How to Install an Air Intake System
Late model air box construction does nothing but inhibit the flow of cool, dense air into your engine's intake, reducing performance and fuel economy. The easiest way to get more horsepower and extra miles per gallon from fuel-injected cars and trucks is by adding a new air intake to the throttle body of your engine.
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Things You'll Need
- Mandrel bent air tube
- High-flow cone filter
- Flexible elbow
- (3) Hose clamps
- Screwdriver
- Crescent wrench
- Carburetor cleaner
- Plastic tie straps
- Pliers
- Rags
Instructions
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1
Park the vehicle in a well-lit area and raise the hood. Disconnect the red, positive battery cable and tie it back with a thin tie strap to prevent the cable from coming in contact with the battery during the installation.
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2
Disconnect the factory air intake assembly from the intake manifold throttle body. Use a screwdriver to release the fastener, or loosen a clamp with pliers. Move to the factory air box and release the intake tubing from the air box before you pull the tubing free from the throttle body. Loosen any retaining fasteners that connect the factory tubing to a mounting bracket and remove the tube from the engine compartment.
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3
Open the factory air box and remove the filter element inside. Locate the housing brackets and remove the retaining bolts to extract the entire air box from its mounting bracket. Consider removing any guards and engine shields that surround the air box before attempting to remove the assembly. Some late-model vehicles require portions of the grille to be removed to get at all the air box fasteners.
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4
Clean around the throttle body outlet where the flexible elbow will be connected to the intake manifold. The new air intake is made up of a thin-walled mandrel bent aluminum tube fastened to the throttle body using a rubber elbow and two hose clamps to make the connection to the new tubing.
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5
Align the tubing so that is follows the factory intake tubing path towards the space where the factory air box was located. Use the retaining bracket of the old air tube to secure the new air intake tubing in place. The new intake can be secured using a tie strap or by having a mounting bracket secured to the tubing to secure it in place.
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6
Use a hose clamp to secure a high-flow cone air filter to the end of the new air intake tube. Reconnect the red, positive cable to the vehicle's battery.
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Tips & Warnings
Include a new air intake heat shield to improve the performance of this type of air intake assembly. Surrounding the cone filter, the heat shield restricts heat from entering the space where cool air enters the tube through the air filter. Sheet metal can be installed once the correct bend has been made. Secure it using the old air box mounting brackets to keep the heat shield in place.
Reusable filters should be cleaned as directed. A clogged or dirty filter will result in poor engine performance and internal damage in extreme conditions. Add a dust cover to a high-flow air filter when used in extended wind-blown conditions for the best results.
