Some mod info - take as you see fit
#1
08-11-2006, 09:28 PM
Some mod info - take as you see fit
Here are the mods I have done. These mods have been in place for a while with no problems. Most of the mods feed into the other mods. The mods were designed as a system not a collection of mods.
First off I have designed many airboxes of my own for the H3 and tested every other air box (that I know of) except the Volant. Most of the mods were based on getting cooler air since heat is a real performance killer for the I5. So far the K&N has edged out the other boxes. The problem with the K&N is sucking in hot underhood air and the noise. I did not do directly before and after tests to gauge the mod’s effectiveness in all cases, and it was the combination of the mods that made a difference. Take these mods for what you think they’re worth.
1) K&N SHIELD INSULATION. The K&N shield is metal and conducts heat pretty well. I put duct insulation on both sides of the shield. This is from Home Depot and has adhesive, thin insulation, and a heavier gauge aluminum foil outside coating. I calculated the R value a while ago and I forget what the total (for two layers) was something like R-6. Before this mod, both sides of the shield were at the same temperature ~125F. After this mod the inside was about 27 F cooler (in conjunction with other mods).
2) ADDING MORE WEATHERSTRIPPING. The weather stripping from the K&N kit isn’t higher enough to seal to the hood. I used the soft rubber split pipe wrap (with adhesive) on from Home Depot around all of the K&N weather stripping. The new pipe wrap on the bottom increased the height of the shield and the new pipe wrap on the top makes contact with the side of the hood near the radiator. The back still has some gap.
3) OPENING UP K&N BOX. I moved the back side of the K&N shield (near the WW fluid and coolant overflow) by bending the metal and using a long bolt from the shield to the bracket. This opened up the effective “air box” area to breath from. This also moved the shield away from the filter that could heat up some air that passes over the shield into the filter. Bigger air box area is need for throttle response. For example, at 3000 RPM and at wide open throttle, the I5 is drawing in about 66 liters of air every second. This volume is the same as 33 two liter pop bottles of air. So, the air is going to get drawn from everywhere and increasing the apparent box volume helps.
4) SOUND IMPROVEMENT. The combination of 1-3 really cut down on the intake noise from the K&N. However, a new noise cropped up. See the rubber hose at the bottom of the picture showing the K&N shield. This is the coolant overflow reservoir overflow hose. The free length is now longer when you move the shield and would vibrate again the fender at certain RPMs. I added the rectangular pieces of rubber around the hose to change its resonant frequency and dampen any vibrations.
4) DUCT HEAT SHIELD. I put duct heat shield around the K&N intake pipe to help shield the pipe form the rising exhaust heat and the engine compartment heat. This is made for air intakes and I got it form Summit Racing. There are two layers of this wrap around the pipe. It did not do a before and after to check the effectiveness but it has to help not sure how much though.
5) COLD AIR MOD. This can’t be seen from any pictures. I created an air path from the grill (upper and lower), through the grill support, and through the side of the passenger headlight to direct air into the air filter area. The passenger headlight box was opened - one side was pretty much removed that faces the radiator. If you follow the opening to your right (as your facing the passenger headlight) you see where the grill support needs trimmed. As you move further to the right you’ll see a flexible plastic piece that needs trimmed. Sorry no pictures. I created a duct for the air to travel from the grills to the headlight area. I did some thermal testing after this mod and with other a
First off I have designed many airboxes of my own for the H3 and tested every other air box (that I know of) except the Volant. Most of the mods were based on getting cooler air since heat is a real performance killer for the I5. So far the K&N has edged out the other boxes. The problem with the K&N is sucking in hot underhood air and the noise. I did not do directly before and after tests to gauge the mod’s effectiveness in all cases, and it was the combination of the mods that made a difference. Take these mods for what you think they’re worth.
1) K&N SHIELD INSULATION. The K&N shield is metal and conducts heat pretty well. I put duct insulation on both sides of the shield. This is from Home Depot and has adhesive, thin insulation, and a heavier gauge aluminum foil outside coating. I calculated the R value a while ago and I forget what the total (for two layers) was something like R-6. Before this mod, both sides of the shield were at the same temperature ~125F. After this mod the inside was about 27 F cooler (in conjunction with other mods).
2) ADDING MORE WEATHERSTRIPPING. The weather stripping from the K&N kit isn’t higher enough to seal to the hood. I used the soft rubber split pipe wrap (with adhesive) on from Home Depot around all of the K&N weather stripping. The new pipe wrap on the bottom increased the height of the shield and the new pipe wrap on the top makes contact with the side of the hood near the radiator. The back still has some gap.
