Dwayne Williams

Well - I now know why these cars are so great - only the !@#!@#% Keebler elves could fit their hands into that engine bay. Fingers grow back, right?

Seriously - I'm removing the stock air box on a 1986 944 turbo to replace the assembly with a K&N cone and I'm having trouble getting the front left clip undone. If you look at the front bottom of the stock air box, on both sides there is an L-clip attached to the side of the plastic box and a metal tab. I can get the 10mm bolt that is attached to the metal tab (not the air box) to turn forever but it won't come out. I've tugged pretty hard with pliers and channel locks but it does not want to pop free. The clip on the right side seems to have broken off a long time ago - the PO has done a nice patch job on the box, but the right clip is gone.

So - anyone out there have any advice? A better way to do this or something obvious I'm missing?

Thanks!

DerSchlechtSpecht

I was helping a buddy of mine with this on His 951. We encountered a similar problem. Since we were replacing the entire box with a cone filter we said, "screw it". Thats when I hit the box with a big hammer and all was good.

Christian

Dwayne Williams

Yeah at this point I'm thinking large blunt object or dremel tool. <img src="graemlins/cussing.gif" border="0" alt="[grrrrrrr]" />

Danno

As I recall, those clips are a curved spring that holds the two halves of the airbox together. If you push in the middle, it spreads the ends apart. Could be that the ones you have are modified in some way due to the damage you noticed.

I don't recall any bolts inside the box that needs to be removed? There are two bolts holding the box to the frame in front. You can get to those with 1/4" drive sockets w/extensions. Just have to wiggle a open-end wrench below to hold the nuts.

guardsred951S

Being an engineer, when all else fails and you've "engineered" it to death, a large heavy blunt object is very helpful. My computer often responds well to a fist in the side of the case.

And the 951, well, it's much more fun to hit because it's considerably more annoying to work on. <img src="graemlins/cussing.gif" border="0" alt="[grrrrrrr]" />

On the other hand, you could just do what Danno says and save possibly hitting something important with the large blunt object or weapon of choice. <img src="graemlins/c.gif" border="0" alt="[ouch]" />

<img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

Rich Sandor

Dwayne can I have the stock factory airbox?

I'm not happy with my K&N setup, and I want to go back to the factory airbox until I can afford a MAF kit.

eugene

Hello Rich.

You said that you are not happy with the cone set up. Could you elaborate ?

Thank you very much.

Eugene.

Dwayne Williams

On my car there were two bolts inside the airbox that had to come out - they were holding the factory air meter to the air box. I know the box has been damaged/repaired - the right front clip was completely broken off and the PO filled in what used be a silver dollar sized hole where the right front clip broke some plastic off.

Rich - you're welcome to the airbox after I get it off. It's not really in good shape though and I'll try not to damage it anymore when taking it off. Send me an email if you still want it.

Rich Sandor

Well, I don't know how long it was in this condition for, but considering the engine had been runing good, it can't have been for long, even though the filter itself looks like it was in there for years without cleaning.

Basically, a picture is worth 1000 Words


Here is what happened to the filter...


All the GRAY stuff is the melted liquified wire mesh after I sprayed the K&N cleaner on the filter.

I basically cleaned the thing out, and put a temporary heat shield around the hole of the air filter. I cut it out of aluminium and used tape around the top and bottom of the filter to hold it down.

Funny enough I don't notice much of a power increase, however that is probably because the filter was SO clogged before, that it was letting in more or less the same amount of air as it does now, with the heat shield covering 1/4 of the filter.

Anyways, I want the stock airbox with snorkel (because the airfilter is CHEAPER than buying another K7N cone) and also because I want one of those fancy MAF kits where the K&N cone is relocated to the driver side headlight area.

Also, that hole that goes into the alternator belt housing was uncovered, and I dunno what happened, but some of the wire mesh dripped into that housing..

Again, I dont' know if this had been a long term thing, or short term.. but it was pretty serious...

Rich Sandor

if worse comes to worse, then i'll fabricate my own snorkel and airbox out of thin aluminum panels.

the tricky part is getting air from behind the headlight to behind the rad.


Now this car justifies all those tools my dad owns, and all the junk we've collected over the years!

Perry 951

I would not call that melted, but it was definately torn up from vibration. It rubbed on the belt covers. What you can do to prevent that is to make a bracket for the end of the K&N to hold it away from the cover, or just use some wire ties.

For the vent in the belt cover, just cap it off.

Rich Sandor

it may have been from rubbing, but it DID melt.

I took the K&N off, and the melted wiremesh was a goopy consistancy.

Regardless, it's an issue if it's not mounted properly, which in my case, it isn't.

Considering the effort:gain ratio, i'd rather get a snorkel from the fender. There's no good air where the K&N is now.

Perry 951

Reason why I say it did not melt is because it is still "goopy". The wire mesh is aluminum on the K&N's, so if it truly melted, the belt covers would be a molten mess.

It pretty much ground up the wire mesh into a powder, and mixed with the K&N oil causing a goop. Anyway.. neither here nor there.

If someone could make a cold air setup for people running the cone behind the radiator, and keep it cheap.. it would be a hot seller. I know Danno was going to work on something.

I am working on a cold air chamber for the behind the headlight appliations. Hope it works!

Twinspool

I just went back to the factory airbox setup in lieu of the K+N too, power difference is very slim and the temperature gauge is more stable when the intake temps are more even... I was getting filter rub in the same place as Rich too.. Not worth it IMHO...

And BTW, the damn plastic clips like to break when installing/removing the box.. just get it over with.

Dwayne Williams

Rich,

The snorkel I pulled is in really good shape. You can have it, the airbox, and the K&N flat filter I had in it if you want and are willing to pay shipping. Just send me an email with your info.