Modifying the Stock Air Intake System

[BMW ///MPOWER]

also by the way no they arent basically low end power, peak torque on the 1.8L is at 4000 rpm's and peak power is at 6000rpm's. how is that down low power? exactly.....!

[phoenixzero]

when you say u bend pipes is it the pvc pipes or is it metal piping? did it really help or should i just get an injen? because if its all the same i'll make on.
thanks

[bonsai]

After driving around for a month or so with the mod + scoop and checking the filter every week or so, ive noticed that i'll suck in a couple of bugs and grass and stuff... what ive done now, is get a peice of flyscreen, and superglue it around the entrance. Its helped alot with stopping crap from entering the car. Just a thought if anyone else has done the scoop mod to put a peice of flyscreen infront of the snorkel entrance to stop any rubbish entering the airbox.

If anyone wants images i'll take some later.

[goldstar]

bonsai,

Once again you've provided us with useful information. I was just wondering if you found any decrease in performance due to the screen over the snorkel inlet. The reason I ask is that it might act like the OEM screen in front of the MAF sensor which also seems to restrict power to some extent by increasing the pressure drop in the inlet system.

02 DX Millenium Red

[bonsai]

Hey Goldstar,

Only marginal to none at all. I used fairly decent sized flyscreen. However what i do notice is that it revs very cleanly all the way to 5k. Whereas before it would rev to about 3 1/2 then it would hessitate a little then fly all the way up. Now it very nicely goes all the way up evenly.

Overall I think its worth it just to keep your air filter in good condition. I dont know about the states but in Australia K&N filters cost well over $100AU.

[18green99]

I got around to doing this mod today. After resetting the ecu, I took it out for a spin. The power increase was nice, but i'm worried abuot my idle speed. The car keeps dropping from normal idle (about 750) to about 250, then jumping back up. Has anyone else experienced this?

[bonsai]

Hi,

That's just the ECU optimising your engine, it should stop wtihin a day or so from resetting. For my car it was about 3 hours.

I got around to doing this mod today. After resetting the ecu, I took it out for a spin. The power increase was nice, but i'm worried abuot my idle speed. The car keeps dropping from normal idle (about 750) to about 250, then jumping back up. Has anyone else experienced this?

[goldstar]

18green99,

I'm glad your mod was succesful in terms of the power increase. However, the two mods discussed here, opening up the grill and removing the MAF sensor screen should in no way affect the idle speed or cause it to vary.

I have never experienced this problem nor has anyone else who performed these mods ever reported an idle problem on this thread.

Are you getting an MIL light? If you are, get the system read for the code which will locate the area where the problem exists. Offhand, I would suggest that you check to make sure the IAT sensor is properly mounted in the air box and the connecting cable is attached. Then check that the MAF sensor is correctly mounted (with no air leaks on the engine side) and its cable is securely connected.

If these two components are okay, the only other thing I can think of to inspect would be the idle air control valve which is mounted on the throttle body. According to the FSM, to access this for testing, the throttle body must first be removed and then the IAC valve is removed from the throttle body.

I hope this will help you, but if not, there are other more knowledgeable members of the Forum who can undoubtedly give you better advice than I'm capable of doing. Good luck and let us know how things work out.

02 DX Millenium Red

[Sylvestre]

Great info in this thread.

I did the cut-outs today and noticed a bit of a change in the butt-o-meter but dunno how much of it was psychological. I have to do a bit more driving to see.

Thanks for the info.

[18green99]

When i started my car up this morning it was fine again, so it was probably like bonsai said.

[Redlining]

Pictures of the mod...

I've done this mod as well as put in a custom designed CAI. I've got pictures of it on my website at:

http://members.rogers.com/cbrodnicki/

I haven't removed the MAF screen yet. When I get moved and setup in my garage I will do this and take and post pics. Hope these help.

[yuenho]

For those wanting to try this mod, but hesitate...

Hi,

there's a simple thing you can do without making any changes to your car.

First, pop the hood, but don't open it, leaving a small gap between the hood and the grill, then take the car for a spin!

You'll notice the responsiveness is way different!

My 0-100 kmh time dropped almost 2 secs on my 1.6 auto GL to about 11 secs.

I'm just looking around for a nice material to make the scoop now...

cheers!

yuen

[Solo Proto]

thats all fine till your hood flies open, smashing your room and windshield....close your hood and do it the right way...

[yuenho]

that's just for the 0-100 kmh sprint to convince yourself it's worth it to do the mod

and tested the catch it's pretty sound, so shoudl not fly open for a 200m sprint....

just a quick fix for those wanting to experience the difference without a chainsaw

Y

[yuenho]

just a quick fix for those wanting to experience the difference without a chainsaw

Y

So i did it, took a junior hacksaw to the grille and bent the plastic piece downwards to make a mini scoop.

i'm getting 0-100 times of around 11 secs.

still pokey, but not as bad as before. the engine is more responsive and a lot happier at mid range. launching is still slow. my feeling it that it's coz of the ram air effect.

those who have not yet done this mod, please seriously consider it