Does anyone have any idea how much power I might lose (or gain) by going back to stock from a poorly installed AEM CAI? I'm leaning very heavily toward taking it out and returning it to stock.

 

How poorly installed can it be? Unless that CEL is forcing your engine to retard timing (which I HIGHLY doubt), you're getting as much hp gain from your CAI as anyone else would.

 

Ok, so how much power can I expect to lose by removing it?

 

I'm not sure exactaly how much power you'd lose by removing it, but i just installed my last weekend and I can tell you that there is a VERY noticable difference between the CAI and stock. I'd leave it.

As for you CEL - The first thing I'd check is the hoses.

There are 4 hoses that need to be messed with when installing a CAI.
1) is the hose that brings air to the auxilary air pump. This hose comes from the right side of the CAI (when facing the engine) and towards the right corner of the car, down towards under the headlight.
2) is the large hose that goes from the upper left side of the CAI near where it's attached to the intake manifold. This hose goes up and is attached to the top of the valve cover.
3) and 4) are small diameter vacuum hoses that come from between the intake manifold and the valve cover. If you look at "ugotmade's" picture above you can see that in his case one of his is black and one is red.

The black one is the one that is on top and the red one is just below it. The black one goes down and off to the left side and attaches to that plastic white valve adn then continues on down to the left side and attaches to nozzle on the left side of a little black box under there.

The red hose goes down and off to the right and it attaches to another black box which is mounted on the side of his filter. (If you look directaly across from the "e" in injen you will see the bracket and little black knob).

Assuming that all these are hooked up properly, then your problem could be something else (O2 sensor or something). If the CEL is still on I'd get a diagonostic check done.

 

The small white valve is directional, so make sure you get that going in the correct direction.

The AEM CAI has shown a fairly consistent 5-7 hp increase, especially around the VTEC engagement point. Extra power aside, it helps to mitigate heat soak bogging off the line, something you TX boys need to be concerned about.

 

Thanks for the help guys. I'm definitely missing one hose. The CEL is getting on my nerves too. I don't like the whole "boy who cried wolf" thing, so I'd like to fix it.

Another question: how easy is it to hydrolock b/c of an intake? We get some pretty nasty downpours, and my car is lowered significantly. I REALLY don't want to risk having to purchase a new engine because of hydrolocking.

 

here's another picture for you



Macgver was kind enough to install mine and i have never seen a CEL..

as for the water problem there is no need for the by-pass I have never heard of anyone hydro-locking the car you need to be in a BIG puddle of water and then you need to suck up water.. I haven't had a single problem

 

All right now I really want to know where the hell this sensor is supposed to go. I'm definitely missing the big tube that enters at the top left of the CAI as pictured on your car.

Then just below the "A" I have a hole that is taped over and an empty sensor mount that is hanging next to it.



EDIT: I just went out and looked at it again. I also have a big spongy donut shaped thing that wraps around the CAI pipe just below the AEM symbol.

The sensor comes up from under the tubing just to the right (in your picture) of the intake and then meets some other wires in a narrow black box mounted to the right side of the engine bay where they all group and head in a bigger bunch toward the passenger compartment.

 

That doughnut shaped sponge thing is the bypass valve. This will ensure that you won't hydro lock your engine. If the filter get submerged in water, the engine begins to breathe through that.

 

munckee, you're starting to crack me up Repeat after me..."There is NO sensor, the guy lied to me, it's an old NOS injection point." Do that three times and you'll feel much, much better.

Plug the NOS hole, feel better because you already have the bypass valve installed (although personally I would take it off since it kind of defeats the purpose of the CAI), and run a short hose between the empty hole at the top left of the CAI to the crankcase vent which is at the top/front/driver's side of the engine cover.

Next, remove the fuse for the ECU (see the FAQ section on which one to pull) for 30 seconds, reinstall, and run for a few miles. If the CEL comes back on and you're sure the hoses are correct, take it to a dealer to pull the code (or just find one of the local TX guys who has an OBD scanner). If it doesn't, enjoy the car as it should be enjoyed.