The Central Hub for DSM Community and Information

For 1990-1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon, Plymouth Laser, and Galant VR-4 Owners. This is where the DSM platform history is documented and archived. Log in to help us in our mission, and to remove most ads from the browsing experience.

Overkill on the CAI

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

TimG

N/T Moderator
Moderator
1,547
16
Jun 28, 2002
Aurora, ON, Canada
I've noticed there are about 3 or 4 posts going around on the CAI system for a 1G... If a mod wants to sticky this to stop anymore CAI system questions, then please do so.

Heres the scoop people... NO ONE MAKES ONE FOR OUR CAR... PERIOD. If you think a CAI system is worth the time and energy, then make one. It's not hard. Pipes and filters. It's only good for sound anyway as adding an intake only frees up airflow to the throttlebody, where it is restricted again all the way till the combustion chamber! So maybe 2hp if you are lucky from the system.

A CAI does sounds nice but it's not that big of a deal. If you want a guideline to make your own, then here... Read this and understand.

By-passing the MAS is something you can't get away with. Yet there are a few options you have. When I had my custom CAI set up in the summer, I set up a ram air solid aluminum pipe towards where the mas from the throttle body. This was done by a rubber connector at about 75 degrees towards the front of the car from the t-body. It was a tight fit but if you loosen the battery, you can make some room. Attach the solid pipe and add another rubber connector to the end of that solid pipe, face where the air housing use to lie. Then attach a short aluminum pipe until the end of the pipe is sitting where the old filter used to be sitting inside the air can.

Then I dremelled out a 3" hole where the 2nd aluminum pipe ends and set a 3" pipe down through the hole with a 90 degree rubber elbow that I picked up at a hardware store. I just cut the wires to the MAS and soldered extension wires with the same guage with the same colour and set up the MAS at the filter below.

Tools Needed
- 6' of aluminum piping
- Solderer and solder
- Drill for breather hole
- 6 wires w/ matching colour for the MAS about 2 feet long each to work with
- Dremel to cut a hole w/ cut off discs
- K&N filter
 
Sounds good making a sitcky so people can make your own.
 
Well I made my own, but sadly it's for a the 420A, which already has a wide amount of CAIs available. I used 3inch ventilation tubing (aluminum) and a dryer wall vent with a 4inch outlet. First I put the dryer wall vent behind the left hole in my bumper (beside my fog light), and then bent the 4inch outlet to fit onto the 3inch tubing, which then I connected with loads of duct tape. Next I bent the tubing around my frame and around some plastic piece under my car that wasn't worth moving. I then ran the tubing up to my actual intake tube (took out half the air box) and connected it. Right there is where my "filter" is. All my filter is is a old flannel shirt cut to fit the hole with a little excess so it won't get sucked into my manifold. I then pushed tubing into my intake tubing and clamped it down, and used some more duct tape to hold it in place and to make sure no air leaked. I was done in about 40mins, and it only cost me <$15.

There is not a big difference in 1st gear or 2nd, but once you hit 4000rpms in 3rd you can really feel it pulling in the extra air.

Parts List:
3inch (ID) Vent Tubing - $4.95 (Home Depot)
4inch Dryer Wall Vent - $8.72 (Home Depot)
Duct Tape - $2.99 (Home Depot)
Flanner Shirt - Just use an old one
 
Flannel shirt huh?...Can't say I've heard that one before. My first intake was a short-ram CHIKARA intake...$170 (what a f*cking piece of sh!t that was), after awhile I spent the money on a AEM red anodized cold air intake with a bypass valve...about $300 total, it is still the best investment I have made on my car to this day...looks a little better then dryer ducting too, but I guess each to his own.
 
to the guy rocking the flannel shirt and ventilation tubing:

make sure you check under your hood within a week or two of installing your custom cai. you will notice that the extreamly paper thin aluminum ventilation tubing is now cracked in many places all over because of a combonation of all the underhood heat and the rocking of your engine as you stomp the gas pedal. dont ask how i know this because i refuse to answer.

the ghetto fabulous way of fixing this is to take the intake tubing back off in its current form, and wrap the whole damn thing with nearly a full roll of duct tape or whatever you have left. this pretty much results in having your intake air hitting all those cracks inside anyways, so it's probably more restrictive than a complete stock intake system. the insane way to fix this intake delema is to go spend $300 on two anodized pieces of tubing that say aem on the side and a silcon connector and a filter. the best way to fix this might be to custom-fabricate one like the first post of this thread, or to put your stock tubing back on with a cone filter attatched in place of the restrictive box.

note: some standard corporate autoparts stores like pepboys sell cheap pre-cut lengths of varied sizes of exhaust piping. and homedepot sells silicon connectors.

and for race days, replace your flannel with some thin nylon panty hoes.
:thumb:
 
At least people don't laugh when they look under my hood, the $300 intake isn't the only thing I've done...I'm not afraid of spending money on my car. Oh, yeah and my air-bypass valve on my $300 intake will be laughing when you get stuck in a rain storm or drive through a puddle and suck water into your engine. The point of my intake is to not have to periodically fix it with duct tape...I am not too keen about buying a $12,000 car and rigging things up with dryer hose, flannel shirts and duct tape :rolleyes: , your factory intake would have probally worked better LOL.

