- Do you feel your truck needs more air?
- Are you not willing to pay $250 or more for a “cold” air intake
for your ‘97-‘03 F-150?
- Are you afraid of “cold air” intakes sucking in too much hot
air from your engine bay?
- Do you think drilling or cutting up your factory air filter assembly looks
too tacky?
- Are you afraid of permanent modifications to your truck?
- Do you already have an aftermarket drop in filter?
- Do you want to keep running paper filters?
- Do you prefer the look of your factory intake?
If you answered YES to any of the questions above; then look no farther than
this simple easy modification to your factory intake that will be 100% reversible
at anytime if you are ever unhappy with the results.
Something to Consider: Troyer Performance (TP is the leader in F-150 performance
and custom tuning) has data logged and has dyno tested all of the aftermarket
intakes available for the F150 and has thoroughly documented the results. TP
has found that the stock intake runs the second coolest only beaten by the Airforce-1
which TP lists for $239 on his website. With this modification you are getting
a lot colder air into your engine than most of the aftermarket intake kits on
the market today. It could potentially be colder as well but we wont know for
certain until someone data logs the IAT with both intakes.
Original idea by: Gotts2BMe
seconded and submitted by: tarajerame
original thread link here: original
thread photos submitted by Gotts and STOFFER
aka (tarajerame)
Tools / Preparation
Tools and items needed to complete this modification:
- Straight screwdriver
- Sander, dremel tool, file, grinder or some kind of sanding device
- A 3-inch pipe flexible coupling (preferably black) inside diameter will
be around 3 ½ inches to accommodate the outside diameter of the PCV
pipe.
- 3 inch diameter PCV pipe (black is preferred but color doesn’t really
matter)
- 2 hose clamps (the pipe coupler should come with 2)
- 8mm wrench or socket
Now you are ready to begin. First things first go lift your hood and look where
your factory inlet tube meets your drivers’ side fender. Yes this tube
right here:
Tthis is the cause of your trucks lack of performance at higher RPMs because
this factory piece is literally choking your truck. Look at the tape measure
and see for yourself.
As you can see this is why the factory piece has less than a 2-inch diameter
inlet tube and you are about to give your truck a true 3-inch diameter inlet
tube that doesn’t suck in hot air from the engine compartment. This intake
modification still draws in ambient air temperature thru the fender well just
like the factory designed.
1. Start by disconnecting your negative battery cable (to reset your computers
strategy for the extra air coming soon from the modified intake) needs a 8mm
wrench or socket.
2. Undo this clamp right here with a straight screwdriver:
Remove your entire air filter housing assembly (the large “bucket”
where you change air filter all the way to the fender snorkel. (The snorkel
will just pull out of the inlet hole)
*On my truck the Previous Owner has bent the metal clasp so I had to remove
the entire assembly as I have to have the whole housing out of the truck in
order to close it properly*
OR
Just take your air box apart like you are changing air filters and just remove
the piece that goes into the fender
3. Use a straight screw driver to undo the snorkel cone:
There are 2 points inside the tube just press the ends with a screwdriver and
they release
4. Cut off a 4-5 inch section of pipe:
5. Use a sander or file to make the round pipe oblong since the hole in the
fender is 3 ½ inches wide by 3 and 1/16 inches tall and the outside pipe
diameter is 3 ½ inches and you will need to force the pipe at least 2
inches into the fender hole.
6. Once your pipe will fit into the hole nice and snug attach the PCV pipe
to the air filter housing via the 3-inch pipe flexible coupler. Like this
7. Insert the PCV pipe into the fender hole, Now that that is done reinstall
the air filter assembly by slipping the soft coupling over the open end of the
air filter housing and tighten down the last clamp after you push the legs into
their carrying holes. And re install the tube going to the throttle body. There
you are all done. Your truck will enjoy the increased ambient air (especially
when passing) your finished product will look similar to this: As you can see
no matter what color PCV pipe you use it will not be visible once you put your
intake back together
this vehicle has piece of white pipe
and this vehicle used a piece of black pipe
8. Don’t forget to reconnect your battery before you try to restart your
truck and enjoy.
Final thoughts. Remember you can go back to stock at anytime but I don’t
think you will want to. This works for both 5.4 and 4.6 engines we both happen
to have 5.4’s and would like to know how a 4.6 responds to this mod. Also
if you remove the silencer from the intake tube your throttle response will
also be improved.
“Gotts2Bme” and “tarajerame” are both willing to help
anyone doing this modification either PM or email either one of us and we will
be glad to help - Gotts2BMe: gottselc <at> uregina.ca
- tarajerame: theporsche_guy911 <at> yahoo.com.
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Keywords: ford f150 air intake mod modification more power airflow kit horsepower torque throttle response cheap easy gotts
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2008-03-15 at 11:42am
gotts intake modification
2000 F-150 supercab 2wd ( 4.2L )
2008-03-26 at 7:59pm
i got a better idea
2008-04-27 at 5:47pm
J.R.
2008-05-26 at 5:31am
Did I do it wrong
2008-11-05 at 4:01pm
2009-03-01 at 11:19pm
however sucking in warm engine air and exposing your filter will hurt your performance but it's your truck adn there is an article on how to cut your airbox and expose the filter good luck with the truck
2009-05-30 at 11:51am
Great quick mod
2 thumbs up!!!!! Thanks for the right up.
2009-06-02 at 6:27pm
2009-06-25 at 3:27pm
MAF sensor?
2009-07-27 at 8:48pm
Comparing the half mod
I used thin wall pipe so I didn't have to grind it. Once complete I took the truck for a test drive with my scan tool connected to see if I could measure any difference in intake temperature.
I tested this mod two ways. First, with stock rubber intake horn removed so that the intake took in air from the engine compartment. Second with the complete mod as described in the article so that the intake took in air from the fender cavity. Henceforth I will refer to just removing the rubber horn as a "half mod" and the modification as described in this article as a "full mod".
Regardless of mod level with the truck parked at idle the intake temp would reach 100 deg. F (it was in the low 90's here when I ran the test).
At 70 mph both mods reached 82 deg F. But the full mod got there a little faster then the half mod.
At city speeds the full mod was about 5 degrees cooler then the half mod.
Notes:
I have a Jet performance chip, K&N filter and high performance cat back muffler already installed.
I can't say I felt any difference in performance after performing this mod. Also my truck stalls in the morning when cold so it is not in perfect health at this time. Even so V8 engines may get more bang out of this mod then my V6 did.
P.S.
The article refers to the pipe as PCV but it is called PVC (Polyvinyl chloride)
2009-10-17 at 11:43am
2010-04-11 at 2:42am
just did this a month ago
thanks for the great idea, although my wife thinks the truck is too responsive.
2010-06-29 at 11:42am
PCV/valve cover mod
I have a 4.2L and the only mod I can do is to remove the elbow from the valve cover that feeds the intake manifold via the PCV and place the breather cap in it's place. What do I do with the tube? Plug it? remove it, then plug the manifold? What kind of performance what I expect?
Please advise>
Blane