Hi guys, today i will finally start my list of projects for my maxima. I wanted to get some feedback or any other ideas on what i can do w/ the intake disassembled. So far... here's what i've got:

1. Clean Engine Bay w/ Orange Blast degreaser
2. Disassemble Intake
3. Clean out Throttle Body
4. [/B]Upgrade Ground wires[/B] (adding 4-5 extra wires to various ground spots & cleaning out + and - terminal and ground spots using sandpaper)
5. Figure out if RAM intake setup possible...
6. Clean cone filter w/ K&N Recharger Filter Kit.
7. Install Frankencar Midpipe to the intake system
8. Reassemble Intake
9. Enjoy the test drive

10. vacuum interior/polish vinyl and leather
11. wash/wax exterior

I hope I don't run into any trouble. I'm just a little nervous about the throttle body... I've never cleaned it out before and I hope I don't screw up or something. From what I've read in other posts, I've gained a couple of advices and what I should look out for. Here's what I think is right... lemme know if it isn't or something i should keep in mind:

- When taking the intake apart, make sure to disconnect the battery.

- Glue the straw on the Throttle Body cleaning spray so that it won't get loose and shoot inside the TB.

- When cleaning out the engine, cover the cone filter w/ a plastic bag before spraying degreaser.

- Leave the cone filter to dry overnight before oiling and reinstalling it (quick question: is it ok to leave out in sun?)

- If the intake doesn't fit properly w/ the FrankenCar midpipe, use the according flex rubber part instead of the one that came w/ the midpipe.

- Don't stomp on the pedal all the time now w/ the midpipe to avoid wasting gas.


Anything else I'm missing? Thanks in advance!

 

One trick I use for drying out the K&N quickly:

After it is rinsed out, shake off as much water as you can. Then re-install it and start the engine. After about 10 minutes of idling, it will be dry. Re-oil, and you're ready to go.

 

Thanks for the advice Ben. I also did what you told me w/ the Orange Blast... lol the engine smells like orange now but its significantly cleaner now.... just need to get that "wet" look on the plastic stuff inside.

I'm about to start now ( i waited about 2 hours w/ the hood up to cool everything down inside). I'll take some pics of the install process for anyone who's curious and post a link to em.

BTW- does anyone know what size the bolts are used to hold the intake up? I don't have the stock airbox, just the filter and pipe that goes straight to TB. Thanks.

 

Another word of advice: Dont use ArmorAll under the hood. I did that once. It looked great when I got done. But after my first drive it looked like crap because dust stuck to everything I had ArmorAll'd...

 

alright!!!! half of the work was done outside... at night.. minimal lighting, basically had to depend on the flashlight. SO, i installed cleaned the TB (not as dirty as i thought)... installed midpipe using the stock acordian flex rubber coupler... and started the car w/ everything connected. SO FAR no ECU light. whew, i swear i was praying to god that it wouldn't come on.

I used Ben's method of drying the filter w/ it in so that's what i did and now it's back out and oiled... gotta wake about 20 min before puttin it back in so i came back here to get some feedback. Here's what i noticed when the car is idling:

1. I don't know if this is just paranoia but when the engine was running, i noticed a clickity sound coming from the engine itself... it was a fast clicky sound... I dunno if it was already because i only noticed it at first when i was looking for sounds w/ the midpipe on.

2. This is for sure, does anyone else w/ the midpipe here a *pop* sound (basically air being sucked in really quick) when you turn the wheels???? I noticed it everytime i turned the wheel when the car is idling. I heard it coming from the filter.... down through the intake. I'm guessing that's normal??

 

From what I've read, that popping sound is normal with the Frankencar intake.