Air Intake Options

sm31

sm31

Active Member
The b@stards whole stole my jeep earlier this summer did a few ghetto mods to try and (unsuccessfully) increase power. One mod was to chop off the muffler. The other modification involved hacking out the entire air box, leaving only the main portion of the intake tube. Then, using about 30 yards of electrical tape, they "installed" a dirty old K&N filter on the end of it.

Needless to say, I'd like something better. I'm highly inclined to find a stock replacement but I'm worried about finding one in good shape here in AK (if at all). So if I have to go the mail order route, are there any recommended choices?

Knowing that so-called "breathe mods" are an absolute waste of time with regards to power gains... My 2 concerns are: 1) good air filtration, and 2) some type of hydro-lock protection if possible. In fact, hydro-lock is a significant concern now. Went wheeling the other day and probably had 10 river crossings. And I'm learning that is just how things are here. But I refuse to install a snorkel... ever.

Thanks in advance for the advice!
 
Airaid has a nice enclosed air box if you don’t wanna go back to stock. Otherwise I would say the stock box is you me best bet. You can prob find one for cheap on here or maybe even craigslist
 
If you have to work with what you got, you can run 3 inch ABS pipe but you'll have to measure to get the right boots. And you may have to customize some holes for sensors, etc. Ebay may have a stock one that somebody is dumping.
 
I would stick with the factory air box, but if you want aftermarket I would recommend the Banks CAI. It has a resonator similar to the factory box, which I like, because it kind of acts as a trap for water.

Edit: not saying it will trap water, or that's what it's meant for. But it most similarly matches the factory intake.

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Stock is the way to go. CAI's let in way too much dirt and I have seen too many 3.6L get ruined from one and this includes dealership installed Mopar ones. Oh, and FCA would not warranty it.
 
I agree with keeping it stock. I’ve never felt any noticeable gains from aftermarket ones anyway and getting hydrolocked sucks. Sorry if I’m late to the party here but someone stole your jeep - did some shitty hackjob mods to it- and now you got it back?


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Judesign said:
I’ve never felt any noticeable gains from aftermarket ones
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That's because there are none. I have run multiple CAI's in the past and all they do is make more noise at best. I still run a CAI on Moby but only because I can't fit a factory air box with my LS. I did however buy and reinstall a factory box on Rubicat.
 
wayoflife said:
That's because there are none. I have run multiple CAI's in the past and all they do is make more noise at best. I still run a CAI on Moby but only because I can't fit a factory air box with my LS. I did however buy and reinstall a factory box on Rubicat.
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I’ve never run one on a JK, but I have on a Chevy V8. If there was any horsepower gain, it wasn’t enough to notice. Personally, I think they are a waste of funds.


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I had a full KN kit on my pentastar, had a whistle I could not stand and it was very exposed to water after installing ACE fender liners. I went back to the stock box and paper filters, no regrets.
I want to relocate my Intake opening higher but like you I'm not wanting a snorkel tube on the side of the jeep.


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wayoflife said:
That's because there are none. I have run multiple CAI's in the past and all they do is make more noise at best. I still run a CAI on Moby but only because I can't fit a factory air box with my LS. I did however buy and reinstall a factory box on Rubicat.
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Do you have some photos of your stock air box? I've hacked the crap out of mine for the PSC install.. need to buy another one to try and make the cuts smaller.


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TrainWreck618 said:
Do you have some photos of your stock air box? I've hacked the crap out of mine for the PSC install.. need to buy another one to try and make the cuts smaller.
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I can try to take a pic but installed, you can't really see anything. Like you, I've done a lot of hacking to make it work but figured it'd be fine so long as the panel filter on up was intact.
 
Stock... especially with water crossings. It has some lobes inline which can catch a suprizing amount of water and save your ass.

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I liked the stock setup on my TJ, and it does a great job at preventing accidental intake of water.
That said, if I had to redo the entire setup like it sounds like you are, I would move it somewhere else, in particular a location where the intake did not cross over the hot engine the way it does in it's present setup. I never did get around to moving mine.
Good luck, sucks some yahoos took it and trashed it on you too.
 
BobNH said:
I liked the stock setup on my TJ, and it does a great job at preventing accidental intake of water.
That said, if I had to redo the entire setup like it sounds like you are, I would move it somewhere else, in particular a location where the intake did not cross over the hot engine the way it does in it's present setup. I never did get around to moving mine.
Good luck, sucks some yahoos took it and trashed it on you too.
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That is a great idea!! I had not thought of it. Thank you! Thank you to everyone else as well!

I really did want to go back to stock but I am coming up with zero options here. None of the ebay sellers ship to AK & Craigslist is a joke around here. I've found new stock replacement boxes for JK's but none for TJ's. The idea of spending the better part of $300 for an aftermarket "intake system" makes me throw up a little in my mouth. I guess this leaves me going the custom route. I'm no fan of cotton element filters but I do have a lot of experience with them. Cleaning and re-oiling about once every 5 months helps keep filtration to decent levels... but still not great. I can live with it for a year or 2 though.

I'd like to build some sort of enclosure around the filter. Not for cold air because we have plenty of that here. :rolleyes2: But I want some additional protection from dirt and water. Has anyone constructed something like this for their jeep? I guess I'll start with some sheet metal... and and replace the 30 yards of electrical tape with decent fittings while I'm at it.
 
I installed a cowl intake in my TJ for the purpose of creating more space under the hood. I've had this setup for a few years now and I'm happy with how it works.
 
wayoflife said:
I can try to take a pic but installed, you can't really see anything. Like you, I've done a lot of hacking to make it work but figured it'd be fine so long as the panel filter on up was intact.
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Im just trying to get close to the photo PSC shows, I don't even see how it's possible. I can live with a hacked up box, just looking for ideas to make it better.


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LetsGoMuddin said:
I installed a cowl intake in my TJ for the purpose of creating more space under the hood. I've had this setup for a few years now and I'm happy with how it works.
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Did you build your own intake or buy one? How are cowl intakes for hydro-lock? Is the scoop a necessary addition? My only concern with a cowl intake is cutting the hole in the firewall. Other than that, I don't know much about them but I'm interested! Thanks!
 
Here is a shot of the mess the thieves created... along with a fresh coat of Alaska river silt. You can see the stock intake tube with the dirty old K&N (from who knows where or what) rigged onto it. I'll be cleaning the K&N asap.
 

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sm31 said:
Here is a shot of the mess the thieves created... along with a fresh coat of Alaska river silt. You can see the stock intake tube with the dirty old K&N (from who knows where or what) rigged onto it. I'll be cleaning the K&N asap.
Click to expand...

Damn, that’s ghetto!


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