Well as many of you saw I finished the swap of my stock intake with that of a new polished one. Man does it look great. I want to thank mirror finish polishing for such a supperb job. I can only imagine the amount of time and patience it takes to polish the entire manifold.
Since many of you asked for some details on the disassembly I figured I would post a quick write up to help out. After all many of you have helped me in the past. Just keep in mind that this thread does not constitute "instructions" nor am I anything other than a guy with some tools and some spare time.
Ladies and gentlemen for your viewing pleasure....
First there are several tools needed aside from the standard tool set:
1. 1/4 racket setup with varied length extensions. You will definitely need extensions ranging from 10" 6" and 3". Along with the extensions you will need swivel joints to get into the hard to rach places.
2. You will also need 11mm sockets and a 30 torx bit. I went to sears and picked up as many 11mm tools I could find that were compact. The most important one was a racheting 11mm wrench.
3. Purchase a magnetic parts grabber (name??) which is an extremely important item that is critical to stop bolts from dropping below the intake as well as positioning the bolts for install.
4. Make sure you have some patience because there are many things that could happen if you dont take your time.
DISASSEMLY:
Start with the upper intake box and air filters. There are three connections to remove two-hoses and an electrical connection. For the connection make sure you slide the red clip and then pull gently on the connector. It will slide off. loosen intake clamp and remove front intake.
Next is the throttle body. First remove the throttle cable by simply opening the throttle a bit and pulling on the end of the throttle cable away from the mounting point. It is clipped on and will come off relatively easily.
Next there are some electrical connections on the left side of the throttle body. This one is removed by pressing on the clip inder the connection and pull carefully.
Next there is a hose connection underneath the throttle body that must be disconnected but it it maybe easier to disconnect when you unbolt the throttle body.
There are four bolts holding the stock one one which are 11mm. Remove all four. Note the bottom two have brackets attached to them to secure the wiring harness to it so keep that in mind for the reinstall.
Next to do is the electrical connections to the intake itself. One on the drivers side and another on the passenger side.
Drivers side. Note you can see the red clip that must be slid down to prior to removal.
As for the passenger side - another plug to pull on the clip and pull away gently.
Lastly remove the lines that connect to the valve covers. They are located in the back. Also there is one hose on the drivers side that runs to the intake also. Remove that.
Now that all the connections are out of the way it is time to tackle the bolts on the intake itself.
There are twenty total, two per cylinder. One is in front and one in on the opposite corner backside of each intake track.
The ones in the back you go through the separation in the intake with a long extension and socket. Some are easier with a torq bit mounted in a socket. Try them all and have every option is front of you. The front ones use the racketing wrench to remove. Use the magnetic grabber on the socket head as you are loosening to ensure it doesnt fall into the center of the intake. Note several of mine were really tight and the wrench would set square on the bolt. My solution was use the torq bit mounted on a wrench with take. See pic below.
There are two or three front bolts that require moving the injectors and fuel rail. Now this part can be nerve racking but if done correctly you will be fine. There is no reason to release pressure or remove the rails altogether.
First remove all the connectors to each fuel injector. There is no clip for these connections so simply wiggle connection from side to side and pull gently.
Next remove 11mm bolts holding down each fuel rail. There are two on each side. Once they are removed, here is the part you need to be careful. Pull up on the fuel rail gently with even pressure to ensure they are coming up together. They are simply held in with rubber seals so a slight pull should free them. Once freed, the rail is free and should not lose any fuel or fuel pressure. Put the rails aside as below.
A quick note, first make sure every injector has its rubber seal at the base. One of mine came off and was still in the intake which scared the crap out of me later as i thought it fell into the engine. Also the rails are connected via rubber hose which runs under the front of the intake. As the picture below shows that is about as much as you can move the rails. Be very careful not to damage the injectors or lean on the rail. Finally i recommend covering each injector hole with tape to ensure nothing falls in.
