air filter box question

[je56554]

There is a delphi automotive systems box in my air filter box and i was wondering what that is? I was installing a cold air intake and i found it when i was tinkering. what is it and can i get away with leaving it out of the filter box?

[viper8907]

That would be your Power Control Module (PCM), it's basically the engines computer. You can get a tray that mounts to the fender that will hold it in place. check out intense-racing.com, otherwise someone here might have one to sell.

[je56554]

thanks tom! does the pcm need to be waterproofed? like is there a case for it when i install my cold air intake?

[viper8907]

No, it is water proofed already, the connector's have seals on them that keep water out. A lot of people here run Fender Well Intakes (FWI) and have no problems, myself included.

Here's the link to the PCM tray:

http://intense-racing.com/Merchant2/mer ... ry_Code=IE

What kind of intake are you installing?

[viper8907]

BTW in your name....56554....Are you from Minnesota?

[je56554]

yeah born and raised in lake park. currently living in fargo now.

[viper8907]

Right on! there are lot's of member's here from MN. I am from the Alexandria Area myself, I go to school in Grand Forks, so I drive through Fargo all the time.

Did that link work for you?

[je56554]

yeah thanks! i went to school in alec for a semester... nice area down there. im putting in a spectre intake by the way.

[viper8907]

If you're going to use the spectre intake, I (and a lot of others) suggest building some type of barrier between the filter and the engine bay. If you don't it will suck in hot air from the engine bay, and won't give you the best gain. This is why a lot of people go with an intake to goes down into the fenderwell.

Post up some pictures if you can!! We love to see pics here!

[je56554]

yeah im customizing it to extend a bit further into the fender wall and also putting a 3.5'' hose that connects to the front of the filter and goes to the fender wall

ill get some pics up soon.

[viper8907]

I'm glad to hear that it won't be a hot air sucking rice pipe. Let us know if you have anyone other questions. You'll find that this isn't your typical car forum.

[je56554]

One more quick question... Do throttle body spacers help quite a bit? Thinking bout putting a helix power tower in. Im mainly looking for a boost in fuel economy over hp.

[viper8907]

Quick Answer: No, don't waste your money. They have shown no noticeable improvement in HP or fuel economy. Back in the day the did help for carbureted or TBI engines, but they do no good for our engines. I'm sure a few others will chime in when morning comes with more information on why they are a waste of money.

[GonneVille]

Power towers, Tornados, etc., all the things that claim to boost power or efficiency by making intake air "spin" or producing turbulence, are all rip-offs. Power is about flowing as much air as you can. Turbulence reduces air-flow, so anything that goes inside the intake reduces performance.

BTW, if you use the Spectre, chuck the filter that comes with it and get either a K&N, or one of the good dry filters that are out there. Also, make sure that the IAT sensor is as close to the throttle body as you can get it, for the best read on intake temps.

[willwren]

Throttle body spacers became worthless with multi-port injection. They do work somewhat on TBI or carburetor equipped cars.

[GonneVille]

Well, yeah, you're right, Bill. But an explanation as to why that's so is in order:
TBI and carbs introduce the fuel right at the beginning of the intake, so adding intake length or a little turbulence actually mixes the air and fuel more evenly. That gives you a more efficient burn when it reaches the cylinder.

On a sequential tuned-port injection system like ours, where the fuel is introduced right before the intake valve, the extra length does nothing, and added turbulence just slows down the intake charge, limiting the amount of air that the engine takes in.

On a car with a supercharger or turbo, the tornado is REALLY silly, because that extra little bit of turbulence they say is what makes them work just gets obliterated when the air travels through the rotor or turbine.

[je56554]

all great info guys. thanks!

[Ghosthawk]

Looking forward to the pics of your intake setup. I've done a couple of "garage fabrications" on other cars I owned, and I broke down and bought a K&N kit on my last car. In all honesty, I think the K&N kit is way overpriced for what you get.

As was mentioned before, if you filter element is open under the hood you may see the best gains. The fenderwell setup or one of the fully enclosed box types is the only true way to isolate underhood air. The K&N kit I installed on my GP had such huge openings for the intake tube to pass thru that it seems hard to believe that it kept much underhood air away from the filter, and sadly I saw little difference in performance or mpg over the garage fab unit I had on the car before.

I dont blame anyone for taking a shot at creating their own setup, especially since so few choices are available for the Bonne, you almost have to. Good luck and keep us posted.