3) OPENING UP K&N BOX. I moved the back side of the K&N shield (near the WW fluid and coolant overflow) by bending the metal and using a long bolt from the shield to the bracket. This opened up the effective “air box” area to breath from. This also moved the shield away from the filter that could heat up some air that passes over the shield into the filter. Bigger air box area is need for throttle response. For example, at 3000 RPM and at wide open throttle, the I5 is drawing in about 66 liters of air every second. This volume is the same as 33 two liter pop bottles of air. So, the air is going to get drawn from everywhere and increasing the apparent box volume helps.
4) SOUND IMPROVEMENT. The combination of 1-3 really cut down on the intake noise from the K&N. However, a new noise cropped up. See the rubber hose at the bottom of the picture showing the K&N shield. This is the coolant overflow reservoir overflow hose. The free length is now longer when you move the shield and would vibrate again the fender at certain RPMs. I added the rectangular pieces of rubber around the hose to change its resonant frequency and dampen any vibrations.
4) DUCT HEAT SHIELD. I put duct heat shield around the K&N intake pipe to help shield the pipe form the rising exhaust heat and the engine compartment heat. This is made for air intakes and I got it form Summit Racing. There are two layers of this wrap around the pipe. It did not do a before and after to check the effectiveness but it has to help not sure how much though.
5) COLD AIR MOD. This can’t be seen from any pictures. I created an air path from the grill (upper and lower), through the grill support, and through the side of the passenger headlight to direct air into the air filter area. The passenger headlight box was opened - one side was pretty much removed that faces the radiator. If you follow the opening to your right (as your facing the passenger headlight) you see where the grill support needs trimmed. As you move further to the right you’ll see a flexible plastic piece that needs trimmed. Sorry no pictures. I created a duct for the air to travel from the grills to the headlight area. I did some thermal testing after this mod and with other a
#2
08-11-2006, 09:30 PM
RE: Some mod info - take as you see fit
6) REMOVE HOOD SEAL. The hood seal was sliced at the ends and removed. Heat gets trapped under the hood with no where to go. Removing the hood seal lets the heat out and helps the engine cool off quicker when parked. The hood seal easily slips back on for winter driving, off-road driving, etc.
7) PORTED THROTTLE BODY. The TB is ported and polished. Before and after testing showed an improvement across the RPM range and throttle response. This is a DIY if you are careful.
8) MAF IAT SENSOR. I pulled the wiring harness pins from the connector and used a resistor (could have been about 5000 ohms) to tell the PCM that the air is cooler than it really is. This helps with the timing advance but can affect the knock attack rate slightly (it wasn’t a big issue because testing showed that I didn’t have a knock problem).
9) ECT SKEWING RESISTOR. I put 75 ohm resistor in series with the ECT connection to tell the PCM that the engine is about 15F cooler that it actually is. There is really no change is temperature reporting when the engine is cold (i.e., when starting). Since the coolant fan is mechanical (i.e., not electric based on ECT temps) there was no big concern with this.
10) TIMING INCREASE. The result of 9&10 showed and increase in timing of about 2-3 degrees. I monitored the knock retard and saw no half WOT-to-WOT knock retard on 87 octane gas. Definite improvement in throttle response, torque, and gained a little MPG.
11) EXHAUST. I went with the B&B exhaust. At the time I bought the exhaust there were only two suppliers and one in R&D. According to discussions with all of the manufacturers, all produced about the same HP and TQ gain. I chose the B&B because it did not use a resonator (only a muffler) and had a mounting flanged terminating the pipe that goes over the axle to the rear. This lets you try different mufflers without cutting and welding. Slight improvement down low – more of an improvement at high RPMs.
12) WATER WETTER. I siphoned out about 20 oz of coolant and added one bottle of Water Wetter to the radiator. I topped off the radiated with coolant I pulled out and put the rest in the overflow (still below the fill when cold line). Even thought the thermostat temperature controls the coolant flow, monitoring the ECT showed that this keeps the coolant temperature closer to 195 (thermostat opening) than 200+ (thermostat fully open).
[IMG]local://upfiles/774/3231E757C0FF40B89A75AA76A0F38BFB.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/774/1EDF5A770492475084F721DD7945C31F.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/774/EC0CE034B8C54D72ACF027CBB56C136F.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/774/CD6862961C18449B8FC7B8B168CC7EA8.jpg[/IMG]
7) PORTED THROTTLE BODY. The TB is ported and polished. Before and after testing showed an improvement across the RPM range and throttle response. This is a DIY if you are careful.
8) MAF IAT SENSOR. I pulled the wiring harness pins from the connector and used a resistor (could have been about 5000 ohms) to tell the PCM that the air is cooler than it really is. This helps with the timing advance but can affect the knock attack rate slightly (it wasn’t a big issue because testing showed that I didn’t have a knock problem).
