I have a Dinan CAI, which I modified by bring the (K&N) filter up under the hood for much better sound. I think alot of the stuff about keeping down low for air temperature is a bunch of hooey. The main issue is unrestricted high volume airflow. That sound is a different sound than from modifying the silencer, which seems to be a lower frequency sound which I only here at about 3000 rpm when pushing it hard.
Is this the exact same process for a 2001 525i?
Obviously we have a much different standard for getting from A to B.
Ok so i took everything apart just to see if i can do this on my 525i, it's a 2001, and when i went to go look at the box and how it connects to the hose, the rubber part that connects the hose to the box is not just slip on and off. It looks like theres some kind of glue holding it and i don't just want to rip it off. any advice? ... anyone?
I have done this mod and a few others today to my 540i late 98 build- it is non vanos but also no Idle control valve.
First up this is what I did-
Cleaned MAP with electronic circuit cleaner
Cleaned throttle body with throttle body cleaner
Removed the plastic and wire meshes from the MAP
I then got to removing the silencer which was integral with the tubing so I cut it and put in a cap with some Sikaflex sealant to smooth out the intake tubing.
Then I looked at the airbox filter side and decided I would keep the horn for now as the design should help with flow. However the matrix of plastic on the filter housing sure would slow down the flow- probably just for strength and maybe slow/quieten the intake. So I got out the die grinder and smoothed the airbox plenum flush.
Results-
Much nicer sound and a bit more throttle response.
Didn't take long and definately worth the effort.
Which part did the benefit? hard to tell as I did them all at once but much nicer and it does go a bit harder.
Sea of the pants dyno gives it a big plus.
Monty
Update after 1 day post deletes,
Definitely does goes a bit a better and much more responsive than before.
Will be doing the Exhaust I hope tomorrow and will see how it is then.
Monty
Last edited by Monty540; 05-05-2010 at 06:50 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
Ok time to report back on my mods and some pics.
First up is the throttle body which was dirty and a now has been cleaned with Throttle Body cleaner. I held open the butterfly with a ragged screwdriver and cleaned both sides. Much cleaner and actually looks brand new! - pity the electronic throttle sucks.
2nd- The intake side of the airbox- all cleaned up with no more internal bracing. The bracing is on all sides and would have created a large decrease in flow. It would have also provided a dampening of the intake sound by bracing the lid and a extremely large boundary layer of air over the mesh slowing the flow.
I used a air-powered die grinder with aggressive carbide cutters to quickly remove the bracing, then a sanding drum to smooth it out.
Be careful not to remove to much and go through.
No bracing = more top end, growl and a little less torque off idle.
3rd- Here is the underside of the inlet tube, with the silencer removed, hacked off the silencer. I then added a cap.
I placed some heavy duty tape over the inside of the tube to cover the port leading into the silencer. Now I filled the port hole from the outside with black body sealant, then pushed the cap in and wiped off the excess sealant. When sealing I held down the tape flat against the hole with my hand. This made sure it would be fairly smooth flow over the hole once dry.
After a 3-4 hours it will be dry, and then I ground down the cap to be flush on the outside. I could have used a black cap but you don't see it, so I didn't bother. The result of all this is a smooth flow of air in place of the silencer. In great contrast to the silencer and its reduction in sound and thus flow rate.
The resulting mod adds a growl to the induction and better flow. I was quite pleased by this little mod combined with the air-box mod.
Silencer delete= improved flow, a growl to engine and bit less in bottom end.
4th- Here you can see the air-box with the intake horn replaced. Looks far different than before, and obviously looks like a better flowing design.
5th- Here is the Mass airflow sensor. I carefully removed the plastic grid at the filter side and the small alloy mesh- with a very small flat screwdriver. Again a mod for airflow improvement, the grid and mesh really reduces the area of the intake and slows everything down. Sure it does align the flow past the sensor and stop crap getting into the engine- which is a bit redundant with the airbox and filter.
So, it did not take more than a hour to do except the drying time of the sealant. Overall result is a increase in flow and much better sound from the induction. She seems better in the top end but has lost a little down low. I am happy overall though as throttle response seems better and she just sounds better. I did all the mods at once so can only guess at the individual effects of each mod. But my seat of the pants says it feels faster.
