CAI-Already searched the forums

[Bkindhart]

Hey, I dont mean to beat a dead horse with another thread about CAI. I am having trouble locating what I need. I have searched a couple days, but cant find spcifically what I am looking for. I am making a homeade CAI for my 2005 Grand Prix GTP. I cannot find where anyone has posted a CAI install for the 04+...Anyone have any pics, or directions for this? I dont want to put a cone right off the throttle body, i still want the pipe and everyything...Can someone please help me out!

[NegativeOne13]

Get a tape measure and measure your ports. Then go to town. There is no specific way you have to do it, get creative. Check out Parts for sale section, get a 9" AEM cone for 20 bucks shipped.

[NegativeOne13]

AEM 9"X4" CONICAL DRYFLOW AIR FILTER ELEMENT 21-2059DK | eBay

And there are pics on here of 04+ setups.

[blueguy]

You can't put a cone right on the throttle body because you have an external MAF setup. Bolt a cone to the end of the MAF instead.

[Bkindhart]

Ok, that's where my problem was lying, the external MAF...I appreciate the help fella's! thanks again!

[starscream5000]

You can also replace the stock accordian hose with a 3 or 4" 22.5 degree PCV pipe. That's what I did.

[blueguy]

^^This guy knows.

[FriboRage]

You can also replace the stock accordian hose with a 3 or 4" 22.5 degree PCV pipe. That's what I did.

I dunno if Im just dumb but when I tried that it was too long with a 9" filter.

Between the 22.5* pipe I got, the 2 couplers to go from 3-4" then 4-3", and the MAF, the whole thing wouldnt fit in there, I couldnt wiggle it onto the throttle body any way I tried, and I tried for a good 20 minutes before I just slapped the accordian tubing back on and put the maf and filter on that.

Also, Bkind, if you have trouble, shoot me a msg and I'll get you some pictures of what I did with mine, cause I had some issues to work around with my 08

[vailskier3]

^ i have a 9" on mine with a 45* bend. works just fine...

[FriboRage]

Yeah, your picture is the one I was looking at for guidance, and it looks like you have plenty of room but I dunno, maybe my section of pipe was longer, or my couplers were longer or something... it was a good inch or 2 too tight in there.

cause every other way, yours looks the same as what I did except for the tubing. I'll fix it someday, lol

[Bkindhart]

^ i have a 9" on mine with a 45* bend. works just fine...

Would that be too restrictive? Less of an angle is best, am I right?

And pictures would be great of the 08

[FriboRage]

Less of an angle is best, but 45* is fine, most people use that.

I think most pre-04 use 45* because a 22.5* pipe would bump into stuff on that side of the engine bay that the 04+ people dont have, so we have more room to use a smaller angle...

Im starting to suspect that maybe my pipe was just too long or something.

I'll take some pictures tomorrow, the biggest problem I had was that my MAF was bolted into the stock airbox, not clamped on with a screw-type clamp like on all the other pictures I've seen. The result of that was that the filter had a very very very small lip to clamp onto and kept slipping off the moment the clamp began to tighten.

It's kind of ghetto rigged, but it works great so far. I just put 2 zip ties through the bolt holes on the MAF and strung them under the clamp on the filter, and back around. Tightened the filter down a bit and then snugged up the zip ties as tight as I could. Then I tightened down the clamp as tight as I could.

The zip ties hold the MAF onto the filter and the clamp seals it up.

I've come to find I have some weird pain in the ass California emissions package that it seems like nobody on this forum has, lol. So I had a few extra things to deal with when I did it, like an air tube that went into the stock air box to feed a smog pump/air pump, I just got a crankcase breather filter and crammed it into the hose and clamped it down.

I dunno if you have the same MAF I do, but if yours clamps onto the air box like a normal one there's really nothing to worry about.



This will work great if you have a normal MAF that just clamps on, this is vailskier's setup

[Bkindhart]

Ok cool...any pictures would be great. From anyone, more than one set up would be great just so I can see what I would like to do! Thanks again!

[vailskier3]

this is my setup just so you can see what stuff i have. i might be changing it soon though.

3" to 4" coupler
4" pvc pipe
4" to 3" coupler
maf
cone

[Bkindhart]

That looks pretty good...why are you changing it? And specific reason?

[vailskier3]

idk if it makes sense to have a 4" section when the TB is 3" and the maf is 3" too...idk, i'm on my 4th intake setup now...lol

[FriboRage]

idk if it makes sense to have a 4" section when the TB is 3" and the maf is 3" too...idk, i'm on my 4th intake setup now...lol

I've read that discussion a few times and the way I think of it is that with a 3" pipe, the airflow is just keeping up with what's needed, but with a 4" section that offers some extra space and flow, it acts like a reserve tank when you wanna go fast, you're able to pull more air through that 3" TB since there's more air available in that 4" section of the pipe.

Although, Im sure you wouldnt really have a noticable difference.

[vailskier3]

my thoughts are that i'm hardly modded anyways, so who gives a ****. lol

[FriboRage]

^^^^^

[Bkindhart]

Lol I hear ya man!! I searched a lot and always seen the argument about it not making sense to have a 4in tube with a 3in throttle body...I guess it is just personal preference and every vehicle is different. I think this is the route I am going to take! Simple enough and inexpensive for the same effect!