9) ECT SKEWING RESISTOR. I put 75 ohm resistor in series with the ECT connection to tell the PCM that the engine is about 15F cooler that it actually is. There is really no change is temperature reporting when the engine is cold (i.e., when starting). Since the coolant fan is mechanical (i.e., not electric based on ECT temps) there was no big concern with this.
10) TIMING INCREASE. The result of 9&10 showed and increase in timing of about 2-3 degrees. I monitored the knock retard and saw no half WOT-to-WOT knock retard on 87 octane gas. Definite improvement in throttle response, torque, and gained a little MPG.
11) EXHAUST. I went with the B&B exhaust. At the time I bought the exhaust there were only two suppliers and one in R&D. According to discussions with all of the manufacturers, all produced about the same HP and TQ gain. I chose the B&B because it did not use a resonator (only a muffler) and had a mounting flanged terminating the pipe that goes over the axle to the rear. This lets you try different mufflers without cutting and welding. Slight improvement down low – more of an improvement at high RPMs.
12) WATER WETTER. I siphoned out about 20 oz of coolant and added one bottle of Water Wetter to the radiator. I topped off the radiated with coolant I pulled out and put the rest in the overflow (still below the fill when cold line). Even thought the thermostat temperature controls the coolant flow, monitoring the ECT showed that this keeps the coolant temperature closer to 195 (thermostat opening) than 200+ (thermostat fully open).
[IMG]local://upfiles/774/3231E757C0FF40B89A75AA76A0F38BFB.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/774/1EDF5A770492475084F721DD7945C31F.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/774/EC0CE034B8C54D72ACF027CBB56C136F.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/774/CD6862961C18449B8FC7B8B168CC7EA8.jpg[/IMG]
#4
08-11-2006, 09:49 PM
RE: Some mod info - take as you see fit
ORIGINAL: Dennis
Hmmm..So you work for GM in some capacity?
Nice simple mods..A dyno test would prove all your efforts...
Hmmm..So you work for GM in some capacity?
Nice simple mods..A dyno test would prove all your efforts...
I'm not out to prove the mods to anyone - just some info to take as you wish. I can dyno the H3, but I'm concerned about getting actual air flow when driving (i.e. hood down) to get actual underhood heating. For example, people dyno with the hood up. This lets an open filter box like the K&N and Airaid breath cooler air that it would with the hood closed. This is why I usually check mass air flow rate versus RPM (i.e., higher mass air flow rate = more power) on the road when I check the effectiveness of a mod.
#5
08-11-2006, 10:37 PM
RE: Some mod info - take as you see fit
Didn't mean you HAD to prove anything..I meant a dyno would support your efforts and I'm sure you have appreciated marked improvement in power as a result of all your Nice Neat Mods..Good show!
#6
08-11-2006, 11:18 PM
RE: Some mod info - take as you see fit
Sorry Dennis, I didn't mean for the reply to be in that tone.
The K&N was port matched and the transitions were smoothed out for better flow. I didn't test this separately. If you're "**** about air flow" then do it; if not maybe your missing 1 or 2 HP.
My Ltrims with the K&N are all about +9% to +10% over the entire RPM and load range. I think stock air box Ltrims were about +5%. So the MAF guts inserted into the K&N misses some air metering.
Before you do the resistor mods for more timing, do the cold air/heat shield mods first to help prevent any knock retard.
The K&N was port matched and the transitions were smoothed out for better flow. I didn't test this separately. If you're "**** about air flow" then do it; if not maybe your missing 1 or 2 HP.
My Ltrims with the K&N are all about +9% to +10% over the entire RPM and load range. I think stock air box Ltrims were about +5%. So the MAF guts inserted into the K&N misses some air metering.
Before you do the resistor mods for more timing, do the cold air/heat shield mods first to help prevent any knock retard.
#9
08-12-2006, 12:35 PM
RE: Some mod info - take as you see fit
1) K&N SHIELD INSULATION. The K&N shield is metal and conducts heat pretty well. I put duct insulation on both sides of the shield. This is from Home Depot and has adhesive, thin insulation, and a heavier gauge aluminum foil outside coating. I calculated the R value a while ago and I forget what the total (for two layers) was something like R-6. Before this mod, both sides of the shield were at the same temperature ~125F. After this mod the inside was about 27 F cooler (in conjunction with other mods).
2) ADDING MORE WEATHERSTRIPPING. The weather stripping from the K&N kit isn’t higher enough to seal to the hood. I used the soft rubber split pipe wrap (with adhesive) on from Home Depot around all of the K&N weather stripping. The new pipe wrap on the bottom increased the height of the shield and the new pipe wrap on the top makes contact with the side of the hood near the radiator. The back still has some gap.