Now there are two really tough ones which are the second to last cylinders on each side #9 and #8 if I am not mistaken. The problem is a 11mm socket will not fit through the center intake track.
Some used the torq bit here but I couldnt get it to sit square and striped part of the torq head. It is easy to do.
I used a long extension, a swivel joint and a 3 in extension and ran it into the intake. I grabbed it with the magnetic grabber and pulled in out just enough through the side to get the 11mm socket on. It takes some practice but works. Once on it went right on the bolt and was easily removed. Use this trick for both sides.
Again take your time and be careful. Once you have the bolts out there are four plastic tabs stuck into the intake to secure the wiring harness. Make sure you pull them out. Two in the middle and two in the back.
You can see them in this pic. The Yellow plastic piece.
After confirming everything has been removed or disconnected, gently lift the intake straight up. Once off immediately cover intake openings on the heads with tape. Last thing you need is to have something fall in there. That would be game over.
Once intake is off this is what it looks like.
Becareful not to damage the gaskets. Clean them and set aside to reuse. Make sure to mark which is which.
Now begin to transfer parts from original intake to new intake. Here is a pic on the bottom of my original intake.
If you got it off, you can get it on. You just need to reverse the steps. When mounting the intake back on be sure to have the gaskets correct and seated correct. Lower the intake carefully and make sure you check that it is sitting correctly and not pinching any wires and the gasket looks straight.
This time you need to be careful not to drop a bolt under the intake or you will be taking it off again. To ensure I didnt, I used the magnetic grabber on each bolt and attached it to the socket to keep the bolt in place.
Bolts get torqued to 10pounds. Some you will not get a torque wrench on so i just made sure to replicate the same torque by hand.
Here is the final product!
In the end I wouldn't recommend this install to everyone. You are messing with the fuel system, intake system and one small mistake could be trouble. With that said, if you are decent with a set of hand tools it is doable with some patience. I also had the luxury of having friends like Shandon Stamper, Dan @ Viper Specialty and Mike Nouri at Xvipers who walked me through a lot of it.
Tom
Since many of you asked for some details on the disassembly I figured I would post a quick write up to help out. After all many of you have helped me in the past. Just keep in mind that this thread does not constitute "instructions" nor am I anything other than a guy with some tools and some spare time.
Ladies and gentlemen for your viewing pleasure....
First there are several tools needed aside from the standard tool set:
1. 1/4 racket setup with varied length extensions. You will definitely need extensions ranging from 10" 6" and 3". Along with the extensions you will need swivel joints to get into the hard to rach places.
2. You will also need 11mm sockets and a 30 torx bit. I went to sears and picked up as many 11mm tools I could find that were compact. The most important one was a racheting 11mm wrench.
3. Purchase a magnetic parts grabber (name??) which is an extremely important item that is critical to stop bolts from dropping below the intake as well as positioning the bolts for install.
4. Make sure you have some patience because there are many things that could happen if you dont take your time.
DISASSEMLY:
Start with the upper intake box and air filters. There are three connections to remove two-hoses and an electrical connection. For the connection make sure you slide the red clip and then pull gently on the connector. It will slide off. loosen intake clamp and remove front intake.
Next is the throttle body. First remove the throttle cable by simply opening the throttle a bit and pulling on the end of the throttle cable away from the mounting point. It is clipped on and will come off relatively easily.
Next there are some electrical connections on the left side of the throttle body. This one is removed by pressing on the clip inder the connection and pull carefully.
Next there is a hose connection underneath the throttle body that must be disconnected but it it maybe easier to disconnect when you unbolt the throttle body.
There are four bolts holding the stock one one which are 11mm. Remove all four. Note the bottom two have brackets attached to them to secure the wiring harness to it so keep that in mind for the reinstall.
Next to do is the electrical connections to the intake itself. One on the drivers side and another on the passenger side.
Drivers side. Note you can see the red clip that must be slid down to prior to removal.
