Not scary to do, but what I found.
When I first opened the airbag, the filters stunned me. It's a 997.2 with about 77,000 miles and they looked like they were originals they were so dirty.
But the worst was ahead.
I wanted to clean the throttle body and mass airflow sensor so I removed the lower portion of the air box. Then I discovered it was unlikely the filters were original. Someone has been in there, and didn't secure the bottom lip of the robber boot to the TB.
I cleaned everything, and thankfully, I don't think it was leaking a lot, but someone was clearly careless. I hope it wasn't the factory!
There was a short wrestling match to get it securely fastened, in which I am proud to say I prevailed.

 

Empathy! it’s hard to insert the filter around the flange. No visibility of the bottom edge. The only reference is the holding set screw.

 

Good catch on the rubber boot not being fully seated onto the TB flange.👍

Due to the stiffness of the rubber boot, it is a bit of a "wrestling match" to get the boot properly seated. I just take my time working the rubber boot back into position. I also mark the fully tightened position on the metal strap clamp with a black marker before removing it. Gives me a reference point when I retighten the clamp to help me ensure I have everything seated properly.

 

2009 C2S 206K miles

That tube onto the throttle body.... yea tough to get on fully and more difficult to see if you did or not.

TIP: Push the tube down in front of the TB, don't seat it... then ensure the air box is seated fully... now here is where it gets tough on your hands and fingers. Pull open the top of the tube, then push your fingers down into the tube and push down to get the tube "under" the TB... then the rest of the tube above should slip on. Don't start from the top, start from the bottom. Then use an inspection mirror to ensure you did it correctly.

Peace
Bruce in Philly (now Atlanta)

 

Great idea on marking the clamp.

 

I never had a problem with it, I get the hose on from the bottom and just work it a bit with a trim removal tool as i walk it into place. I do remember loosening the clamps almost completely makes it a lot easier. What do you mean by mark them, I keep the screws facing straight in the air and tighten till its tight. Is there something im not thinking about?

 

Mark the junction between the strap and the tensioning screw (on the strap). If you can tighten far enough that the mark on the strap slides under the screw then it is likely you've screwed up.

 

Exactly what I did!

 

I also recommend to put a bit of silicon oil on the inner lip of the air hose to make it slip more easily onto the throttle body (e.g. by spraying the silicon oil onto a cloth and the rubbing it around the house).

The same goes for the rubber grommets that hold the air filter box itself (2 in the engine bay and 1 on the box itself): spray some silicon oil on them and the air filter box almost magically slips into place!