I found a K&N on eBay for just over $200 and grabbed it this weekend. The package arrived this AM and after verifying that all pieces were there, i promptly left work. I stopped at the 'rents house to do the install in their garage (thankfully, b/c i did not have the necessary torx #27 bit needed to remove the Mass Air Sensor from the housing which of course my dad did). I grabbed my dad's digital to take some photos of the install and final product. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough room on the card for more than a "revving" video (due to the rev limiter, it's not really worth posting), but I'm going to clear some room on his memory card for a good accelleration video so that you can hear the "GROWL" for yourself. While revving at idle, i think you can definitely hear it sucking in air, but b/c i didn't do a pre- video as i said i would, i have no comparison.

The review (after no more than 10miles of city driving): I'm extatic! I wanted to take the rest of the day to drive around. It sounds SO good...especially at about 2300rpm+. The SOYP dyno tells me there is definitely a significant gain, but then again, it's just the Seat of Your Pants talking. The sound alone is almost worth the price of admission. For so long i longed for a better, more aggressive sounding vehicle, and now i've gotten closer to where i want it to sound. I'll tell you one thing, and i'm in trouble for this, the wife will DEFINITELY know i did something (like the time i put duals on my v6 Explorer without telling her 8O ). It pulls much harder through the mid-to-high range, and you'll definitely notice the difference in highway passing. If you're wavering on whether or not to get one, just do it...you WON'T be disappointed. Not to mention that this is only the beginning when it comes to mods...it's a good starting point. From here, the res delete and DP from JimmyC may be the next acquisitions/mods, followed by a tune and high-flow exhaust.

Now, on to the install pics. Unfortunately, i did not get a photo of the hardware they suppied, but let me tell you first hand, there are NO spare parts (a good thing, no?)! The only problem i had with their instructions was that they did not specify in writing what bolts/nuts/screws to use for each step. You needed to look at a diagram and try to figure out which tiny marking is which part. All in all, it was easy to do and took me about 1 hour from start to finish.

Final Product - notice that there are plenty of areas for engine heat to penetrate when idling, but when moving it should suck in plenty of cold air.


Filter


Notice the TCM (transmission control module) mounted to the heat shield on the lower left. You use 4 washers to separate the TCM from the metal to allow for less heat transfer.


A shot from above showing the ECM mounted to a plate at the bottom of the heat shield. It uses 4 1/2" rubber mounts to keep it off the plate and secure.


A shot of the elbow and crankcase vent tube - Yes it was reconnected


Just a shot of the setup before the filter was installed.


Oh, yeah...the engine cover came in handy, too

 

Very nice pictures. Helps to see how the install went and the final outcome.

Congrats on the purchase and thank you for sharing.

 

Sweet!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Awesome writeup and good pictures... thanks for sharing

K&N may be somewhat pricey but its worth it since their kits always fit great and have provisions for everything... im glad to see they have mounts for the computers.

 

I can't say i would have spent $300 for this, but b/c i got it for just over $200, i bit.

Yeah, the computer mounts are a nice feature. After a bit of driving this AM, i stopped and popped the hood to check out the install to see if anything needed tightening. I felt the P/TCM units and they were cool to the touch. The heat shield was damn hot, though, so i know it's helping a bit under there. Also, the chrome filter plate was cool, too.

On a side note, i was putting the box away last night and read the notes on the side of the box...it's not "street legal." I didn't know that. It's listed as "off road" only (?) I can't imagine why, as it doesn't affect an emissions device or anything. I thought all of K&Ns stuff was CARB qualified for Cali, which has the most stringient emissions regs in the US...?

Ideas? I'm not too concerned with it, though, even with my inspection coming up later this month, but it irks me nonetheless.

 

do you know if that k&n intake will fit on the Monte's???

I actually like the insulated box and bigger filter better from CAI, so I may get that and just look for a piece of pipe/tubing to replace the OEM ribbed one...

 

I can't imagine why it wouldn't work in the Monte...everything 'cept the suspension and body work is the same between the two.

 

I compiled a video of my runs to and from various speeds...the audio isn't great but it's much better than the video of my run to 75 (see "pics" link in my sig)

http://media.putfile.com/KN-AirCharger