soccerbrace
09-17-2007, 10:25 AM
Hey everyone. I have OWNED a K & N FIPK so I am not just relaying information. I want to tell you guys how to (IMHO-in my honest opinion) get the same performance of an after market intake using your stock intake system.
Start by cleaning your MAF (Mass air flow) sensor. I included a video. This guy on the vid is not me so I am not claiming to be the guy on here. Nor is that an Xterra, but the concept is nearly the same. Bear with the guy, he is about in depth as I am with the instructions. The MAF cleaner claims to give 4-6 hp at the wheels. :?
Video- http://videos.streetfire.net/video/42d3b6b3-5d4a-4fdb-bf86-986f015c3dac.htm
Here
(circled) is the MAF sensor. Pull it with a couple of philipps head screws.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/Xterra007.jpg
Now remove your resonators and plug the existing holes.
Here are a few videos of vehicles with their resonators removed. Do not worry, we will sound throaty not ricey.Promise!:P
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=resonator+removed&search=Search
My favorite is this before and after:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tVAZeEgFVg
This is the longest part of the process but still very quick. You must buy the following test plugs. You can find these in the plumbing section of Home Depot. I only have 2 because I JUST installed a snorkel. You have to get 3-two 2" plugs and one 1.5" plug. These are much simpler to use than a PVC plug in my opinion.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/xterrastuff047-2.jpg
Start with the easiest plug. there is a resonator branching off the intake hose going from your air box to your intake manifold. You will see on this picture the intake piping. there are two small hoses facing forward and one facing the rear. The one that is facing the rear has a resonator attached to it which is mounted to the wheel well. Remove the resonator and plug that hole.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/Xterra007.jpg
Next you have the T-hose as I like to call it. it is mounted on in between the air box and the headlight. Here it is:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/xterrastuff079-1.jpg
You will notice that there is a section that has plumber's goop on it. Do not worry about buying plumber's goop. I did it solely for waterproofing purposes and was in mid application come picture time. Regardless, this section goes into your air box. You cannot just plug that hole because the air temperature sensor is on there (in white). You will notice that it stay 2" round on one side and tapers to 1.5" on the other. OK. you will see that on the 1.5" side, it is attached to another resonator. This resonator mounts to the radiator. Remove this. Now, look at the hole that you removed it from. You will see it goes up and down like an accordion with the inner and outer diameters increasing and decreasing until it is straight again. You need to cut (using a sharp knife) on the part where there is the smallest diameter. You do this so that you can place the 1.5" plug in there and then it has a nice little fixture to expand in when you fasten the plug.
1-last plug. You will notice that the other side of the "T" runs to the inner fender. Some people might choose to leave this alone. When it runs to the inner fender, it immediately takes a 90 degree turn towards the rear as shown.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/xterrastuff077-1.jpg
This is the trickiest plug. To actually plug this, you have to cut again, but very carefully. There is a lot of winding and bending that the hose does and the angles are rather extreme. CUT WISELY! You are to plug that hose. You need to find a spot on the hose that has a long enough section of straight piping to get that test plug in. Again, a lot of people do not mess with that.
An additional step that you may or may not choose to do, is to also remove the baffle. Start with the trim and the inner plastic fender. I used a series of phillips/flathead and star headed screw when taking this assortment off.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/xterrastuff016-1.jpg
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/xterrastuff018-1.jpg
Notice how the outer plastic trim is mounted to the fenders...
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/xterrastuff019-1.jpg
The plastic inner fender is out. Aside from screws, there may also be a few plastic clips on the front of the piece.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/xterrastuff020-1.jpg
Those last two steps give you access to the baffle. As you look up under there you will see a forward and rear mount. Not that you can miss it but here is a picture of the baffle. You see that it has 2 mounts-forward, and rear. NOTE!-you do not have to remove your fender to access your baffle. This picture is just to give you an idea of it's location. I had mine off for another project.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/xterrastuff027-1.jpg
To get the front side of the baffle off, you must stick a 10mm wrench inside to hold it stationary and loosen from the outside. The Aft is not as difficult. Just take this bolt and bend it. I will come right off. It actually does not go through the fender. It is just a stud taped to the inner fender.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/xterrastuff028-1.jpg
The air filter comes next. I am only going to recommend the K & N drop in filter. From my experience this filter has been absolutely wonderful. I always feel a HP gain and it is gauranteed to do so. I am not mistaking this for throatiness either. It does give the exhaust a deeper,meaner sound which you will dig. Also, there is an increase in gas mileage that has been noticed in both my vehicles. It has been tried and true numerous times. One of the best things about it, is that there is a million mile warranty. This filter is completely re-usable and I would never go back to a stock filter after this and I just put one in my MR2. I paid around $50 for it. Google it and price match it . Copy and paste this part number.
K & N air filter (V6 xterra): 33-2031-2
Be aware 2" body lift owners, if you have not replaced your air filter since the body lift, you are in for a treat. It is a pain in the butt to get it to seal properly. Andy (WhiteX2000) suggested that I take an exacto knife and cut the "lip" off the filter to allow proper fitment.
But James...Will the oil from the K & N get on my MAF sensor and rend it inoperable!? No it won't
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjwBiPm2W5Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SPd10AswCo&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrU-sXkN4UY&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml8OIrMBfKU&mode=related&search=
Alright my friends! Happy modding!
