car a couple times....... also, still feels slow on the freeway........... it was pretty easy to install........

well if what i said didn't do the trick then idk. haven't had experience with intakes coming in that many pieces...haha =/.

[koyb02]

i finally restarted from scratch & reinstalled the shortram & it PURRRRZZZZZ like a kitten!!! its pretty loud though :-) i can really feel the difference with this setup. iguess an exhaust system is next.

any suggestion anyone???? so far i like the sound of the pacesetter but i only heard on a Del Sol.........

[koyb02]

and yo..... thanx for your help 46&2

[MENINBLK]

Just to give you guys a bit of info to make you feel safer about water intrusion,
K&N was testing how much force it would take for oil to leave a filter.
They used a GM Tahoe or some other large SUV for testing.
*** At 90 MPH, the intake velocity was ony 4 MPH. ***
That was on an 8 cyl gasoline engine.
On a 4 cyl, it has to be the same or less.....

A 4 MPH wind doesn't carry much water with it...

[casutton88]

Nice car i cant belive all the tourqe you are puttin done. I have also modded my stock air system after buying a secret weapon intake from weapon-r. I didnt get the tourqe i wanted so i put the stock pipe back on and switched the filter and its alot better so listen to this guy he knows what he is talkin about.

[97pro-zack1.5]

WOW! i did that today and got a noticable power gain. will post pics on my page. not the step by step pics but the end results.

[SAprotege02]

great mod

i did the cutaway portion of the mod on my 02 protege 2.0 and already have pretty good results. i'm gonna try taking off the mesh thing tonight though which will probably help a lot more. goldstar, you're my new best friend.

as for the check engine light, i'm almost positive it was a problem with your installation of the MAF sensor but i'm glad you got it worked out.


i'm thinking of trying to combine a short ram air intake with this mod. i want to try to get the air filter pretty close to the grill and cut out as much area around it as possible. while i know this makes it very similar to a cold air intake, my thoughts are that the location of the air filter will not only make it true ram air but will also provide a little warmer air than a normal CAI would. i want to do this so i can keep my low end power while still boosting my top end a little bit.

any ideas?

[LarryP]

Wow, just did the mods and noticed a difference, not massive but very positive!! Thanks Goldstar and others!! Specifically, I did the cutout using the "half cutout, bend down and create a mini scoop" technique spoken of a few times earlier in this thread.

Overall, I did the following:
1. Opened up the cutaway portion and fashioned a small mini scoop;
2. cleaned and sealed (with the recommended duct tape) the various water drain holes within the intake duct; and
3. sanded down the rough edge at the 90degree turn near the airbox intake.

The only thing I couldn't do is to remove the MAF intake screen. I tried to knock it out, gently of course, and it seemed kind of stuck in there so I did not want to force anything. I may try again but there is only so much I can do there without accidentally ruining the $$$ sensor.

Total cost: about 7-8" of duct tape, maybe 2cents!!! LOL