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Hi all,
I mentioned a cold air induction that I installed in my '88 900 8V.
I was hoping the improvement would be enough to notice : I was *very*
suprised at how much things improved. The system was a klugey
homebrew that I'm sure most folks could easily reproduce.
The idea is to get COLD air (lots more O2 molecules per unit
volume) and plenty of it into the engine. The problem w/ the stock
setup is that the air's not very cold (it comes from right by the
radiator) and it's got to go through a tortuous path to get to the
engine. I live at around 6000 ft, so my car needed all the help it
could get.
As a first check, to convince yourself that this is worth the
trouble, you *may* want to try the following : Remove the air box
(that the air filter sits in), the air filter, the preheat hose that
comes from the exhaust manifold, the preheat hose "switch" and the
intake tube that comes from near the radiator. Drive your car ONLY A
LITTLE BIT and see if feels any more lively. The proiblem, of course,
is that any airborne schmutz can pass straight into your cylinders,
which is a Bad Thing. Be especially careful not to dive until the
electric fan kicks in...
Anyway, if the above made any difference and your engine still
works (mine does) you probably want a way to get your car to breathe
clean cold air. Since the 8V non-turbo doesn't have an intercooler or
an oil cooler, there's plenty of real estate and cold air lurking just
beneath the left headlight. The idea is to get a cone type K&N air
filter situated down there, with a reasonably clear shot to the intake
manifold. The only real problem is the Air Flow Sensor (the metal
plate & venturi connected to the CIS fuel injection distributor.
I went to the local Home Depot plumbing section. In the area w/ large
plumbing fittings there were some made of soft rubber (Fernco brand).
I got 2 of the 3" ells (right angle bends), a 4" flexible coupling
(meant to flex a bit while in use; it's sort of pooched out in the
middle) and some short sections of 3" and 4" PVC pipe : a foot each is
plenty. I also scrounged some flat 1/4" PVC; some other material
would do. Out of this PVC, I cut a circle of about 5" diameter with a
3" hole in the middle. Using PVC cement (and pipe cleaner), I glued
this circular piece to a 2" length of the 3" PVC pipe. This results
in a nice sturdy flange that can be epoxied on to the base of a K&N
cone-type air filter. (I just went to the local car parts place and
opened boxes until I found one that looked reasonable.)
The filter + flange assembly goes down below the front left headlight.
(It helps to remove the light and turn signal for access.) Now one of
the Fernco Ell pieces can attach to the flange and also to the
(slightly tapered) projection on the underside of the Air Flow Sensor.
I used a hose clamp and some cable ties to secure this joint; in
retrospect, I would recommend cleaning the parts thoroughly (using
Windex !) and applying some black silicone glue. Its not a bad fit,
but you *really* don't want this joint to come undone : your engine
would run better for a while, but once some grit got to your cylinders
it would start going downhill fast ! Anyway, the air flow sensor
needs to be supportwed by something other than the plumbing. I used
some pre-drilled 3/4" angled metal pieces and nuts and bolts to rig a
support. The AFS (Air Flow Sensor) needs to be tipped a bit towards
the right of the car.
Now to get from the AFS to the throttle body. I found that the 4"
flexible Fernco fitting had just enough flare in the middle that when
I cut it in half the cut end fit nicely over the top of the AFS.
Before attaching it though, cut a short (2") length of the 4" PVC
pipe. Insert this into the uncut end of the 4" flexible
fitting. Next, with plenty of black silicone glue, insert one end of
the 3" ell fitting into the INSIDE of the 4" pipe. (All clean and
dried of course.) The result is an Ell fitting that can be
hose-clamped nicely to the top of the Air Flow Sensor. The interior
profile (as seen by the cold whooshing air) isn't bad at all! At the
other end of this Ell, I trimmed off the flared part and found that
the resulting tube was just a smidge larger than the throttle body:
nothing a tight hose clamp couldn't fix.
And that's it. Not all that hard, and the parts are readily available
and cheap (except, maybe for that K$N filter : about $50, IIRC). My
car is no racer, but it's decidedly peppier : I can cruise at 85 along
the front range (between 6000' and 7000') and around town I don't
downshift for power nearly as often. It is a bit noisier -- the stock
air box and air filter act as a muffler for those intake (suction)
pulses. But the sound is only noticeable when the engine is pulling
hard, and even then it isn't too loud. Kinda sporty, in a non-hotrod
sort of way.
Good luck !
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