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What probs come with Homemade Cold Air Intakes?

3K views 25 replies 13 participants last post by  ALTIMADAN 
#1 ·
Going to install a cold air intake on my 97 GXE this Friday. Going to run it up under the front bumper. What are problems I should look out for.

:confused:
 
#3 ·
mine works good as hell and sounds awesome too. u'd be surprised OTB what creativity and some hard work can do. anyways, do what u wanna do especially if u'r on a budget, but if u can, buy the real thing...u cant ever beat that
 
#8 ·
Re: Re: What probs come with Homemade Cold Air Intakes?

Bud Lite said:

for me it was a pain in the ass to remove when it came disconnected..... : ( i finally broke down and bought a wai from alex for 38$ and it sounds great!! alex@southwestautoworks.com
the cold air sounds sooo much better....trust me
 
#18 ·
When PVC heats up, it gives off fumes that's bad for the engine to "breathe" in.

You're safer to use ABS plactic (the black colored one), or exhaust tubing.

Yes, metal is a heat conductor. But you can wrap it with insulating tape available from Home Depot. The tape has an adhesive foam-side and the other side is aluminum.
 
#19 ·
shabu said:
I heard pvc wasn't made for the heat inside the engine bay - I think abs plastic works though.
Yes. ABS is the same plastic that is used for the factory intake and air box.
 
#20 ·
nytemask said:
Why is pvc a bad idea. Metal is a heat conductor. You would think that pvc would be better....:confused:
Some argue that PVC isn't intended for high heat. But CPVC and even PVC is often used in hot water applications and exhaust vent stacks for high-efficiency furnaces, etc. The temp ratings are about 140-150F continuous for PVC and 195-200F for CPVC. They suggest ABS is for higher temps. I disagree. So does this:
http://www.plasticpipe.org/pubs/download/notes/TN11-99.PDF
which suggests (on it's last page) that ABS falls inbetween PVC and CPVC in it's max temperature capacity.
My sig takes you to the page for the homemade PVC CAI that I've been running for 8 months with zero problems. There is only about 6" of PVC in the engine compartment, and that is between the battery and the fender.
 
#21 ·
But I'm pretty sure that engines temps get over 150 F. I would still stay away from PVC.
 
#22 ·
I wonder how high my indoor/outdoor temp gauge goes... I can pull the sensor back from it's spot under the front bumper and tape it to the intake for awhile. It records max/min history, too, so I won't even have to watch it.
A project for the long weekend! I can add it to "measuring the front swaybar" on my todo list.
 
#25 ·
the thermostat is fully open at 194 degrees. certain areas of the engine bay are even hotter than that (exhaust, etc..). bottom line is that its too hot for pvc. and yes, pvc is used for hot water flow but hot gas and hot liquid are two different things.
 
#26 ·
md93 said:
the thermostat is fully open at 194 degrees. certain areas of the engine bay are even hotter than that (exhaust, etc..). bottom line is that its too hot for pvc. and yes, pvc is used for hot water flow but hot gas and hot liquid are two different things.
^bump^
 
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