MS3 Custom CAI
- Thread starter redspeed
- Start date
Hypnotized
Member
- :
- 03.5 MS Protege-Gone 07 MS3
Really. I dont have that problem. My car actually feels more resposive. I also think it pulls harder as well. Have you had a CEL come on?
dont do the SRI maybe like a week after i got my car i did the same SRI with the autozone maf housing and the cone filter, but i had idle problems and through CEL's left and right, i tried everything and then after about a week of trying i gave up and ordered a cold air intake. i think it had something to do with the housing for the MAFS the whole leaked so it was throwing codes are MAFS does not fit in that housing properly. So just a WARNING to anyone, ive done this long before this thread was even started
ichiromariko
Member
- :
- 2007 Black Mica MS3
Yup, I ended up trearing mine out, and replacing it with the Cobb SRI. I couldn't stand staring at that stupid CEL everytime I took a drive.
the CEL i got was lean idle bank 1 or something like that. with the SRI the car actually got slower because the ECU couldn't put enough fuel with the amount of air getting sucked in. in 1st gear mostly it would spool faster, but after that, anytime i wanted power, it would lag horrendously then get on to full boost
confinedconcept
Member
- :
- 2007 MazdaSpeed3
CEL might be....
Sup Red its me.. black MS3 that everyone was clowning on like the second page. i would love to run again but that bootlegged track closed down.
anywho. the CEL might be from your fuel cap, i know it sounds dumb but i'm still stock and mine comes on from time to time and i turn the car off tighten the shitout of the gas cap and turn it back on and it goes away.
now everytime at the pump whichis alot lol:'( i make sure that i tighten the hell out of the gas cap, also when i get the CEL even though its a dumb gascap i notice a a loss of power
i'm no expert far from but its somthing to think about
-Rob
Confined Concepts El Paso, TX
Sup Red its me.. black MS3 that everyone was clowning on like the second page. i would love to run again but that bootlegged track closed down.
anywho. the CEL might be from your fuel cap, i know it sounds dumb but i'm still stock and mine comes on from time to time and i turn the car off tighten the shitout of the gas cap and turn it back on and it goes away.
now everytime at the pump whichis alot lol:'( i make sure that i tighten the hell out of the gas cap, also when i get the CEL even though its a dumb gascap i notice a a loss of power
i'm no expert far from but its somthing to think about
-Rob
Confined Concepts El Paso, TX
drledford93
Member
- :
- Mazdaspeed 3
I really want to try this mod this weekend...
I had a kinda stupid question--the CAI filter ends up across the frame, just in front of the left front wheel, right?
If this is right, then why would you be so concerned about hydrolock? It seems that there is *very* little water that comes up into that area, at least in thought. Am I off?
Also, as another thought experiment, what about having 2 4" or a 6" and 4" pipes straight down and put the filter on at the bottom, for a "longer" SRI? (This assumes taking off the large plastic piece from the bottom of the engine bay for better air flow...) Just curious...
Thanks for the ideas! This looks like a good alternative to the MS CAI...
Daniel
I had a kinda stupid question--the CAI filter ends up across the frame, just in front of the left front wheel, right?
If this is right, then why would you be so concerned about hydrolock? It seems that there is *very* little water that comes up into that area, at least in thought. Am I off?
Also, as another thought experiment, what about having 2 4" or a 6" and 4" pipes straight down and put the filter on at the bottom, for a "longer" SRI? (This assumes taking off the large plastic piece from the bottom of the engine bay for better air flow...) Just curious...
Thanks for the ideas! This looks like a good alternative to the MS CAI...
Daniel
Yes, the filter sits on the other side of the frame. The only way to hydrolock the engine is to drive on a deep puddle. My filter is about more than half the height of the tire, so is pretty secure. Also in the area where the filter sits, it receives a good amount of outside air. There is a direct pad from the front bumper to the filter.
You can make a longer sri, but some people did not had good results with the sri. Probably with your idea you won't have any issues, so if you try and it works, let us know. My advice is to just by the parts you'll need for the cai, because the spectre parts are cheap. Mine is running good after 6 months with no cel light.
You can make a longer sri, but some people did not had good results with the sri. Probably with your idea you won't have any issues, so if you try and it works, let us know. My advice is to just by the parts you'll need for the cai, because the spectre parts are cheap. Mine is running good after 6 months with no cel light.
drledford93
Member
- :
- Mazdaspeed 3
Thanks--I'm excited to try it! Thanks for posting this!
Did you ever dyno it? Just curious...
Daniel
Did you ever dyno it? Just curious...
Daniel
drledford93
Member
- :
- Mazdaspeed 3
Redspeed, you da man! For ~$100 (w/tax), my MS3 pulls past 6k rpm and gets wheel in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gears! Holy shnikes, Batman!
Now my wife says she can't drive the car because it's too powerful...too bad (hee hee hee).
Daniel
Now my wife says she can't drive the car because it's too powerful...too bad (hee hee hee).
