How To: Custom Cold Air Intake

[enry]

submitted by big_ben:

Required parts:
1. Tight Radius 90deg - 2.5" ID Aluminized steel exhaust tubing - 1 each(www.jcwhitney.com) part# 47ZX6175R - $29.95
2. Normal Radius 90deg - 2.5"ID Aluminized steel exhaust tubing - 2 each(www.jcwhitney.com) part# 81ZX2953P - $9.95 x 2

3. 1"x2' wide steel metal strip - 1 each(Any Lowes or Home Depot) $?
4. 2.5" rubber hose couplings with hose clamps - 3 each(Any Lowes or Home Depot) $2.50 x 3 (The couplings at Lowes say 2" but they are really 2.5")

5. 0.5"ID x 1.5" long steel tubing - 1 each (I don't know where you can get this, I got mine at the radiator shop that did the welding) $?

6. Cone air filter with 2.5" collar - 1 each (cost depends on what you buy)
7. 0.75" Silicone Hose - (AutoZone or Pep Boys) A complete kit with all sizes costs about $20
8. 0.75" x 1" bolt(1 each), nut that will fit the bolt(1 each), washer(1 each), lock washer(1 each)

Required tools:
1. Hack saw (this will take a while), I used a drill and bought a cutting disk from Lowes ($15)
2. Metal file (this will take a while), I used a grinding bit on a drill ($10)
3. 2 cans of spray primer, 2 cans of spray paint
4. Drill with several drill bits (sizes around 0.5" for the air temp sensor and crank case recirculation tube) I think that's what that tube is.


Building:
This part is very hard to tell you how to do. You basically have to get under the hood and see approximately where to cut the tubes. The tight radius will go into the throttle body so that you don't rub the master cylinder. Cut it to size. You want the pipes to be as strait as possible. So when you make cuts, make sure you angle the pipe in a way that it will come close to the battery box. Drill a hole that will let the 1.5" steel tube be welded. Then use the one of the normal radius 90's for the bend around the battery box. Make sure these two pipes line up pretty close. Make several marks on the two pipes where they should be welded together. Cut the 1" wide metal strip in half, bend one half 90 degrees. This will be welded on the the pipe that passes the battery box and be used as a support brace. Draw lines on the tube on each side of the brace where it should be welded. Leave a gap for the MAS. Then use the second normal radius 90 to go into the fender area. Drill a hole in this tube for the air temp sensor to fit in. (I'm not sure on the size) Try to angle the tube going into the fender so that the bottom end angles forward so that the filter doesn't rub on the wheel shroud. Use the other piece of the 1" metal strip for the brace here. The bend I made there wasn't quite 90 degrees. Make marks in the same way for this piece to be welded on. Take the tubes to any place that does welding(radiator shop, muffler shop, etc.), make sure that the pieces are marked and numbered well enough for a monkey to understand how to put them together. This should cost no more than $25 to get them welded. After you get it back, you will need to grind down the welds, or get them to do it for you. It will cost a little more then. Tell them to make it look good though. Then drill holes through the ends of the supports so they can be bolted into place. There is already a bolt on the front corner of the battery box for the 1st section. After you finish the intake, paint it with several coats of primer and several coats of paint. I recommend using high temp paint. You don't have to though. You will have to remove the overflow tank and modify it for the section going into the fender. There is instructions for this on the MHP website, but I did mine different and it looks much better than theirs. Theirs is mounted at a dumb looking angle. Mine is straight. To do this, you have to cut the base in half and drill a new hole. You can see how to do this in the pictures. The pictures are self explanatory and if you look at them long enough, you will easily understand how you need to build this intake. Have fun and take your time. It took me about 2 or 3 days to do it. Not working on it all day of course.

Pics to come soon

[ES-2.0-X-2]

sounds simple enough, do you have pictures of the process or of the finished product, they would be great. thanks

[TXprotege]

Originally posted by enry
submitted by big_ben:

Required parts:
1. Tight Radius 90deg - 2.5" ID Aluminized steel exhaust tubing - 1 each(www.jcwhitney.com) part# 47ZX6175R - $29.95
2. Normal Radius 90deg - 2.5"ID Aluminized steel exhaust tubing - 2 each(www.jcwhitney.com) part# 81ZX2953P - $9.95 x 2

3. 1"x2' wide steel metal strip - 1 each(Any Lowes or Home Depot) $?
4. 2.5" rubber hose couplings with hose clamps - 3 each(Any Lowes or Home Depot) $2.50 x 3 (The couplings at Lowes say 2" but they are really 2.5")

5. 0.5"ID x 1.5" long steel tubing - 1 each (I don't know where you can get this, I got mine at the radiator shop that did the welding) $?

