I decided to go with the AEM CAi and before I make the purchase I'd like to know if there are any problems I should know about this product.

I did hear in another thread that when you install the AEM CAi it will require the removal/relocation of the wiper fluid container. Is this correct? If it is, can someone tell me where to relocate this container? And what hardware it would required?

I also heard that you can run into problems if you drive the car under heavy rainy conditions where water would be sucked into the AEM CAi; which I personaly experience this problem the day I was driving the car off the lot - it was raining like hell (strange for So.CAL) and after a 100mi drive to my house I opened the hood and water was all over the engine/compartment.

Is my fuel economy going to improve? Significantly or not?

P.S. This time I did a search on this subject and had no results. Just so no one gets on my case

 

One of the main problems you are going to run into with the AEM cai is that it will require the relocation of the wiper fluid bottle. The kit comes with 2 brakets that hook up to the bottle. But I have heard the problems comes when you try and move it. It's alot of work,so if you are not familiar with being under the hood then get someone who is.

And yes heavy rain or deep puddle are bad for your intake. This is called hydrolocking which is a big problem. In other words your intake sucks up water and goes into your engine. Then Poof!!!.. no more engine. So becareful with the water.

Yes your fuel economy will improve slightly but only if you are not getting on it. Once you hit vtec kiss your gas good bye. Hope this information helped bro.
Good Luck

 

We have done 2 cai intakes and it takes us about an hour an a half to two hours from getting it in and getting it out. We take the bumper off to make life easier. Nice upgrade tho.

 

I have had multiple problems with mine. Relocating the resivoir is a pain in the *** but it's no big deal. I am currently on my second AEM intake. I had fitment problems with the first one and the shift linkage kept hitting the intake and nearly put a hole in it. I sent it back to AEM and the warrantied it for me and sent me a new one. The second one still didn't fit right. I had to shave (or grind) part of the shift linkage down so that it would not hit the intake during shifts. It made no difference in the shifts. All it is is a counter weight.

 

i beleive dc sports makes a replacement reservior for the fluid, it fits in the same spot and is shapped differently to fit around their cai, which i beleive goes through the same locations as the aem

 

Hey, again, thanks for the help.

Now, what is the difference between AEM and the $25 CAi they sell on ebay for the RSX?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=1874733070

 

Just to double check this information We are talking about a 2003 RSX Type-S, right?

The reason I ask is because in this website http://www.hondatuningmagazine.com/t...1ht_rsxintake/ they mention nothing about the fact that you need to remove the H2O reservoir and/or that a bumber removal would make life easier.

By the way these pictures show the AEM CAi on the RSX Type-S engine seems to suggest that it is as easy as taking the OEM filter and duct out and replacing it with a much smaller and perfectly fitted AEM CAi.

What gives? Am I getting the wrong idea, or what? Are these pictures/website misleading me?

 

That is not a Cold Air Intake, that is Aem's Sri. The cold air intake goes in the opposite direction. The CAI goes into the lower drivers side wheel fender. That is a picture of the SRI. It is exactly the same as the injen SRI. The SRI is easy to install, but the CAI is a little more time consuming.

 

big difference between the cold aire and the short ram intake,

cold air suck air in the front bumper, near the floor
short ram suck engine compartiment air, near the header and the master cylinder.

short ram install time: 30 min
cai install time between 2:00 and 3 :00 h depend on your mechanic ability ( mainly for the windshild washer reservoir relocation)

 

You just need to rotate the whole member forward. I had the same problem, couldn't hit any odd gear, but just rotated the whole intake forward and tightened botl, problem fixed with 2cm of clearance and no problems since

 

f1nal zeros,

So are both systems capable of giving me the same HP #s? Or is the AEM CAi a better upgrade?

And is this SRi prone to give me hydrolocking problems as much as the CAi? Because it does seem like it has better protection against the elements.

BTW, do you know of a website where they show the actual AEM CAi?


[Modified by krings, 2:27 PM 12/17/2002]

 

hey krigs,
the CAI will give you much more power, especially if you get the hondata ecu upgrade. the SRI is a bit more protected from rain since it sits higher in the engine bay. go to http://www.aempower.com to check out the AEM web site...there are pics there.

edit:


[Modified by F1HONDA, 6:39 AM 12/17/2002]

 

Get the bypass valve. But there is still a chance of hydrolock . Just try to avoid puddles. Even though I have a bypass valve, everytime I drive through a puddle on accident or when it floods, I'm still thinkin"O Sh*t! I have a CAI!!"

 

there is no room for the by-pass valve in our engine bay. you would have to chop a huge section of piping out and then put it back together. the pipe bends perfectly so you can fit it in there.

i have the dc CAI and have not had a problem so far and i dont worry about hydro lock. it would take a huge puddle to get to it and what little water makes it in will most likely be blown through the engine without any problems.

 

Damn, I would be afraid to have a CAI with out the bypass valve..especially down here.

 

uh, no. i had an aem cai and i went through water that i didn't know was that deep and poof. nice 2in hole in my block. what happens when you throw water onto fire? same thing if water gets in your motor. water+combustion=SOL

 

Just adding, you might want to wait for the new intake system AEM is coming out with soon. It's called the AEM V2 intake.
And the bypass valve doesn't fully prevent you from hydrolocking your block. Drive slow when it rains. If you see a puddle or a dip, or anything bump in the road with water, avoid it; if you can't avoid it, just slowly drive through the way you would drive through a speed bump. And you might see your check engine light flash for a while, but that will go away, because your Oxygen sensors will get used to the increased airflow. Umm.. let's see, what else. I would suggest buying a bypass valve too, it helps a little bit.
IMA smoting YOU ALL WITH MY EVO!! if i get one..

 

Doesn't a By-Pass Valve cut the HP gain from a CAI by up to 50%? That's what I was told and am not sure if that is true or not. But it does make sense, sort of like trying to suck in water using a straw with a hole in the side. But the loss of a few HP is infinitely better than a hydrolocked engine.

 

The SRI is less prone to hydrolocking. The cold air intake is located in the wheel fender and is lower and closer to the ground so if you drive through a puddle or heavy rain should occur then the chances of hydrolocking with a CAI is greater.The Sri is located in the engine bay and closer to the header.

The SRI produced more hp on a dyno but hp soon dropped as the engine bay becomes hot. The CAI has a consistent hp across the board. But in the end both produce the same amount of hp with a 1 or 2 hp difference.
If you have anymore questions just ask bro and I will see what I can do.Good Luck.

 

go ahead and get CAI it will be a good choice and I got my yesterday and install and it took about 2 1/2 hour with 2 people and it was actually easier to install than what people said, overall i like it alot and accerlate better and smooth

 

Block was no good but your head was salvageable.

 

yeah i know guy, get a j-o-b hahahahaha