Any Powergains/fule economy gains

[CBFryman]

From this
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/98-99...QQcmdZViewItem

i know the filter is crap but i can pick up a K&N or Kool Blue later on or even prake out my new Mig and fabricate one of these. i already asked abotu something similar and was told the oil on the filter may do bad things to my MAF...some explanation would be helpful as to why/how.

[curtis73]

If you're original air intake assembly is restrictive, then this would give you some power, but 5hp is probably optimistic, not to mention possibly self-negating since you'll be sourcing hot underhood air from immediately near the engine.

The MAF (GM cars are a bit more succeptible to this than Fords, but still a concern) is an intensely delicate instrument. It contains a wire filament that gets heated and as a result increases its electrical resistance. As the air flows over it and cools the wire it alters the resistance sending that signal to the computer.

Oiled filters allow droplets of oil out of the gauze. As they go past the filament they get deposited, burning onto the wire or at least caking on and attracting the little pieces of dirt which foul the wire. There are procedures for cleaning the wire, but once its been soiled, its never the same.

I put a K&N on my SS (in the form of an SLP cold air intake) and within a few months the MAF was dead. Of course it could have been ready to die anyway, but the fact that my MAF's wires looked like a lint trap in a dryer could have been a clue too. I cleaned it and it kept throwing codes after a couple thousand miles. I replaced it and moved the MAF to the other end of the tubing (about 20") and after 20k the MAF still looks like the day I bought it. The inside of the tubing is catching most or all of the oil droplets before they can deposit on the MAF.

[MagicRat]

Good advice.

K&N does warn against over-oiling their filters for this reason. You may avoid trouble by applying oil from a K&N spray can sparingly. Not all the filter needs to show the pink/red colour of the oil at first.
The oil can creep a bit and soak into all areas after a few hours, so just a few light sprays may be all thats required.

[CBFryman]

the problem with moving my MAF is that i have no where to put it. I presume if i made my own intake from CPVC i could move it down towards the throttle body (perhaps even directly to the throttle body).
the filter in it now is pretty dirty, so i know just replacing it would add to fule economy, but if im going to spend the money for a filter i may as well add a few bucks in there and see if i can gain somehting else. If i where going to do this i would bend up some sheet metal and seal it to the hood for a heat sheild so it would pull form behind the head light and the fender well.
ill see if i can get some pictures of the engine comparmetn up soon.

[curtis73]

That's exactly what I did with mine. I used a combination of PVC and ABS since its what I had sitting around. My TB is right in front, so I used a rubber coupler to go from the TB to the MAF, then a modified factory coupler to a 90 degree elbow, then to a length of PVC about 20" long, then the filter which sits behind the driver's side headlight. I built a luan/fiberglass box to seal out hot air. Since the MAF originally lived on the air box near the headlight, I had to splice in some extra wire to get it to reach its new location.

[CBFryman]

i cant go with much bigger tubing (3" maybe) because of the alternator and fan shroud


maybe i can glass some bungs onto the PVC for these sensors, w/e they are.

oh and...

i hate love bugs.

[TheSilentChamber]

F U E L


Dont route the pvc close to anything that gets extreamly hot, when heated above about 250 degrees it starts to outgas.

[CBFryman]

ya i know, other than the alternator there is nothing that gets hot. i may end up using stainless exaust tubing though.

[CBFryman]

after thinking about it, would it be worth using ABS instead of CPVC? i think lowes sells black ABS piping in 2.5" and all the assorted elbows and all.
Also, to bend CPVC or ABS, would you use a blow torch and just grazeing the ouside untill it gets soft and then gently bending it or should i just make it uglier and get the elbows?

[curtis73]

Ugly and get the elbows. I wouldn't use CPVC, I'd just use PVC. Cheaper and holds paint better.

[beef_bourito]

when you get elbows, try to get the biggest sweep that will fit, bends are restrictive so avoid them as much as possible. that's why mandrel bending a tube is better than pressure bending one because mandrel bends are smoother.

[CBFryman]

so just PVC, not ABS?

[curtis73]

Either one but PVC is more stable around heat, I know it holds paint better, and I think its cheaper. I used a combination just because it was what I had laying around after a project. CPVC will work as well, but they are sized differently and it costs more.

I guess if I were starting from scratch and buying all new materials, I'd get PVC for those few tiny reasons, but I don't think it matters a hill of beans in the long run.