As for the passenger side - another plug to pull on the clip and pull away gently.
Lastly remove the lines that connect to the valve covers. They are located in the back. Also there is one hose on the drivers side that runs to the intake also. Remove that.
Now that all the connections are out of the way it is time to tackle the bolts on the intake itself.
There are twenty total, two per cylinder. One is in front and one in on the opposite corner backside of each intake track.
The ones in the back you go through the separation in the intake with a long extension and socket. Some are easier with a torq bit mounted in a socket. Try them all and have every option is front of you. The front ones use the racketing wrench to remove. Use the magnetic grabber on the socket head as you are loosening to ensure it doesnt fall into the center of the intake. Note several of mine were really tight and the wrench would set square on the bolt. My solution was use the torq bit mounted on a wrench with take. See pic below.
There are two or three front bolts that require moving the injectors and fuel rail. Now this part can be nerve racking but if done correctly you will be fine. There is no reason to release pressure or remove the rails altogether.
First remove all the connectors to each fuel injector. There is no clip for these connections so simply wiggle connection from side to side and pull gently.
Next remove 11mm bolts holding down each fuel rail. There are two on each side. Once they are removed, here is the part you need to be careful. Pull up on the fuel rail gently with even pressure to ensure they are coming up together. They are simply held in with rubber seals so a slight pull should free them. Once freed, the rail is free and should not lose any fuel or fuel pressure. Put the rails aside as below.
A quick note, first make sure every injector has its rubber seal at the base. One of mine came off and was still in the intake which scared the crap out of me later as i thought it fell into the engine. Also the rails are connected via rubber hose which runs under the front of the intake. As the picture below shows that is about as much as you can move the rails. Be very careful not to damage the injectors or lean on the rail. Finally i recommend covering each injector hole with tape to ensure nothing falls in.
Now there are two really tough ones which are the second to last cylinders on each side #9 and #8 if I am not mistaken. The problem is a 11mm socket will not fit through the center intake track.
Some used the torq bit here but I couldnt get it to sit square and striped part of the torq head. It is easy to do.
I used a long extension, a swivel joint and a 3 in extension and ran it into the intake. I grabbed it with the magnetic grabber and pulled in out just enough through the side to get the 11mm socket on. It takes some practice but works. Once on it went right on the bolt and was easily removed. Use this trick for both sides.
Again take your time and be careful. Once you have the bolts out there are four plastic tabs stuck into the intake to secure the wiring harness. Make sure you pull them out. Two in the middle and two in the back.
You can see them in this pic. The Yellow plastic piece.
After confirming everything has been removed or disconnected, gently lift the intake straight up. Once off immediately cover intake openings on the heads with tape. Last thing you need is to have something fall in there. That would be game over.
Once intake is off this is what it looks like.
Becareful not to damage the gaskets. Clean them and set aside to reuse. Make sure to mark which is which.
Now begin to transfer parts from original intake to new intake. Here is a pic on the bottom of my original intake.
If you got it off, you can get it on. You just need to reverse the steps. When mounting the intake back on be sure to have the gaskets correct and seated correct. Lower the intake carefully and make sure you check that it is sitting correctly and not pinching any wires and the gasket looks straight.
This time you need to be careful not to drop a bolt under the intake or you will be taking it off again. To ensure I didnt, I used the magnetic grabber on each bolt and attached it to the socket to keep the bolt in place.
Bolts get torqued to 10pounds. Some you will not get a torque wrench on so i just made sure to replicate the same torque by hand.
Here is the final product!
In the end I wouldn't recommend this install to everyone. You are messing with the fuel system, intake system and one small mistake could be trouble. With that said, if you are decent with a set of hand tools it is doable with some patience. I also had the luxury of having friends like Shandon Stamper, Dan @ Viper Specialty and Mike Nouri at Xvipers who walked me through a lot of it.
Tom