3) OPENING UP K&N BOX. I moved the back side of the K&N shield (near the WW fluid and coolant overflow) by bending the metal and using a long bolt from the shield to the bracket. This opened up the effective “air box” area to breath from. This also moved the shield away from the filter that could heat up some air that passes over the shield into the filter. Bigger air box area is need for throttle response. For example, at 3000 RPM and at wide open throttle, the I5 is drawing in about 66 liters of air every second. This volume is the same as 33 two liter pop bottles of air. So, the air is going to get drawn from everywhere and increasing the apparent box volume helps.
4) SOUND IMPROVEMENT. The combination of 1-3 really cut down on the intake noise from the K&N. However, a new noise cropped up. See the rubber hose at the bottom of the picture showing the K&N shield. This is the coolant overflow reservoir overflow hose. The free length is now longer when you move the shield and would vibrate again the fender at certain RPMs. I added the rectangular pieces of rubber around the hose to change its resonant frequency and dampen any vibrations.
2) ADDING MORE WEATHERSTRIPPING. The weather stripping from the K&N kit isn’t higher enough to seal to the hood. I used the soft rubber split pipe wrap (with adhesive) on from Home Depot around all of the K&N weather stripping. The new pipe wrap on the bottom increased the height of the shield and the new pipe wrap on the top makes contact with the side of the hood near the radiator. The back still has some gap.
3) OPENING UP K&N BOX. I moved the back side of the K&N shield (near the WW fluid and coolant overflow) by bending the metal and using a long bolt from the shield to the bracket. This opened up the effective “air box” area to breath from. This also moved the shield away from the filter that could heat up some air that passes over the shield into the filter. Bigger air box area is need for throttle response. For example, at 3000 RPM and at wide open throttle, the I5 is drawing in about 66 liters of air every second. This volume is the same as 33 two liter pop bottles of air. So, the air is going to get drawn from everywhere and increasing the apparent box volume helps.
4) SOUND IMPROVEMENT. The combination of 1-3 really cut down on the intake noise from the K&N. However, a new noise cropped up. See the rubber hose at the bottom of the picture showing the K&N shield. This is the coolant overflow reservoir overflow hose. The free length is now longer when you move the shield and would vibrate again the fender at certain RPMs. I added the rectangular pieces of rubber around the hose to change its resonant frequency and dampen any vibrations.
#10
08-12-2006, 02:53 PM
RE: Some mod info - take as you see fit
Here are a couple more airbox pictures.
Here are some pictures of the PepBoys back up camera and monitor ($99). I added NdBFe magnets to the base of the monitor and to the underneath the removable dash trim piece using double sided table. The monitor can be easily moved (just held in lpave by the permanent magnets) to clean the windshield. The cable with slack was run between the windshield and the dash down to the firewall connector. The camera was mounted to the right of the hitch using a homemade Al bracket painted black (there is a hole in the hitch already underneath the sticker). The camera sits inside this "cove" so water doesn't drip down on it from the bumper. The system can be manually turned on by a button on the monitor and automatically turns on when you put the tranny in reverse. I can see about one foot behind the bumper out and the spare doesn't block the view.
[IMG]local://upfiles/774/346A387C7FDA41B78EE68DDE1959608D.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/774/572F4DA718BC4721B8F7900DBE72077F.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/774/56716A606D954A29A1C5996A0999DFB5.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/774/4817CD9E30174C329954FCF406A33A32.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/774/C80059491AD34D4DA8F08C0BD169424B.jpg[/IMG]
Here are some pictures of the PepBoys back up camera and monitor ($99). I added NdBFe magnets to the base of the monitor and to the underneath the removable dash trim piece using double sided table. The monitor can be easily moved (just held in lpave by the permanent magnets) to clean the windshield. The cable with slack was run between the windshield and the dash down to the firewall connector. The camera was mounted to the right of the hitch using a homemade Al bracket painted black (there is a hole in the hitch already underneath the sticker). The camera sits inside this "cove" so water doesn't drip down on it from the bumper. The system can be manually turned on by a button on the monitor and automatically turns on when you put the tranny in reverse. I can see about one foot behind the bumper out and the spare doesn't block the view.
[IMG]local://upfiles/774/346A387C7FDA41B78EE68DDE1959608D.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/774/572F4DA718BC4721B8F7900DBE72077F.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/774/56716A606D954A29A1C5996A0999DFB5.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/774/4817CD9E30174C329954FCF406A33A32.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/774/C80059491AD34D4DA8F08C0BD169424B.jpg[/IMG]