DISCLAIMER, ADDING A K & N AIR FILTER WILL NOT VOID YOUR WARRANTY. I DON'T THINK I CAN SAY THE SAME ABOUT ALL THIS STUFF ^^ wink:
Any questions? Let me know-James
Start by cleaning your MAF (Mass air flow) sensor. I included a video. This guy on the vid is not me so I am not claiming to be the guy on here. Nor is that an Xterra, but the concept is nearly the same. Bear with the guy, he is about in depth as I am with the instructions. The MAF cleaner claims to give 4-6 hp at the wheels. :?
Video- http://videos.streetfire.net/video/42d3b6b3-5d4a-4fdb-bf86-986f015c3dac.htm
Here
(circled) is the MAF sensor. Pull it with a couple of philipps head screws.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/Xterra007.jpg
Now remove your resonators and plug the existing holes.
Here are a few videos of vehicles with their resonators removed. Do not worry, we will sound throaty not ricey.Promise!:P
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=resonator+removed&search=Search
My favorite is this before and after:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tVAZeEgFVg
This is the longest part of the process but still very quick. You must buy the following test plugs. You can find these in the plumbing section of Home Depot. I only have 2 because I JUST installed a snorkel. You have to get 3-two 2" plugs and one 1.5" plug. These are much simpler to use than a PVC plug in my opinion.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/xterrastuff047-2.jpg
Start with the easiest plug. there is a resonator branching off the intake hose going from your air box to your intake manifold. You will see on this picture the intake piping. there are two small hoses facing forward and one facing the rear. The one that is facing the rear has a resonator attached to it which is mounted to the wheel well. Remove the resonator and plug that hole.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/Xterra007.jpg
Next you have the T-hose as I like to call it. it is mounted on in between the air box and the headlight. Here it is:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/xterrastuff079-1.jpg
You will notice that there is a section that has plumber's goop on it. Do not worry about buying plumber's goop. I did it solely for waterproofing purposes and was in mid application come picture time. Regardless, this section goes into your air box. You cannot just plug that hole because the air temperature sensor is on there (in white). You will notice that it stay 2" round on one side and tapers to 1.5" on the other. OK. you will see that on the 1.5" side, it is attached to another resonator. This resonator mounts to the radiator. Remove this. Now, look at the hole that you removed it from. You will see it goes up and down like an accordion with the inner and outer diameters increasing and decreasing until it is straight again. You need to cut (using a sharp knife) on the part where there is the smallest diameter. You do this so that you can place the 1.5" plug in there and then it has a nice little fixture to expand in when you fasten the plug.
1-last plug. You will notice that the other side of the "T" runs to the inner fender. Some people might choose to leave this alone. When it runs to the inner fender, it immediately takes a 90 degree turn towards the rear as shown.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/xterrastuff077-1.jpg
This is the trickiest plug. To actually plug this, you have to cut again, but very carefully. There is a lot of winding and bending that the hose does and the angles are rather extreme. CUT WISELY! You are to plug that hose. You need to find a spot on the hose that has a long enough section of straight piping to get that test plug in. Again, a lot of people do not mess with that.
An additional step that you may or may not choose to do, is to also remove the baffle. Start with the trim and the inner plastic fender. I used a series of phillips/flathead and star headed screw when taking this assortment off.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/xterrastuff016-1.jpg
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/xterrastuff018-1.jpg
Notice how the outer plastic trim is mounted to the fenders...
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/xterrastuff019-1.jpg
The plastic inner fender is out. Aside from screws, there may also be a few plastic clips on the front of the piece.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/xterrastuff020-1.jpg
Those last two steps give you access to the baffle. As you look up under there you will see a forward and rear mount. Not that you can miss it but here is a picture of the baffle. You see that it has 2 mounts-forward, and rear. NOTE!-you do not have to remove your fender to access your baffle. This picture is just to give you an idea of it's location. I had mine off for another project.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/xterrastuff027-1.jpg
To get the front side of the baffle off, you must stick a 10mm wrench inside to hold it stationary and loosen from the outside. The Aft is not as difficult. Just take this bolt and bend it. I will come right off. It actually does not go through the fender. It is just a stud taped to the inner fender.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/xterrastuff028-1.jpg
The air filter comes next. I am only going to recommend the K & N drop in filter. From my experience this filter has been absolutely wonderful. I always feel a HP gain and it is gauranteed to do so. I am not mistaking this for throatiness either. It does give the exhaust a deeper,meaner sound which you will dig. Also, there is an increase in gas mileage that has been noticed in both my vehicles. It has been tried and true numerous times. One of the best things about it, is that there is a million mile warranty. This filter is completely re-usable and I would never go back to a stock filter after this and I just put one in my MR2. I paid around $50 for it. Google it and price match it . Copy and paste this part number.
K & N air filter (V6 xterra): 33-2031-2
Be aware 2" body lift owners, if you have not replaced your air filter since the body lift, you are in for a treat. It is a pain in the butt to get it to seal properly. Andy (WhiteX2000) suggested that I take an exacto knife and cut the "lip" off the filter to allow proper fitment.
But James...Will the oil from the K & N get on my MAF sensor and rend it inoperable!? No it won't
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjwBiPm2W5Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SPd10AswCo&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrU-sXkN4UY&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml8OIrMBfKU&mode=related&search=
Alright my friends! Happy modding!
DISCLAIMER, ADDING A K & N AIR FILTER WILL NOT VOID YOUR WARRANTY. I DON'T THINK I CAN SAY THE SAME ABOUT ALL THIS STUFF ^^ wink:
Any questions? Let me know-James