Intake System Question

[Rolo]

quote:Originally posted by KingKole02

My Cruiser is funny. It sounded fine before I did anything to it. I bought a K&N drop in filter one night when out to change it and it was mis marked and the wrong size so put back in old filter and drove up the street. My PT after taking out and puttin back in filter now has a low groan at higher acceleration, more than 1/2 to 3/4 pedal down. And after the K&N drop in is now in the PT has a little better acceleration and is good at cruising but still has low groan. The groan sounds as if I have a Cherry Bomb type effect on the muffler. Could I have gotten some dirt in the intake area or something.[:I] Looking for some help.

Make sure your breather hose is secure on BOTH ends; I almost missed that once.

Also, make sure you did not put the filter back on "dirty-side-up".

[Rolo]

quote:Originally posted by 3BarBoost

Usually, and I mean absolutely most of the time - cold air inductions change the tuning at low engine speeds. That is to say, no real power gains (unless the stock setup is overly restrictive). On turbos, especially PT and SRT turbos - there is really nothing.

Cool! That was my unqualified impression. Maybe yunz (wait, I do not live in Pittsburgh anymore, I should say y'all) can help me with my exegesis of the PT's air intake.

I have a 2003 DC2 (GT). I added a K&N drop-in and removed the white collar silencer and masked the snorkel holes with electrical tape. The car was more responsive to throttle changes (I pass and slalom a lot) and the engine felt smoother. I did not expect to really feel a difference--a pleasant surprise. I love hearing the sound of vacuum in the morning, too.

My question is this: would an aftermarket replacement (like the Typhoon) yield better results?

My stipulations: "Negligible" versus "noticeable" is irrelevant. Cost is irrelevant. Value is irrelevant. My goal is to have everything tuned in the best possible manner, for performance and longevity. I also want to learn and tinker (yes, my newfound hobby). I plan on upgrading to Stage 2 whenever it becomes available.

Now, my musings...

Addressing "overly restrictive"--I prefer to eliminate all restrictions possible ("Breathe! Breathe damn you!" heh). So, suffice it to say that the third silencer needs to go and the fewer bends, the better; 100% Mandrel bent tubing seems to be in order.

Temperature--I like the stock airbox for this reason: it is completely sealed and is plugged right into the wheel well scoop. The downside: bends and possible restriction.

Questions:
1. Is the I.D. of the snorkel ample for the volume of airflow at the upper end?

2. Would merely removing the snorkel (and in turn increasing the airbox's opening I.D.) provide a less restrictive, usable airflow? Would potential warm air intake negate that?

3. Also, would there be a benefit (less restriction) from not having the snorkel protrude so far into the airbox?

4. Is the airbox pressurised at all from the snorkel, possibly due to velocity of incoming air? (I really have no idea of the volume of air being pulled by it.)

5. How much warm engine air is getting pulled into the unsealed "cold-air" intakes? Their design seems self-contradictory. It seems that an aftermarket intake with the filter almost directly above the wheel well opening and sealed from the engine bay would be the best, most efficient route.

6. Ultimately, I suppose, it boils down to this: Is the forced induction system (turbo) getting what it wants, when it wants no matter what? I have the belief that the turbo belittles the effects of a tuned intake, but can still benefit from it, albeit much less than an NA engine would. (But, for me, cost-benefit is not a factor, plus there is just having the knowledge.)

7. Did my current modifications hit the "law of diminishing returns"? (i.e. Would any other setup perform identically to what I have now?)

I appreciate any inputs. I think answering these would produce The Definitive Guide To The PT Cruiser Air Intake. []

[Rolo]

quote:Originally posted by Herschel

No-See, What we mean is "Where can we BUY one?"
If you were to make and sell them-How much are
they? Get it?

Amen, brother!

I do want one.

You have created a marketable item, run with it.

[KingKole02]

PainT, Rolo,
I now have the new clean K&N drop in filter and it runs better in acceleration and passing but still have groan.
Rolo,
All I did was unclip the stock intake cover replace the filter and reclip the cover. I suppose the breather hose my have come a little lose, but don't know why?
PainT,
I have checked the seating of the cover three times and seems to be fine.
I will have to check the piping.
One more thing when I first took the cover off the tubing from the cover to the engine was stiff and nows is easy to move with no stiffness. Could this have caused the sound difference. Im a newbie when it comes to most engine mods but after working it for a while, can understand. I know that they tubing is rubber based and is made to be pliable.

[Rolo]

quote:Originally posted by KingKole02

PainT, Rolo,
I now have the new clean K&N drop in filter and it runs better in acceleration and passing but still have groan.
Rolo,
All I did was unclip the stock intake cover replace the filter and reclip the cover. I suppose the breather hose my have come a little lose, but don't know why?
PainT,
I have checked the seating of the cover three times and seems to be fine.
I will have to check the piping.
One more thing when I first took the cover off the tubing from the cover to the engine was stiff and nows is easy to move with no stiffness. Could this have caused the sound difference. Im a newbie when it comes to most engine mods but after working it for a while, can understand. I know that they tubing is rubber based and is made to be pliable.

Definitely check ALL of your plumbing...especially the other end going into the turbo, it may have come loose or move off-center, which would explain the sudden lack of stiffness. (Boy this could be taken with an entirely different context.)

Since you only messed witht the top half, the breather hose is probably fine, but assume nothing. (I took the whole thing out to inspect/tinker/clean/shine.) It is connected to the lower part of the airbox under the intercooler/throttle body hose and impossible to see unless you are looking for it.

I hope dust is not getting into your impeller... [xx(]

[azptcruiser]

wheelguner, don't take this wrong, but a 10 hp increase by adding just a "cold air intake"? If this is indeed true, this means that these cars are being severely air starved. Was the airbox on your '02 Cruiser the same as those found today or has there been there been some major changes since that timeframe?

Thanks for the info!

[KingKole02]

quote:Originally posted by Rolo

Definitely check ALL of your plumbing...especially the other end going into the turbo, it may have come loose or move off-center, which would explain the sudden lack of stiffness. (Boy this could be taken with an entirely different context.)

Since you only messed witht the top half, the breather hose is probably fine, but assume nothing. (I took the whole thing out to inspect/tinker/clean/shine.) It is connected to the lower part of the airbox under the intercooler/throttle body hose and impossible to see unless you are looking for it.

I hope dust is not getting into your impeller... [xx(]

Rolo,
My PT is an 03' Touring non-turbo. I will still follow your recommendations.
Thanks for your help.

[amx1397]

read the post under turbo performance you need this info.

[PT GEEZR]

Has anyone seen or installed any of the 12volt blower fans that are/were advertized on Ebay. They claim that it bolts up to the standard intake and forces more air to the intake for more zip. Cost is around $100. Looks like they are using a modified bilge blower off of a boat.

Thanks

[Hooligan]

PT GEEZR, welcome to the forum [^]!! Sorry I can't comment on your question, but do you really think someone would sell a "Blower" for $100.00 [:I] ??? Remember, you get what you pay for[xx(]!!!