Oh..and I'm nocking the flannel shirt (as in dissing it...), not rocking it. :laugh:
 
Originally posted by redeclipse97
At least people don't laugh when they look under my hood, the $300 intake isn't the only thing I've done...I'm not afraid of spending money on my car. Oh, yeah and my air-bypass valve on my $300 intake will be laughing when you get stuck in a rain storm or drive through a puddle and suck water into your engine. The point of my intake is to not have to periodically fix it with duct tape...I am not too keen about buying a $12,000 car and rigging things up with dryer hose, flannel shirts and duct tape :rolleyes: , your factory intake would have probally worked better LOL.

Oh..and I'm nocking the flannel shirt (as in dissing it...), not rocking it. :laugh:

don't cry, its cool man. i hope all your posts are just as incredibly informative and helpfull. :rolleyes:
:laugh:
 
Sorry I can't be cool like you and tell everybody how big of piece-a-sh!t my car car is..."look everyone, I ghetto-rig my car the cheapest ways possible and I'm cool cause I use duct tape to fix it all...I'm so cool!!!"

:rolleyes: Gimme a break...
 
not for anything, but a flannel shirt was made to be worn as clothing, not as an air filter for a car you care about. nothin wrong with saving money and peicing together your own intake. i did that, and spend about 40 bucks on 3" piping and a yellow k and n filter. but, seriously man, you gotta be careful what you strap to that throttle body, cause redneck felt just isnt gonna cut it. ;)
 
Originally posted by 97eclipsedGS
not for anything, but a flannel shirt was made to be worn as clothing, not as an air filter for a car you care about. nothin wrong with saving money and peicing together your own intake. i did that, and spend about 40 bucks on 3" piping and a yellow k and n filter. but, seriously man, you gotta be careful what you strap to that throttle body, cause redneck felt just isnt gonna cut it. ;)

LOL:laugh:
 
Originally posted by curtis_rak
Isn't dryer venting sort of "ribbed"?...don't you want smooth for better air flow? (i.e. a proper intake)

just an observation...

Yeah...don't you just love people who try to sound like they know what they are doing but just end up proving to everyone that they don't know sh!t.
 
I made my own CAI/Ram air intake. It looks pretty damn nice, especially the 3' scoop on the bottom of my bumber. It goes from the scooop to the filter to the throttle body. Used PCV piping and the stock air hose. I've also got a nice and handy butterfly valve within the pvc piping so the rainy days won't get to me. It all costed about 45 bucks? And trust me there is a difference. You have to see how i pull on those damn rice burners now!! HA
 
well one...the observation about the dryer venting is accurate, however unless you are looking at the .001hp you could gain from having a hard pipe vs dryer venting its not worth worring about. and 510eclipse was trying to help you guys out by providing a warning about the dryer venting cracking. he never said that he had the venting or that he fixed it with duct tape, it was a suggestion. and for the guy using the PVC pipe, you should switch top ABS pipe. PVC pipe, when very hot, emits deadly fumes which are not something that i would want in my engine bay. you can get ABS at Home Depot or any place like that and in the same size as your PVC. and on the intake conversation, i just used a 2gnt ram air intake pipe and cut it down and put the stock air can lid with the can removed on it. works well and sounds aresome.

peace
-Jeff
 
actually im pretty sure they make a CAI for the 1st gen. my friend has one on his car, and its not homemade
 
That technically isn't a cold air intake. That's just your regular solid pipe ram air intake.
 
i have that exact intake from injen on my car.a true cai is puttin the filter out of the engine compartment into the dirrect path of oncoming cold air.hanse the name.injen sells a cold air extension,but not for the dsm's.well the 1g's anyway.
 
where can i find that intake....and..i bet u could Mod that injen....and make one bada$$ ram air....take the mass....move it....or even leave it where it is, instead of a filter where it is...extend the piping down lower...and put a filter on down lower where it's out of the bay.... would that work on my 1.8 n/t?????oh...the 1.8...it's a SOHC
 
i posted a thread on how to make a cold air extension for the injen intake. this should calm everyone down on the cia subject. since nobody makes a cai for the 1g n/t i figure this was a very good idea. i will be putting this mod on my car and ill see how it performs
 
Add Value - Be Respectful - No Trolling - No Misinformation - Participate Often!
Support Vendors who Support the DSM Community

Latest Classifieds

  • Wanted 2g Shot in the dark (2g Pass strut cut out)
    Need 2g strut tower to save time.
    • frosh29
    • Updated:
    • Expires
  • For sale 2g 2G Mishimoto Radiator & Fan Shroud
    2G Mishimoto Radiator & Fan Shroud $200 + shipping and paypal feesYou must be registered to...
    • jersygsx
    • Updated:
    • Expires
  • For sale VIRGIN 4G63 6-BOLT TURBO HEAD
    Came off a virgin stock AWD Auto 1G DMS (91), also have matching block and crank which are also...
    • The_Partout_Spot
    • Updated:
    • Expires
  • For sale 1G DSM 4G63 6-BOLT TIMING COVER
    Used, see condition in photos. Buyer covers shipping / fees.
    • The_Partout_Spot
    • Updated:
    • Expires
  • For sale Garage clean out
    Changing setups on the car and getting rid of some stuff as well that's been laying around. Will...
    • 92GSXtacy
    • Updated:
    • Expires
Back
Top