Hope this helps explain what I did.
Next its off to get a muffler mod done.
Monty
Last edited by Monty540; 05-14-2010 at 12:46 AM.
did this on my 528i. took 15 mintues. the intake system is really simple. I just took out the big silencer box and put in a PVC cap backwards and clamped it extremely tight. It looks like the PVC cap is too big to go through the shutter flap of the intake, if it were to be sucked in. But I drove it right after and there is definitely a growl. I think if you have a stock exhaust you wont hear it, but anything other than stock you definitely will.
Now... M50 manifold is next
Ok so i bought a CAI intake and installed it yesterday.. and decided to do a silencer delete... so for months when i floor my car it sounds like my engine is screaming, i hear all the time.. you have a supercharger on there dont you! lol.. So when i lifted the silencer out i noticed it had a cut in it... so that is after the maf sensor so im wondering if that was why my dyno sheet kept saying i was running rich? Anyways it does sound alot better, the exhaust and Cai intake over the stock airbox.. my car feels way faster( mainly from fixing the air leak i had) but i seemed to have lost alot of low rpm throttle response but my car is crazy fast at higher rpms...
I'm surprised that you didn't read what i actually wrote before you posted so i will copy and paste for you to read again.....
My car feels way faster(mainly from fixing the air leak i had)(after the MAF sensor)
Didn"t see any butt dyno comments in my post. I had a air leak after my MAF.
Edit: Also wanted to add that im thinking about putting my Silencer back on.. i actually will have to buy another one with a new elbow to the throttle body since mine was ripped... it does seem to make my exhaust growl a little more but the lack of throttle response is not worth this mod. IMO
Last edited by 540i6e39; 04-30-2011 at 12:01 AM.
I put in a 1 5/8" freeze plug with some seal retainer on it.. Fit snug on the rubber boot.. no chance of getting sucked in..
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99 and up 540i is different then 97/98... you cant just pull off the silencer.. its all one piece. I had a leak there... ended up putting a rubber gromet in the hole and putting a 3/8 cap on the inside. works great! just got my dinan stage 2 software installed today! car sounds great!
The a.f.e. C.a.i. Absolutely makes more power. Anyone that says it doesnt has never tried one. Simple physics. Better flow=more power. The a.f.e. Intake sits right in front of the ram air tubes comng out of the fender anyway.
I was always told not to remove screens in air flow meter that they are there for a reason and afm will not work right without them?
LmaoOriginally Posted by Xeniczone
Any feedback from I6 E39 drivers?
Imo a simple k & n drop in filter will make more power then a cone filter sitting in the engine bay. I think a wheelwell mounted cone filter will make more power then both. The engine bay cone filter is sucking air mainly from the engine bay which is why they are called hot air intakes. The drop in filter is sucking outside air directed from the plastic ram air.Originally Posted by AHay5
I would also imagine a v8 engine bay would be hotter then a v6 and a 4 would be cooler then both. Imo
Less room more heat, more engine bay room, cooler air.
Last edited by 540i6e39; 07-24-2012 at 08:06 PM.
the afe has a heat shield. It gets its air from the same two ports in the fender that the stock airbox gets it from.
i wish i had a better pic of the vents in the fender.
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And maybe it adds power, or maybe its still under the hood and in the hot engine bay, getting some hot air? You wouldnt know unless you did some dyno runs and tried a few different intakes and compared them. I have done them and seen gains on different cars I have owned growing up, but the stock airboxes werent like the airbox of a german cars. Also the stock airbox had a crappy cheap airfilter in it and not a k & n drop in , so of course u would see some gains with a cone filter.Originally Posted by topaz540i
Last edited by 540i6e39; 07-25-2012 at 07:54 PM.
Sound? Sure.
Power? Highly doubtful. Any dyno results from just a filter change?
Here's a couple:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAIxeQUSg-Q
...for the cone filter.
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCi2...feature=relmfu
for the whole CAI.
There are others...
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