6. Cone air filter with 2.5" collar - 1 each (cost depends on what you buy)
7. 0.75" Silicone Hose - (AutoZone or Pep Boys) A complete kit with all sizes costs about $20
8. 0.75" x 1" bolt(1 each), nut that will fit the bolt(1 each), washer(1 each), lock washer(1 each)

Required tools:
1. Hack saw (this will take a while), I used a drill and bought a cutting disk from Lowes ($15)
2. Metal file (this will take a while), I used a grinding bit on a drill ($10)
3. 2 cans of spray primer, 2 cans of spray paint
4. Drill with several drill bits (sizes around 0.5" for the air temp sensor and crank case recirculation tube) I think that's what that tube is.


Building:
This part is very hard to tell you how to do. You basically have to get under the hood and see approximately where to cut the tubes. The tight radius will go into the throttle body so that you don't rub the master cylinder. Cut it to size. You want the pipes to be as strait as possible. So when you make cuts, make sure you angle the pipe in a way that it will come close to the battery box. Drill a hole that will let the 1.5" steel tube be welded. Then use the one of the normal radius 90's for the bend around the battery box. Make sure these two pipes line up pretty close. Make several marks on the two pipes where they should be welded together. Cut the 1" wide metal strip in half, bend one half 90 degrees. This will be welded on the the pipe that passes the battery box and be used as a support brace. Draw lines on the tube on each side of the brace where it should be welded. Leave a gap for the MAS. Then use the second normal radius 90 to go into the fender area. Drill a hole in this tube for the air temp sensor to fit in. (I'm not sure on the size) Try to angle the tube going into the fender so that the bottom end angles forward so that the filter doesn't rub on the wheel shroud. Use the other piece of the 1" metal strip for the brace here. The bend I made there wasn't quite 90 degrees. Make marks in the same way for this piece to be welded on. Take the tubes to any place that does welding(radiator shop, muffler shop, etc.), make sure that the pieces are marked and numbered well enough for a monkey to understand how to put them together. This should cost no more than $25 to get them welded. After you get it back, you will need to grind down the welds, or get them to do it for you. It will cost a little more then. Tell them to make it look good though. Then drill holes through the ends of the supports so they can be bolted into place. There is already a bolt on the front corner of the battery box for the 1st section. After you finish the intake, paint it with several coats of primer and several coats of paint. I recommend using high temp paint. You don't have to though. You will have to remove the overflow tank and modify it for the section going into the fender. There is instructions for this on the MHP website, but I did mine different and it looks much better than theirs. Theirs is mounted at a dumb looking angle. Mine is straight. To do this, you have to cut the base in half and drill a new hole. You can see how to do this in the pictures. The pictures are self explanatory and if you look at them long enough, you will easily understand how you need to build this intake. Have fun and take your time. It took me about 2 or 3 days to do it. Not working on it all day of course.

Pics to come soon

Does this apply to all gen pro's?

[pingdum]

I've seen people selling different kits for manual and automatic. Does it make a dfference?

[big_ben]

No.

[LinuxRacr]

Good quality. I've accually seen these things in the works.

[D-SPEC]

Question how much of an increase in Hp and torque should
I be looking for with a cold air intake?

[murdock_]

thanks for the write up. i saved that one for later :)

[rednecks_r_us]

I bought a Mazda Protege 2.0L Polished Intake Kit with K&N Filter from dohccivicna1250(7175) on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&category=10368&item=2413548634

They sent me the wrong parts. Stubborn me made them fit.
I used the stock pieces from the engine to the air sensor. Then I replaiced the air box with the polished 90 degree elbow and put the K&N filter on the other end.

Now the check engine light is on and the car won't idle. It bogs until 5500 RPS then bogs again at 6000.

It sounds good though.

Any suggestions on how to fix this?

Sorry to take your spot. I tried searching and this was the only one I could find that was somewhat related.

Later,

Bill

ZOOM-(cough-cough)-Zoom

[sal002]

That Ebay filter is a Short Ram, right? What is being described here is a CAI. Are there any pictures?

[big_ben]

The one's on ebay are pieces of shit. They are short rams and they more than likely result in a loss of power. There are plenty of photos you will just have to search for them.

[big_ben]

Actually, I'm not sure where they are on this site so here is a link to my photo album.

CAI photos (http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/big_ben2121/lst?.dir=/Cold+Air+Intake)

[sal002]

You still make them?

[big_ben]

No.

[sal002]

Damn... ;P

[sal002]

If you ever get "back in the game" of making them...let me know...I'd be very interested...

[justcharlie]

The ebay intakes are pieces of shit? Everyone else on here always says such great things about them.

