Is it worth installing a CAI on a '93 regular Luminal 3.1 liter MFI? This car has 130k miles and it gets approx 22 mpg right now (city) The cost of my design is going to cost $65. (3" PVC run from intake hose to a K&N cone filter between radiator and engine below ignition coil pack). Are there any problems that I may run into? Such as Air Flow Sensor not reading correctly after being taken from the air box and installed into the 3" PVC pipe. Input is appreciated.

Jeffcoslacker, do you have any input on this topic?

IMO, it'd do better to be run into a fenderwell or something more shielded than the bottom of the engine bay. Especially considering the hot exaust manifolds and the warm air being generated by the radiator coils (even hotter if AC is on), I think you'd get warmer air from that location. Also, look at your AC refrigerant lines sometime, I'm sure they're pock-marked from road debris. Unless you have an outer box to shield that expensive K&N, it wouldn't last long.

I took an idea from my sister's 97 Grand Am and ran my intake to the fenderwell. Bolt the WW fluid resivoir from a GA as well and you can actually see the battery, nice improvement. Works nicely, though only a few degrees difference in reported temperature due to the thermistor warming up from normal radiated engine bay heat.

Another idea is like the above, but move the battery to the trunk and just run a straight shot to the fenderwell. Maybe get a plastic box designed to partition off the engine bay for CAI or fenderwell setups to help seal that hole.

I think there shouldn't be a problem, If you increase the diameter AFTER a Mass Air Flow sensor, it may confuse it. After I busted out the holes in my stock box, it seemed to take a little while to recognize the additional flow or something, like it was too lean when I really punched it, but as time went on it got stronger and more responsive.

Cad's right, it would be nice to shield that cone from dirt, water, and especially excessive heat. The new dryer ducts are reflective heat-resistant foil, might be perfect ducting for a ram-air type setup if you could wing it. Bringing in some additional cool air to the underhood environment couldn't hurt either.

When we had the major flood in '93 here (St Louis), I pulled a lot of stranded boneheads outta floodwater. Most memorable was a guy in a brand spankin' new Infiniti Q45, that just drove through knee-high water with it before it quit.

Got over to the dealer, put it down, and the service manager came over with a booster box and tried to start it. Imagine a metal bucket full of broken metal parts rolling down a hill, and you have some idea what it sounded like.

The SM said, "I've got 3 like this in here right now. Destroyed from sucking water in the CAI's, those cast alloy pistons just shatter when the cold water hits them. This engine's junk. $6000 for a new one, and it's not warranteed. He shoulda read the owner's manual, it says don't drive it into water more than 4" deep. Dumbass."

Moral of the story?

Keep your intake high ;)

My sister ran through 3' deep ponds in her apartment complex's parking lot in her GA, killed the engine. When I was called over I was praying it was just electrical, but no, the 3100 took a healthy gulp of water. And they kept trying to start it, which I'm glad didn't bust the walls or a rod. Tore the engine down, replaced pretty much all the gaskets and fluids, and so far it runs good. She claims it'll open up and redline randomly for no reason, but I've yet to see it happen. So far, no short-term evidence of damage is present, mechanically, but I'm waiting for the shoe to drop.

Moral of the story: I like Jeff's morals.

My sister ran through 3' deep ponds in her apartment complex's parking lot in her GA, killed the engine. When I was called over I was praying it was just electrical, but no, the 3100 took a healthy gulp of water. And they kept trying to start it, which I'm glad didn't bust the walls or a rod. Tore the engine down, replaced pretty much all the gaskets and fluids, and so far it runs good. She claims it'll open up and redline randomly for no reason, but I've yet to see it happen. So far, no short-term evidence of damage is present, mechanically, but I'm waiting for the shoe to drop.

Moral of the story: I like Jeff's morals.

My best flood water story. That year ('93) I had a '79 VW Rabbit diesel that my grandpa gave me when he quit driving. I had a Mercury that was my primary ride, but the little diesel got 50 mpg, would idle in the 90+ heat with the a/c on without budging the temp gauge, so it was perfect for that year. Because of the closed highways and unbelievable traffic (my 20 min ride home was taking 2-3 hours) all summer, it was a no brainer.

So I'm coming home, and there is people getting off the highway at a ramp that had been closed for weeks. Thinking maybe the water had gone down some, I got off there. Turned out, someone has just moved the barricade outta frustration, the water was still high, and everybody was just getting back on the onramp. I looked down the road at the water, and decided to go for it.

Was just puttin' along, water getting deeper and deeper, started slipping the clutch to keep the rev's high, could hear the tailpipe burbling under water. Water started coming in at the bottom of the doors, and the car started feeling light. :uhoh: Then is started loosing it's grip on the road momentarily, would start drifting in an unwanted direction. I was starting to think I might have to go swimming.

Looking out my window, it seemed I was looking out directly across the water's surface, it was almost to the glass. Then, as I looked in horror :eek7: , the water broke over the front of the hood. That's it, I thought, I'm done.

But it kept plugging along, actually seemed to get better traction, with a little downforce on the front. I couldn't think of any reason why it was still running, and I didn't care. At the deepest point, the water was breaking about halfway up the hoodline. Water was flowing in around door seals like Niagra.

Finally the water started getting shallower. The next few blocks sloped gently uphill, and I drove out of the water. I got down to the other end where the barricades were set, and suprised the hell outta a county sheriff and a National Guardsman. I come pulling up, draining water from every seam, engine gurgling happily. :screwy:

The cop was pissed. He gave me the third degree, but told me what I'd done to my car was punishment enough, he wasn't gonna ticket me. The Soldier had a little better sense of humor, was very impressed with the little car. Said maybe they ought to get some of those instead of the Humvee's :biggrin: . Said he'd seen some 4x4 trucks that got stranded out there where I was.

When I got home, I pulled all the body drains, and water poured out of the poor little car all night. In the morning I changed the oil, gearbox oil, and made sure the CV boots weren't fulla water (they weren't) and put new bands on them.

The only thing that kept me going, apparently, was the way the intake is shaped on the diesel Rabbit. Remember how the hood slopes up kinda sharply to the windshield? The intake comes off the back of the motor, and curves upwards back by the cowl. I had hole sawed the airbox on it too (not for performance, but because the vacuum pump had a bad diaphragm, and with the restriction in the box, it would suck oil outta the crankcase when you drove it hard, and I was too cheap to rebuild the pump), so it was inhaling air through the top of the box, probably the only spot under the hood that wasn't sitting in water :lol2:

Dang jeffcoslacker, sounds like that VW was pretty buff! :smokin: Thanks for the advice, because I didn't know sucking water into the intake would do that much damage and is something that I didin't take into consideration. Many CAI manufacturers fail to mention that. So, my plan now is to move my Battery (to where the air box once was, on that supporting bracket) and the windshild washer fluid. I'm not to keen on moving it to the trunk, seems like a bit to much work. Then, placing the intake right behind the driver side headlight in the fenderwell. Do you think using a piece of plywood to use as a platform for the battery would be sufficient? :confused: I'll see what I can come up with and if it works out, ill post a picture of my completed CAI in the future. Any input is appreciated. :grinno:

BTW, I currently have the filter placed between the radiatior and engine under the coil pack (installed the other day) and the car has definatly shown an improvement in acceleration from standstill, but I am not pleased with the location for may reasons as described above. :mad: Otherwise, the car seems to run fine with the Air Flow Sensor in its new location. :smile: