Help! Used Ractive intake=harsh vibes

[wrkngmanByTor]

Ok so I just installed a used Ractive intake(sri/cai?) and now at idle I'm getting quite a noticeable vibration. I didn't get any detailed instructions how to install but the guy gave me good photos of it installed in his car(btw, both 03 P5's). I had a very slight vibration before I did this job, I'm just curious if the new intake is just intensifying that by allowing more air in, or is it(new intake) actually causing
"new vibrations" due to poor install/wrong part? One thing I must mention - his car is a manual, mine is auto. I've heard they are only swappable auto to manual, and not the other way because of the larger tranny in the auto? Any truth to that? It seems to fit ok, other than the filter sitting fairly close to the rad. I guess the other possibility is a dirty filter, but to my eyes it looked ok, no signs of any debris etc. embedded in it. As far as any performance improvements, I have to be honest and say "not so much". Anyways, any input would be greatly appreciated. I will update with photos soon.

 

[i12drivemyMP5]

Make sure the first bend off of the throttle body isn't too close to the brake mstr cylinder. Push it down real good on the throttle body. The movement of the motor could also be making it touch if real close. And if possible use something that moves with the motor for the prop/bracket. If you use the battery tray bolt then it's tug of war because you'll have a static mounting point on the body that doesn't move with the engine.

 

[wrkngmanByTor]

I guess I should clarify - its more of a "rough idle" vibration rather than a "rattle/metal to metal" vibration. Yeah, its really close to the m.c., so I took a piece of rubber and taped it on (to the m.c.) I didn't want to shove the pipes too far into the rubber boots, causing contact between two ends. Maybe I will squeeze everything together a bit tighter and see if it makes any difference( I'd like to be able to get some more distance from the rad anyway). And if that doesn't work, well should I get out the hacksaw?????

 

[wrkngmanByTor]

re:Help! Used Ractive intake=harsh vibes- pics added

Here's some photos. Is it too close to the master cylinder? When I look under the hood there is a very small space between but maybe when I'm driving there's enough engine vibration for the two to contact. If I bend the bracket towards the engine it will probably cause the filter end to contact the rad.Other than cutting the pipe at the TB end, is there any other possible solution?

 

[SlowPro98]

yeah, it's rubbing on your MC. it doesn't look like it when the engine is off, but when it's on, it rubs. I took a hammer to my ebay intake to solve my issue.

Peace

 

[Tom03es]

Yep. Cheap intakes have fitment issues like this. I'd trim a slice off the end that connects to the throttle body with a hack saw.

 

[Nutari]

yup. I had the same intake and I solved it by cutting about an inch off the TB side of the pipe. I'd go 1/4" at a time to make sure the front half still sits right.

 

[wrkngmanByTor]

OK I think I'll try the hacksaw fix. I definitely do NOT want to mess up my M.C. for the sake of an (Ebay??) intake. Oh well, it only set me back 60 bucks anyway, if I mess it up, lesson learned. Thanks for your input.

 

[red95_240sx]

U said its a rough idle vibration? Cutting the intake wont fix that. u shud try to reset the ECU to let the computer relearn things so it wont run so rough.

 

[mspeedP5]

OK I think I'll try the hacksaw fix. I definitely do NOT want to mess up my M.C. for the sake of an (Ebay??) intake. Oh well, it only set me back 60 bucks anyway, if I mess it up, lesson learned. Thanks for your input.

You won't mess up your mc but you can eventually wear a hole in the intake pipe. The engine rolls back under accelleration and thats when the contact is the worst. You've got the right idea with the rubber pad. Back in the day when I had the same intake, I took a short length of 1" hose, slit it down one side and zap strapped it around the mc so when the intake rolled back it just rubbed on the hose.

 

[wrkngmanByTor]

Thanks again for all the input, I think I'll try the rubber hose idea, and resetting the ecu? Maybe, I'll look in the how-to section for that. I guess one more idea would be to just angle the bracket a bit more vertical, then turn the filter side elbow down, this should give a little extra space as well.

 

[bucksatan]

This is a really common problem with the Ractive intake, most people solve it by trimming 3/4" off the pipe where it connects to the throttle body. Apparently this has been a problem since the ractive intake first came out in 2002 (ish). I trimmed 3/4" off mine and it works perfectly.