chikai

Hello All,

I purchased a carbon fiber cold air induction plate not too long ago. I read through some other DIY steps and thought it would be helpful for everyone to have a step-by-step with pictures. (i'm a pro at this...check out what my buddy and I did in the past for my Acura CL-S)

The process takes about an hour depending on how many snags you run into.

Tools required:

- Flash light
- Philips screw driver
- Flat head screw driver
- 12mm socket with wrench
- Drill (optional)
- Hammer (really optional)

So here we go (author of this thread is not liable for any bodily or car injuries due to these directions...good luck):


Before Pic:






1) Remove the three screws holding down the A/C service lid. Becareful removing these screws...they are plastic, and they are vulnerable to stripping.



2) I used one finger to hold down the outer plastic piece so it didn't spin.



3) Next remove the four screws along the top of the OEM plate using the same technique.



4) Once all screws are removed you will need to pop out the plastic rivets.



5) This is what happens when you strip a screw. I had to use a drill to push the screw out the back.



6) My trusty Mikita!



7) This is probably the hardest part. You will need to duck your head under neath the weather stripping and locate the four pop-in rivets that are holding the rest of the OEM plate in place. This picture was taken upside down to show the rivet. Get a looong flat head screw driver in there to pop them out.

One trick is to push the OEM plastic piece in so you have room to stick your arms in there. It hurts...but it's the easiest way to maneuver the flat head screw driver.



8) Once all plastic rivets are out, carefully maneuver the OEM plastic piece to the passenger side. Squeeze the plastic piece so it's flat and carefully pull it out perpendicular to how it was installed. (i don't know if that was even a good description...just look at the pic)



9) Next remove the weather stripping piece with five screws. This piece consists of two parts. There is a piece of rubber, which you will use again later, and the metal part, which you can store away.



10) Unbolt the two guide hangers for the radiator. Takes a 12mm wrench.



11) Do a test FIT. In this pic, you will see I completely removed the passenger side radiator hanger. It takes a little finessing to get the hanger and the plate in. Just be careful. Also, don't forget to tuck the rubber weather stripping into the front.



12) Crank her down. J/K...don't over crank the screws. You may crack the CF. The CF piece is held by the two raditor mounts and the five screws that held the weather stripping down.

I've heard numerous people scratching their CF plate because they think it'll just fit and they slam their hood. Not a good idea. Gently lay it down and give it a love shove to get it shut.

AFTER PIC

S2KPUDDYDAD

Nice looks good

jal3lee

how much did that cost and any gains? i guess eliminates any chanes of hydrolocking?

chikai

there's a full thread from other users here:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=274942

I've had it for one day so far. On the free way it does feel "looser" on acceleration.

I can't speak to hydrolocking, but there is no tubes or anything that may submerge an intake. So I'm guessing it's ok.

C-losAp1

nice write up, i did the same steps when i installed mine.

Slows2k

Nice job. I'm adding a Link to the FAQ, and moving to the Technical forum.

Xpresso2am

Great write up, I did the same thing...works great. if you try and use only the AUT intake with out removing that plastic part, it actually chokes your car a little. But once its out, its a sweet set up...clean and functional.

Enkidu

I would like to add a tip I sued when installing. For the four clips that attach the second part of the OEM plate, I had a hard time getting my regular flathead screwdriver in there and once in there, had a hard time unsnapping it.

I ended up getting my set of small screwdrivers, the very small kind that are just a bit bigger than what you would work on eyeglasses with, a flathead one of those. It was small enough that I could easily get it in the tight space and it slid into the clip and unsnapped it effortlessly. After unsnapping all four with ease, I pulled the whole plastic OEM place up and they al came out of their holes with ease.

This may save some people some time and shave some time off of the install.

Awesome mod!

Enkidu

Also, on the plastic screw pieces, if you have one or two that won't turn and come out, it is easier to just take the others around it out and pull the actual plastic plate the screw is holding in, this will snap the whole clip out and then the screw can be taken out by pushing from the back and screwing from the front.

Does that sound dirty?

jal3lee

I've heard numerous people scratching their CF plate because they think it'll just fit and they slam their hood. Not a good idea. Gently lay it down and give it a love shove to get it shut.


so it's a pretty tight fit on a stock hood? how about aftermarket hoods?