Simota Carbon Charger for a 2010 Mazda 3 (2.5L engine)
How to install:
Prep Work.
The great thing about the 2010 Mazda 3 is there is a lot of open space in the engine bay. So you can completely assemble the intake inside before even thinking about taking apart the stock intake and airbox. This will save some fumble time and protect you from dropping valuable parts. You'll need a Phillips head screwdriver and a flat head.
Start by standing the filter on end:
Place the gasket in the groove:
Line the piping up with the gasket, the Simota Logo on the filter should be point straight up, and the air flow sensor location should also be pointing straight up. Use the 4 supplied bolts:
Now you put on the rubber elbow, the Simota logo should be face up and the text will be going in the same direction as the Simota logo on the filter:
So at this point you have something that looks like this:
Off to the car.
For this phase you will need a Phillips head screwdriver, socket wrench, and a set of needle nose pliers (if your hands are cold and can't pinch a plastic clip together).
Just like any intake installation, you will need to disconnect the battery. The negative terminal is all that needs to be removed. For the 2010 there are two plastic clips that need to be snapped off. Then the top of the box slides right off (towards the front of the car). Then you simply use your socket wrench and loosen the bolt hold the negative battery terminal on.
Now let's unhook some stuff. I started with the airflow sensor harness. Simply push down not the butt of it and wiggle it out.
Next we unhook the vacuum line. All you have to do is pull and twist.
Now the tranny clip screw is completely exposed, this holds the stock intake ducting to the throttle of the car. Unscrew this completely, but keep your eye and finger on the little square washer so it doesn't fall down into the engine bay, as you will need this if you ever revert back to stock.
Next just get your fingers between the rubber ducting and the throttle body and it will easily pull off. Follow this up by unhooking your air box lid. Only a couple reverse tension clips hold this on:
As you are lifting the air box lid and ducting off there is a small clip holding the wiring for the airflow sensor to the box cover. ***This plastic clip is really lightweight and will break; mine did as it was 0 degrees Celsius today and plastic get pretty weak. Try and use your fingers or needle nose pliers to pinch it together and it will pop out.
Throw that ugly pink filter, with the rest of the removed parts (junk pile). Surprisingly it makes a really good seal in the stock airbox. For those that have never changed one, it just lifts out.
Let's get that bottom piece of the airbox out.
So there is 1 bolt holding down the bottom of the airbox. It is a b**** to get out, I actually cracked a socket on it (it is the one with the red X through it). So instead I unbolted the circled one (but you will need to separate these two brackets as you need to have the one that is circled installed to brace your intake on).
This next part is scary for someone that has never installed an intake before. The bottom of the airbox sits in, what are referred to as plunger clips. The 2010 uses two of these. All you have to do is get a hold of each side of the airbox and lift straight up (this is sturdy, so you can't break this). Plunger clip locations:
The only other thing to watch out for is the fresh air duct. This simply pulls apart, I highlight this with the green square.
Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of the emptiness, but trust me there is a lot.
On to the fun part.
First there are a couple small maintenance things you could do to save a few minutes. Here you will only need a Phillips head screwdriver.
The first is remove the air flow sensor from the stock intake. To do this you need to remove two screws. Then you install it in the Simota intake, the reverse way, you screw it in using two screws. *Please use the screws supplied by Simota.
Second, do the breather filter. As funny as it is, this was the hardest part for me. Why? Because rubber and cold does not work to well. Remember the vacuum line we removed?
Well we left it attached to the car, but now it is time to remove that as well. Trace it back to the back of the engine, it hooks to the valve cover. You will need to pull this off.
So now you have that vacuum hose off. You need to remove the hard plastic piece from the rubber elbow, as you need this to reinstall on the car. This was the hard part as it was completely stuck together. After warming it up though, it came right apart.
Now install your breather filter in the rubber elbow, and attach it to the original rubber elbow location.
Because I had you assemble the intake early, this step is easy. Install the intake onto the throttle body, using the second supplied tranny clip and you might as well plug back in the air flow sensor wiring harness.
Guaranteed this has taken you around 20-30 minutes, you might as well hook the battery back up, and put the cover back on. This will help you get parts out of your way.
Let's support it.
Remember that bolt that I broke my cheap socket on. Go find that. During this step you will need a wrench. Once you find that bolt, it slides right out of the side of the lower stock airbox, but it is still attached to that black bracket I said we would need. So just unbolt that silver bolt with the rubber grommet on it from the black support.
Reattach the black support to the car, using the stock bolt.
Now carefully wrap the Simota supplied support bracket and rubber cushion around your Carbon Fiber filter cover, so that the bolt hole is near the support we just reinstalled. Use the supplied Simota bolt, I choose to go threads up and nut on top, just as it was a tight fit and would have been hard to put the threads down and the nut on the bottom (if your hand would have slipped it would have shot the nut down into the engine bay).
There you are done. Enjoy. It looks pretty good in my opinion, I apparently did scratch it though, so that is why I said carefully wrap the support around it
How to install:
Prep Work.
