MazdaSpeed 3 - MS CAI - Install time and cost

[CaSHMeRe]

Man!! your's looks sweet. quick Q, were is the maf located??

i tried to put the maf in the straightest part of the intake so i could get the best readings !!! so i have atleast 6-8" inches of straight pipe on each end of the maf.

my buddy rich relocated the maf clips holding it in place so we could put it that far down the intake !

 

[redspeed]

Great job cash! Looks like you guys took the time to do everything right.

 

[gsrtype1]

i did it in about 2hours it took me 2 days though becuase i couldlt figure out what the damm fuel balist bracket was and the instructions did not giv e pic or anything. but i finally figured it out.

 

[pmeilakjr]

i did it in about 2hours it took me 2 days though becuase i couldlt figure out what the damm fuel balist bracket was and the instructions did not giv e pic or anything. but i finally figured it out.

Post a picture of where the fuel balist bracket is located. I might find some time to tackle this project this week.

Cheers

Peter

 

[pmeilakjr]

Finally Found the Time

Just in case any of you still wondered if I ever got time to do the install - I did - it took about 2 hours - going slowly at 10:00 pm.

I took it for a test drive and I do say the butt dyno confirms more power - so does the tire squeeling.

Do like the whoosh sound.

So what's my next modification?

Cheers!

Peter

 

[TheTam]

Congrats and nice job Peter! (cool)

 

[AeroSquid]

my dealer quoted me $561 installed for the CAI. I'd rather not do it myself and risk ******* something up but i'm not paying that much for it to be done.

 

[$inCitySpeed3]

oh is that intercooler setup prettttttttty

 

[aciurczak]

Just installed the MS CAI this afternoon. Took me much longer than I had expected, but it's all in and it feels great (especially 20 - 30 minutes into the test drive, when it seemed as if the ECU was starting to realize the differences). Couple questions:

- I re-read the instructions several times, and it never said to put the bottom splash guard back on (the large plastic cover with 7 bolts and 2 plastic fasteners sitting on the bottom of the entire engine bay). Should I put it back anyway, or is it supposed to run open to allow more air into the intake?

- It looks like the car is overboosting, and I wonder if the ECU will figure it out eventually, or if there is anything else I could add/change to prevent this. I have a scangauge II on the car which shows manifold pressure. Prior to the CAI, it would never go above 31 (which is right about 15.9 psi boost + the 14.7 atmospheric pressure). But with the CAI, I immediately saw 36.0 when I hit the gas in 4th gear; that would represent 21.3 psi of boost. The car didn't feel much faster at that boost level, so the ECU was probably cutting the fuel and spark way back anyway.

I did think that the instructions could have been much clearer. I don't know why there aren't pictures of things like that resister on the fuel rail, and of the different splash guards. Turning that plastic breather pipe was a scary time. It wouldn't budge at all, and I thought it was going to crack, right up until it seemed to pop and then it turned just fine. A description of that would have been a nice addition to the instructions. It also took me forever to get that silly air deflector off in front of the wheel fender cover. I simply didn't have a tool to get back behind it and take the top bolt off; had to go buy an extra-short and folding ratchet, along with a thumbwheel ratchet; then I could finally get it off. I also didn't figure out the plastic connector at the very bottom of that piece, and eventually had to just pull hard (which worked). I'm glad I did it myself; I now know that every bolt has been torqued to spec and it is installed exactly like the instructions, but if I had it to do over again I'm not sure I wouldn't have paid 2 or 3 hrs of dealer labor to just have it appear magically in my engine bay...

 

[NCZ13]

Just in case any of you still wondered if I ever got time to do the install - I did - it took about 2 hours - going slowly at 10:00 pm.

I took it for a test drive and I do say the butt dyno confirms more power - so does the tire squeeling.

Do like the whoosh sound.

So what's my next modification?

Cheers!

Peter

your next mod you ask?

trade your ms3 for a silver p5

heeeeeeeeeeeey

what do u know i have a silver p5

 

[knowledge007]

I paid 150 for the install of my TBE. And those ass's want 300 or more for a CAI. Oh my lord...

 

[AllLostThings]

I installed my Fujita F5 CAI yesterday in a little under 2 hours by going through the wheel well and not removing the bumper.

 

[clos561]

my dealer wanted 90/hr labor and i said it definitely only takes 1 hour with a lift, i only got charged 90 but for exhaust ill prolly pay 150-200 for the downpipe and catback

 

[pmeilakjr]

I put my my bottom splash guard back on. And yes turning the breather pipe - where was that in the instructions - I looked at other pictures and knew it had to move. It was akward but I managed to the airbox off without to many issues. I think it might be worth $90 to have someone install it - $300 no way. But then again - I have my $90 and now purchased the MS sport springs for $350. Just need the time to install them.

 

[Conso]

dealer put mine in for 100 bux, pretty cheap eh, i guess thats cause the chief service tech is a neighbor couple houses down haha

 

[MS3ICA]

i installed my self its really not a big deal

 

[oskinosmee]

I installed mine in a hour with no jack and a walmart tool kit. Its not hard please jack it up that was the hard part for me.

 

[lukey]

Received my MS CAI today from america and installed it after work, took about 2 hours start to finish making sure i did everything right.
love the sucking/wooshing on and off throttle, also it feels perkier

 

[Leshok]

I installed on in about 1 1/2hrs from the start of unbolting the bottom splash gaurd to test drive.

 

[aciurczak]

Well, the ECU does catch on. Now after a few days the car will not go into overboost, and stays capped right around 31 psi again. I did end up putting the splash guard back on. I got some ramps at the auto parts shop, which made it a 10 second process to lift the front end of the car compared to jacking up both sides. Highly recommended if folks are using jacks or jack stands instead.

My tailpipe is staying *much* cleaner with the CAI compared to the stock intake; that's got to be a good thing.