[traitorhound]

well i just did kind of the same thing only i didnt' order any piping and just went straight to the muffler shop and it cost me 50 usd for the piping and to be mandrel bent injen style (promp3 gave me an injen elbow) so all i gotta get are the hose couplers for the MAF and then me and raidermp5 are going to make the brackets for it to hold this piping up (aluminized steel isn't exactly the lightest thing in the world) but it looks like it shoudl hold up nicely.

then i spent 30 bux on a ractive filter. .. pics will come over the weekend when i do the install

[loccusst]

Did you put in the air temp sensor in the intake? Is the air temp sensor and maf plugged in? just thoughts redneck.

[traitorhound]

eh i ened up not using it as of yet and just made a SRI for now. .still sounds cool and i noticed a difference in pickup. . .pretty sweet. .....i gave up on the CAI for now since drilling the hole for the temp sensor was a bitch

[TheJohnny]

Pics Please....thanks...I'm in the market for an SRI.

[traitorhound]

here are the pics from the install a coupel nights ago

/members/traitorhound/sri/picture_0865.jpg

/members/traitorhound/sri/picture_0866.jpg

/members/traitorhound/sri/picture_0867.jpg

/members/traitorhound/sri/picture_0868.jpg

/members/traitorhound/sri/picture_0869.jpg

[gar777]

cool how-to. here's another low-budget way to get cold air into your Protege:

http://www.clubprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1977

[c0nfus3d]

the cai sucks from ebay.....i have the sri tho it works nice and as for the check engine light i believe you have to disconnect the negative side terminal from you battery for 10seconds.....correct me if im wrong it solved the problem on my cousins car

[FLSilverP5]

I found a decent cold air intake from ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2467325171&category=38634&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBBI%3AIT&rd=1
Let me know what u think

[garretts77]

I found a decent cold air intake from ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2467325171&category=38634&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBBI%3AIT&rd=1
Let me know what u think
I just put mine on last night. I like it. Here are some pics of one installed:
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48373&highlight=ebay+cai

I am ordering a K&N for it though. Only like $30 shipped through AJ-USA.

[MyReDpR5]

Just wanted to say that I installed a CAI today that I got from Ebay. It's polished red with blue couplers. I initially had some trouble with the filter wanting to bang up against the bumper frame on the inside of the wheel well. But after adjusting and re-adjusting I finally got it to fit. Took me about an hour. I had removed the neg side of the battery before I started and was pleased to see that in the end I had no CEL. I couldn't wait to get it out on the road. The first thing I noticed was the responsiveness to the throttle. It definitely had more pep. Once I got to 2nd gear I could hear the growl. Just enough to feel it, but not so loud that it was annoying. Once back in the garage, I was surprised to hear the hiss as I turned off the engine. Kinda cool.

All in all I'd say I'm pretty pleased with the overall results and definitely feel that my $50 was well spent. I'll post pics as soon as I take some.

By the way, thanks for the walkthroughs posted on here. With no instructions I was a little lost.

[memo79]

Hey, MyReDpR5, how did you get it to stop bumping up against the bumper inside inside the wheel well? In what way did you adjust it? I just put mine in today, and i'm having the same prob.

[MyReDpR5]

Hey, MyReDpR5, how did you get it to stop bumping up against the bumper inside inside the wheel well? In what way did you adjust it? I just put mine in today, and i'm having the same prob.


I just loosened the clamps on all of the couplers until I was able to shift the intake pipes around a bit. I would move it a little and check the clearance on the filter, then when it was far enough away I tightened all of the clamps down.

So far, it is holding.

If anyone else has a better solution, I'd love to hear it.

Thanks

[Mizle]

I just got my CAI (ebay) and i will be installing it tomorrow (June 22) hopefully all goes well and everything works right. Ill let you all know how it turns out and if it made a diffrence or not.

[memo79]

Here's a thumb of my intake i bought off of ebay from liveonspeed.

[MyReDpR5]

Here's a thumb of my intake i bought off of ebay from liveonspeed.

Looks good, that's the same one I got. (See website)

Interesting thing you did with the couplers, what is that, electrical tape? If it is, you better watch it, the heat from your engine may make it start to shrink or curl.

Did you get the filter to stop hitting the bumper supports?

[Mizle]

when ur putting in the intake how do u get it around the coolant container? is there a way to move it?

[memo79]

Looks good, that's the same one I got. (See website)

Interesting thing you did with the couplers, what is that, electrical tape? If it is, you better watch it, the heat from your engine may make it start to shrink or curl.