The great thing about the 2010 Mazda 3 is there is a lot of open space in the engine bay. So you can completely assemble the intake inside before even thinking about taking apart the stock intake and airbox. This will save some fumble time and protect you from dropping valuable parts. You'll need a Phillips head screwdriver and a flat head.
Start by standing the filter on end:
Place the gasket in the groove:
Line the piping up with the gasket, the Simota Logo on the filter should be point straight up, and the air flow sensor location should also be pointing straight up. Use the 4 supplied bolts:
Now you put on the rubber elbow, the Simota logo should be face up and the text will be going in the same direction as the Simota logo on the filter:
So at this point you have something that looks like this:
Off to the car.
For this phase you will need a Phillips head screwdriver, socket wrench, and a set of needle nose pliers (if your hands are cold and can't pinch a plastic clip together).
Just like any intake installation, you will need to disconnect the battery. The negative terminal is all that needs to be removed. For the 2010 there are two plastic clips that need to be snapped off. Then the top of the box slides right off (towards the front of the car). Then you simply use your socket wrench and loosen the bolt hold the negative battery terminal on.
Now let's unhook some stuff. I started with the airflow sensor harness. Simply push down not the butt of it and wiggle it out.
Next we unhook the vacuum line. All you have to do is pull and twist.
Now the tranny clip screw is completely exposed, this holds the stock intake ducting to the throttle of the car. Unscrew this completely, but keep your eye and finger on the little square washer so it doesn't fall down into the engine bay, as you will need this if you ever revert back to stock.
Next just get your fingers between the rubber ducting and the throttle body and it will easily pull off. Follow this up by unhooking your air box lid. Only a couple reverse tension clips hold this on:
As you are lifting the air box lid and ducting off there is a small clip holding the wiring for the airflow sensor to the box cover. ***This plastic clip is really lightweight and will break; mine did as it was 0 degrees Celsius today and plastic get pretty weak. Try and use your fingers or needle nose pliers to pinch it together and it will pop out.
Throw that ugly pink filter, with the rest of the removed parts (junk pile). Surprisingly it makes a really good seal in the stock airbox. For those that have never changed one, it just lifts out.
Let's get that bottom piece of the airbox out.
So there is 1 bolt holding down the bottom of the airbox. It is a b**** to get out, I actually cracked a socket on it (it is the one with the red X through it). So instead I unbolted the circled one (but you will need to separate these two brackets as you need to have the one that is circled installed to brace your intake on).
This next part is scary for someone that has never installed an intake before. The bottom of the airbox sits in, what are referred to as plunger clips. The 2010 uses two of these. All you have to do is get a hold of each side of the airbox and lift straight up (this is sturdy, so you can't break this). Plunger clip locations:
The only other thing to watch out for is the fresh air duct. This simply pulls apart, I highlight this with the green square.
Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of the emptiness, but trust me there is a lot.
On to the fun part.
First there are a couple small maintenance things you could do to save a few minutes. Here you will only need a Phillips head screwdriver.
The first is remove the air flow sensor from the stock intake. To do this you need to remove two screws. Then you install it in the Simota intake, the reverse way, you screw it in using two screws. *Please use the screws supplied by Simota.
Second, do the breather filter. As funny as it is, this was the hardest part for me. Why? Because rubber and cold does not work to well. Remember the vacuum line we removed?
Well we left it attached to the car, but now it is time to remove that as well. Trace it back to the back of the engine, it hooks to the valve cover. You will need to pull this off.
So now you have that vacuum hose off. You need to remove the hard plastic piece from the rubber elbow, as you need this to reinstall on the car. This was the hard part as it was completely stuck together. After warming it up though, it came right apart.
Now install your breather filter in the rubber elbow, and attach it to the original rubber elbow location.
Because I had you assemble the intake early, this step is easy. Install the intake onto the throttle body, using the second supplied tranny clip and you might as well plug back in the air flow sensor wiring harness.
Guaranteed this has taken you around 20-30 minutes, you might as well hook the battery back up, and put the cover back on. This will help you get parts out of your way.
Let's support it.
Remember that bolt that I broke my cheap socket on. Go find that. During this step you will need a wrench. Once you find that bolt, it slides right out of the side of the lower stock airbox, but it is still attached to that black bracket I said we would need. So just unbolt that silver bolt with the rubber grommet on it from the black support.
Reattach the black support to the car, using the stock bolt.
Now carefully wrap the Simota supplied support bracket and rubber cushion around your Carbon Fiber filter cover, so that the bolt hole is near the support we just reinstalled. Use the supplied Simota bolt, I choose to go threads up and nut on top, just as it was a tight fit and would have been hard to put the threads down and the nut on the bottom (if your hand would have slipped it would have shot the nut down into the engine bay).
There you are done. Enjoy. It looks pretty good in my opinion, I apparently did scratch it though, so that is why I said carefully wrap the support around it
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