| Yeedogga's Volvo Page- Basic Mods and Car Audio Tech |
| Airbox Mod- Cold Air Intake |
| I had heard alot about cold air intake theory, and, working in an auto-parts shop I became aware of the number of people who believed it worked! SO i searched the Brickboard- and discovered to my dismay that it wouldn't work! Well, i thought, it cant hurt to try, so i did it anyway! |
| I realised i didn'd want to make the mistake that everyone else seems to, that is, putting a cone or pod filter in the engine bay where it would just be getting hot air- no good. SO, the filter is enclosed in the factory airbox, with ample cutouts to provide fresh, cold air to the front of the filter. The reason i chose a pod filter over a panel filter is the relative economy of the pod filter, its unique sound and flow characteristics and its durablity - an important consideration due to its location. |
| The first step was to pull the airbox out and start cutting- i began by removing all the innards- the preheater valve and thermostat- leaving an empty box. Then i continued on my cutting spree with a hacksaw blade and various files to cut the whole front panel of the airbox out, creating a more sizeable orifice for air to enter thru. On the right is a photo of the butchered airbox. |
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| When it was time to see how the filter would fit inside, there appeared a few minor problems- mainly that the filter was quite large and the space- quite small! After a great deal of cutting, checking, and more cutting, the filter fitted into the box, sitting vertically inside. It was a bit of a squeeze, but it certainly isnt going to move anywhere! Having the filter inside the box served a few purposes- first it acted as a heat sheild from the hot engine bay, second, it ensured that the cold air was being rammed straight into the filter, and third, so it appears stock, to prevent any upsets with the police. The next step was to work out how to plumb it all in... |
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| I used 3" diameter flexible hose to plumb it all in, as it was bendy enough to go where i needed it to go. First thing was to cut out a larger hole where the hose could exit the box. The factory hole is quite small, and there was no way i could fit the pipe thru. It was simply a matter of cutting a round hole outside the existing one and putting the hose through, ensuring it will meet up with the filter! Now, with this done, there arose the problem of the emission control system- the hose that draws filtered air into the exhaust manifold- So i ran a length of tube from the hose directly into the new intake tract- see pic on right for better detail- its hard to explain! |
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| Did it Work? In MY car, running a stock B23E on Premium Unleaded fuel (98 octane), i noted a worthwhile improvement in both fuel economy and throttle response, not to mention a louder engine/ exhaust note. |
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