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EDIT: could a mod add this to the title? ".....UPDATED with PICS on Page 4"
OK, so GREAT NEWS!!! I was able to flush the system AND added refrigerant to get this puppy started up. I did a heat soak test and got just the intake (system off) up to 115 degrees with an outside temp of 64 degrees.
With the system on, I was able to get the intake temp down to 85 degrees! However, I think I'm still about 10 psi too little on the low side AND I can make some adjustments to the thermal transfer from system to the entire intake too.
There's still another custom cooling portion that I left off just to see what I could do without it so I still expect some great improvements later on. Here are just a FEW photos that show the intake itself. The guts of the system are mounted under the snorkel AND behind the aluminum bumper support.
Also, dont mind the small copper tube or the crappily done heat shrink around the entire intake tube. I'm not so pleased how those turned out and will be redoing them as soon as I get some more material.
A look from the top:
A side view to see the dimensions:
And an altered photo to show the hood seal. I reversed the image polarity on the portion of the hood that showed the seal very lightly.
Last edited by 06isDriver; Jan 4, 2011 at 06:06 PM.
found a leak, had to evacuate the system. Apparently, steel and copper can only be brazed together with 35% silvalloy or more. I learn something every day.
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Look good ,but the maf is to close to the t/body have you done any dyno test for hp . Also hows your mpg after the intake ?
the maf is in just the right place. I had to move it as far back as I could so the air could cool down as much as possible before the maf took its reading. That way the engine SHOULD be able to produce the most HP by having the absolutely most correct readings for the air temp. My target is to drop the air temps by 30 degrees eventually.
If the maf read that it was 80 degrees but it was actually turning into 50 degrees before ingestion, I wouldnt get the results Id like I dont think.
I havent done any real tests...mpg usually doesnt change with these intakes btw, usually its just because its got a new filter that people think they are getting better mileage than stock. If lexus could have made us get 1 mpg better by having a smoother path, they would've.
However, I noticed that when the system is off and the intake is getting HOT, it seems.....as though the maf sensor placement could be giving me better mileage. It seems as though if it'll calculate for TRUE decreased temperature, it will also calculate for TRUE increased temperature as well.
Last edited by 06isDriver; Apr 1, 2011 at 02:13 PM.
I dont remember if this has been brought up at all, or if it even matters but here it goes:
Does your a/c intake produce any condensation inside the intake tube? If so, wouldnt the water be harmful to be sucked into the engine? Or is the colder air very humid that enters the engine?
Just a few thoughts i had (not sure if i posted them here before either). Keep up the good work though, its always very cool to see someone do something totally different even without any guaranteed results.
the maf is in just the right place. I had to move it as far back as I could so the air could cool down as much as necessary before the maf took its reading. That way the engine SHOULD be able to produce the most HP by having the absolutely most correct readings for the air temp. My target is to drop the air temps by 30 degrees eventually.
If the maf read that it was 80 degrees but it was actually turning into 50 degrees before ingestion, I wouldnt get the results Id like I dont think.
I havent done any real tests...mpg usually doesnt change with these intakes btw, usually its just because its got a new filter that people think they are getting better mileage than stock. If lexus could have made us get 1 mpg better by having a smoother path, they would've.
However, I noticed that when the system is off and the intake is getting HOT, it seems.....as though the maf sensor placement could be giving me better mileage. It seems as though if it'll calculate for TRUE decreased temperature, it will also calculate for TRUE increased temperature as well.
There have been some guys who built boosted applications with a "blow through" MAF for exactly this reason - the MAF reads the air temp just before the throttlebody. They've claimed much better part throttle operation and better tip-in. The only downside is the possibility of turbulence upsetting flow across the MAF's elements. Looks like progress.