Daniel
LOL, Good stuff. Did you made the complete cai?
drledford93
Member
- :
- Mazdaspeed 3
Yep. I need to adjust the mounting bracket, as the filter has moved over to the side of the wheel well. (Maybe from the huge g-forces generated from all the additional horsepower??) (yippy)
Daniel
Daniel
mazdaspeedjay
Member
ok i've been a mazda tech for 3 years and been into tuning cars for ten so let get you guys in on a little secret. First short airs are pointless yes you have the protection of hydro lock with a CAI but as long as your a smart driver and avoid running into puddles and or sitting at a traffic light in knee deep water when you cars idleing you'll be fine most cold airs are two piece systems and you can convert to a short air for rainy days. I've done that on all my N/A cars with cold airs. on rainy days just switch to a short air or just run the cold and keep away from massive puddles. it may be a pain with switch from SAI to CAI but do what you got to do. You don't hear of these problems with CAI cause mazda makes a CAI for the car and hense tune the computer to accept it in the future.
your short airs are probally sucking in too much air at one time and the computer thinks there's a problem and cause misses hesistations etc. or cause your MAF is reading erractic. Trust me i know we all don't have deep pockets but take the time by the right parts except for this guys mod which works because it's a cold air set-up. cold air is cold air the filter always goes in the same spot on these cars so the tube size and legnth doesn't make that big a difference. short airs are cheaper but these cars aren't 96's anymore and ECU PCM's what ever you call them are alot more sensative now a days. cold airs don't cause as much trouble because the air has alot longer route to travel compared to the a SAI so even thoug the air is colder it's not being forced into the maff like a SAI intake does. i hope this explains something for some and opens up others eyes. I know mazdaspeed parts are pricing but every single mazda speed part i've installed i've had no problems with from suspension to intakes.
your short airs are probally sucking in too much air at one time and the computer thinks there's a problem and cause misses hesistations etc. or cause your MAF is reading erractic. Trust me i know we all don't have deep pockets but take the time by the right parts except for this guys mod which works because it's a cold air set-up. cold air is cold air the filter always goes in the same spot on these cars so the tube size and legnth doesn't make that big a difference. short airs are cheaper but these cars aren't 96's anymore and ECU PCM's what ever you call them are alot more sensative now a days. cold airs don't cause as much trouble because the air has alot longer route to travel compared to the a SAI so even thoug the air is colder it's not being forced into the maff like a SAI intake does. i hope this explains something for some and opens up others eyes. I know mazdaspeed parts are pricing but every single mazda speed part i've installed i've had no problems with from suspension to intakes.
fourthmeal
Banned
^ Dude that is just a bunch of bulls*** all wrapped in a neat package with a "Mazda Tech Answer" bow on it.
What you have here is completely wrong.
MAZDASPEED intakes are made by AEM, and while they are nice, it has been proven time and again that they actually cause problems all by themselves, typically due to their incorrect MAF metering section. This slight mis-calibration throws off some cars more then others, but ask around and you will see what's up. Truth is, whether it is an engineered SRI like Cobb's, or an engineered CAI like CP-E, you'll find the main factors in those being so successful and seamless in our cars to be the same thing: the MAF section is identical to stock in size.
Mazda didn't tune for anything with this intake, or any other. This computer learns the A/F, MAF inputs, and driving habits amongst other things and eventually creates its own trims depending on those variables.
Lastly, probably the reason why CAI's are working here while SRI's aren't is NOT that too much air is entering the intake! This is just silly. It is likely an issue of the short ram not being designed properly to straighten the airflow in time (unlike a long tube will tend to do), and this non-linear airflow is disrupting the MAF! The Cobb SRI doesn't have this problem, because they engineered a velocity stack to straighten the flow out. Simple.
This is your first post, but seriously, I'd reconsider telling anybody you are a Mazda tech until you've got the facts straight, not just what someone told you.
This is not to flame you or insult you, but to correct the mis-information that is coming out of your post.
What you have here is completely wrong.
MAZDASPEED intakes are made by AEM, and while they are nice, it has been proven time and again that they actually cause problems all by themselves, typically due to their incorrect MAF metering section. This slight mis-calibration throws off some cars more then others, but ask around and you will see what's up. Truth is, whether it is an engineered SRI like Cobb's, or an engineered CAI like CP-E, you'll find the main factors in those being so successful and seamless in our cars to be the same thing: the MAF section is identical to stock in size.
Mazda didn't tune for anything with this intake, or any other. This computer learns the A/F, MAF inputs, and driving habits amongst other things and eventually creates its own trims depending on those variables.
Lastly, probably the reason why CAI's are working here while SRI's aren't is NOT that too much air is entering the intake! This is just silly. It is likely an issue of the short ram not being designed properly to straighten the airflow in time (unlike a long tube will tend to do), and this non-linear airflow is disrupting the MAF! The Cobb SRI doesn't have this problem, because they engineered a velocity stack to straighten the flow out. Simple.
This is your first post, but seriously, I'd reconsider telling anybody you are a Mazda tech until you've got the facts straight, not just what someone told you.