Did you get the filter to stop hitting the bumper supports?

yeah, the tape's already shrunk, so now i have blue and black striped couplers!!!! I bet nobody else has any of those!!!! As for the filter, it don't hit as long as i keep the rpm's up when releasing the clutch (you know how the engine vibrates sometimes when you let the clutch out too slow @ lower rpm's) as long as i don't do that it doesn't hit. but still, i'm gonna adjust it, cause i have to take the tape off, anyhow, so i'll adjust it then.
Hey, i've seen this on other posts, but i'll ask here anyways......
anyone notice with a CAI that your rpm's @ idle drop dramatically? my car idles at around 400 rpm's. it used to be 800 with the stock intake. anyone know why this is so?

[memo79]

when ur putting in the intake how do u get it around the coolant container? is there a way to move it?

yeah, if you look @ the pic about 4 posts down, you'll notice the coolant reservoir has been moved from it's original position. all you have to do is remove the container, rotate the bracket 180 degrees, and bolt it into the hole closest to the wheel-well. the problem i had with this is that both the bracket AND hole are threaded, and this won't allow you to tighten down enough to keep the bracket from swinging around. so I took a metal strip with holes in it, and used it as a supplemental brace. you can see in the pic, also, it's the silver piece. once you've done that, the opening's free to receive the intake piping.

[MyReDpR5]

Hey, i've seen this on other posts, but i'll ask here anyways......
anyone notice with a CAI that your rpm's @ idle drop dramatically? my car idles at around 400 rpm's. it used to be 800 with the stock intake. anyone know why this is so?

I didn't notice any different in my idle RPM, it has always idled around 800 and didn't change after installing the CAI. Did you disconnect your battery while installing the CAI. Even if you did, you may want to remove the neg side of the battery again for about 12 hours. That may help.

[memo79]

I'll try that when I readjust the intake. we'll see..............

[Mizle]

well today was a pretty shitty day for intake installing. I went to put in my intake today and all was goin fine til i got to the air sensor. Never wouldve thought those screws were in there so tight. so yea i stripped them and now im kinda stuck. Anyone know of any good ways to get a stripped screw out? oh by the way, Memo79 thanks for the info on the coolant tank, but what did u do about that little steel bar (not sure that it is) that goes directly over the hole? did u just turn it or somethin?

[blu01protegemp3]

Http://www.procarpartsonline.com has the Weapon*R Dragon intake for $145 bux with free shipping. sounds good and can really feel a difference.

[WetsuitxNinja]

I didn't notice any different in my idle RPM, it has always idled around 800 and didn't change after installing the CAI. Did you disconnect your battery while installing the CAI. Even if you did, you may want to remove the neg side of the battery again for about 12 hours. That may help.

Ive read you just disconnect the neg batt cable and then turn your headlights on to drain the electrical system...

[komiero]

i noticed a lot of you have been saying that the CAI you buy from ebay sucks and some of you say that i works quiet well for you. i myself am in the market and plan on doing this mod myself. i would like to know on why some of you think it sucks and why is it good (from experience of course). i just dont wanna spend 50+ buck on something thats not worth the money...

what would everyone recomend

thanks

[Zhan]

Are there any guides for the Mazdaspeed models?

Thanks.

[WetsuitxNinja]

i noticed a lot of you have been saying that the CAI you buy from ebay sucks and some of you say that i works quiet well for you. i myself am in the market and plan on doing this mod myself. i would like to know on why some of you think it sucks and why is it good (from experience of course). i just dont wanna spend 50+ buck on something thats not worth the money...

what would everyone recomend

thanks


I got my ebay CAI from x3racing. Fits perfect, shitty filter though. I would probably buy a carb legal one (AEM, K&N) if I had to do it again though.

[nealric]

I have the x3 racing one too.
I got a K+N filter on it- works great. The provided filter is worthless- dont use it.

I dont think its worth the extra $ for the name brand- even if you live in an area that has to meet carb, its such a quick install- you can easily put the stock airbox on when you need an inspection.
Ive had my car inspected in both colorado and texas and had no issues.

[komiero]

So i installed the cold air intake in my car about a month ago....works great love the sound etc. etc.
Anyways about a week ago I heard a clicking sound. I noticed that this only happens when the car warms up....I figured out that this clicking sound is coming from the "purge solenoid valve" and only clicks when the engine is idling. When I give it some gas it goes away, when it comes back to idle it starts to click....any suggestion? (scratch) it's not to loud but does get frustrating.

[KrayzieFox]

Kind of off-topic, but what seriously happened to all the eBay intakes that used to be all over the place? I mean CAI of course, you can get a SRI any day, but I don't see any Cold Airs except the Injens, AEM, and Weapon R. I'd be willing to settle for a cheap $50-$60 one instead but they're just not around anymore. Did people just quit making them or what?

[Zhan]

Hm, nothing on DIY intakes for the MSP yet? I might do one of these unless I can find a cheap aftermarket intake by Sunday (when the Ebay/Paypal deal runs out ;D).

[shrooms258]

XD! i made mine out of furnace ducting and a fram cone filter