This is not to flame you or insult you, but to correct the mis-information that is coming out of your post.
mazdaspeedjay
Member
ok I'm not a mazda master tech never said i was. I'm still learning alot about these cars but i'm mainly going off what they tell us and also going from working at a performance shop and seeing countless problems like what the guys earlier were saying about having problems with SAI's. We just had a mazda rep in here last week. We don't get any MS3 with problems like this i guess thats a good thing just see alot of MS6's. I asked the rep that came here. granted he wasn't the guy who designed the car but i asked him why people were having these problems. i'm only assuming thats why mazda made only a CAI and not a second more cheaper version with a SAI. I see countless cars come in regular mazda 3's 6's etc with home made short air intakes and they usually cause nothing but problems. I was kind of right with the short airs. i'm not saying anything your saying is wrong but do you agree that the longer the air has to travel and the more bents affects the way the air hits the MAF compared to a SAI were it's basicly just has a direct shot and is almost the same as running no air filter or tube.
I'm assuming AEM Makes their intake but they didn't design them. unless the hand out we out with the picture of a guy that designed the mazdaspeed CAI for the MS3 and another guy that designed the suspension was all a P R stunt. I re read my post and look back that i rambled on about a bunch of stuff basicly was just trying to say that i've seen and had less problems out of the CAI's then SAI's. I wish i could tell you why some computers respond different then others i honestly don't know. I onyl had similair experiences working for VW where one 1.8T would come in with a open BOV and not throw any CEL's and another same year same model everything would come in with the same mod open BOV ( just nameing one mod ) and would run like crap and throw all kinds of CEL's. As far as a reflash fixing hesistations that usually just the dealership way of trying to get out of fixing something under warranty reflashes that are out really don't help driveability problems like that there's something else going on with the person that posted on here that said there car has no power till 3K RPM's.
I'm assuming AEM Makes their intake but they didn't design them. unless the hand out we out with the picture of a guy that designed the mazdaspeed CAI for the MS3 and another guy that designed the suspension was all a P R stunt. I re read my post and look back that i rambled on about a bunch of stuff basicly was just trying to say that i've seen and had less problems out of the CAI's then SAI's. I wish i could tell you why some computers respond different then others i honestly don't know. I onyl had similair experiences working for VW where one 1.8T would come in with a open BOV and not throw any CEL's and another same year same model everything would come in with the same mod open BOV ( just nameing one mod ) and would run like crap and throw all kinds of CEL's. As far as a reflash fixing hesistations that usually just the dealership way of trying to get out of fixing something under warranty reflashes that are out really don't help driveability problems like that there's something else going on with the person that posted on here that said there car has no power till 3K RPM's.
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mazdaspeedjay
Member
Here's a idea i told this to the rep that was here and i hope they follow threw with this. Unlike some techs i'm very understanding when it comes to warranty work and modified cars. I try to fix the car with aftermarket parts as long as the parts aren't causeing the problems. i modify my own cars and wouldn't want someone trying to say my intake caused my cat. converter to go up so i inturn have to pay for it which is a load of BS i work in baltimore and if anyone needs work done come see me chances are i can get it fixed under warranty and not have you need to remove anything.
My idea to the rep was to talk to the mazdaspeed people and tell them it wouldn't be a bad idea to creat and sell staged ECU' PCM's what ever. Much what Dodge did when the SRT4 came ou. I owned a SRT4 before my speed and having the stage 1 or 2 ECU made installing and using aftermarket parts very customer friendly without worrying if this mod is going to throw a CEL. There's money to be made there and the customer base has already shown the need for the MS3's. We can't keep enough in stock. That would be awesome for them to do something like that for the customers that own them to be able to buy a PCM ECU for $500 from the factory that will increase power from a plug and play install but will also make future mods worry free. my e-mail is srt4jay17@aol.com If you live in the maryland baltimore area send me a e-mail if your having problems and worried about warranty being voided. unlike some other old timers i know what mods can and or won't affect other systems. I hate seeing people come in or hear horror stories of people trying to get simple warranty work done and their stuff is voided cause they have a CAI or a muffler on their car which had nothing to do with the part going bad and the techs void your warranty cause they make more money if it's customer pay
My idea to the rep was to talk to the mazdaspeed people and tell them it wouldn't be a bad idea to creat and sell staged ECU' PCM's what ever. Much what Dodge did when the SRT4 came ou. I owned a SRT4 before my speed and having the stage 1 or 2 ECU made installing and using aftermarket parts very customer friendly without worrying if this mod is going to throw a CEL. There's money to be made there and the customer base has already shown the need for the MS3's. We can't keep enough in stock. That would be awesome for them to do something like that for the customers that own them to be able to buy a PCM ECU for $500 from the factory that will increase power from a plug and play install but will also make future mods worry free. my e-mail is srt4jay17@aol.com If you live in the maryland baltimore area send me a e-mail if your having problems and worried about warranty being voided. unlike some other old timers i know what mods can and or won't affect other systems. I hate seeing people come in or hear horror stories of people trying to get simple warranty work done and their stuff is voided cause they have a CAI or a muffler on their car which had nothing to do with the part going bad and the techs void your warranty cause they make more money if it's customer pay
