Hey all, I wanted to thanks the guys at ScionLife for providing the intake and this website. Without this site I would not have bought a Scion. Thanks guys!
After glancing at the instructions I felt confident that I could let the neighborhood kids handle the installation. Markus is seven and Andrew is nine, and both have a reasonable grasp of how to follow instructions. I sat back and let the kids take over.
AEM Cold-Air Intake Installation Guide
Read Instructions
Both kids voted to commit the instructions to memory before touching the car. Markus couldn't figure out what some of the car part names referred to, but was sure that he could figure it out once he started taking things apart. Andrew was more concerned about the large hole in the top of the intake pipe. Hows this gonna keep the air in?
Check Parts
Our kit came with two sections of polished piping, a filter, assorted silicon pipe fittings and hose clamps, a small bag of miscellaneous hardware and instructions.
Open Hood
My tC's engine compartment was definitely NOT going to turn any heads. The large, ugly plastic intake pipe and filter box is the opposite of bling. The kids agreed that adding some shiny metal would make the car much better.
Remove Front Left Wheel
Markus got to work loosening the lugnuts, then Andrew located the arrow under the coupe's sill to properly locate the jack. After jacking the car up it was a snap to remove the pre-loosened lugs, and the wheel was set aside.
Remove Engine Cover
Markus knew the directions by heart, so he jumped right in and started removing the engine cover. After the installation was complete he realized that it was never in the way, and probably didn't have to be removed. But since it was only two bolts and it can scratch easily he thought it was still a good idea.
Loosen Components
The instructions were very detailed, and easily led the two through each little detail of the installation. To remove the old intake they had to unsnap a small hose and pull out the PCV hose.
Remove MAF
The Mass Air Flow sensor (MAF) had to be removed from the old intake so it can get installed on the new one. Andrew's little fingers had trouble unplugging the sensor, but once that was done it was easy to remove the two screws and pull the sensor out. He knows that MAF sensors are very fragile, so he set it aside carefully so it wouldn't get damaged.
Detach Sensor
Another little sensor is attached to the old intake, so it was pulled straight up to snap it out, then the bracket was unscrewed with a single philips screw. It was kind of hard to pull the sensor out of its holder, so I had to put down my cold beer and take control of this step.
Remove OEM Intake
Finally! The two latches holding the filter cover on were released and the old intake was pulled from the throttle body. The clamp holding the old intake onto the throttlebody was tight, and difficult to reach with tools, so the kids called me over again! Luckily I could use my fingers to squeeze the clamp so the intake came right off. I then immediately settled back into my observation chair and opened a second beer.
Compare Parts
With the old intake out it was easy to compare the two. Markus was very pleased at the lightness of the new AEM unit, and its obvious reduction in airflow resistance. He also liked that it was shiny, as previously noted. Andrew was unhappy that he had to hold the old crappy intake system, and moments after the picture was snapped he proceeded to throw it into his years where his year-old pitbull used it as a chew toy.
Remove Remaining OEM Components
A couple more old parts still had to come out. The bottom of the filter box was removed with three 10mm bolts and the lower intake section had two plastic philips screws holding it in. The top screw was simple, but the lower screw took some finesse. This is where seven-year-old hands come in handy. The fusebox cover was removed and a stubby philips screwdriver made removal of the intake section much easier. Then it simply pulled out and went into the trash.
Loosen and Move Fender Liner
Time to get the inner fender liner out of the way. A screw and plastic pop rivet in the wheel well and three screws under the car loosened the part of the liner that was in our way. We folded it back and hooked it behind the brake to keep it from slapping ou hands while we worked.
Remove Headlight Ground Bolt
Down in the wheel well we stuck our heads and camera into the small area under the headlight to locate the headlight ground bolt. It needed to be removed to make room for a future intake mounting bolt. The 10mm bolt was not visible, but the kids could feel it behind the sheet metal. It was easy to find because it had two white wires running to a metal ring terminal that was bolted to the body.
Prepare for Intake Installation
Markus screwed in the two rubber intake mounts, popped the silicone adapter onto the throttlebody (with two hose clamps on it) and wrapped the plastic spiral wrap onto the rubber hose, as per the AEM instructions.
Install Long Intake Section
Next Markus slid the new intake section into the hole in the inner fender, lined it up with the adapter on the throttlebody and slid the tabs into the newly-installed rubber mounting bolts.
Reinstall OEM Components
The PCV valve hose, MAF sensor and that other little sensor all had to go back together. The hose slipped right on using the old clamp, the MAF sensor screwed back in with new screws (supplied) and the other sensor went on with a new screw and locking washer.
Intall Lower Intake and Filter
Back in the wheel well Andrew was stumped on how to properly install the rubber mounting bolt for the lower intake. I pushed him aside, installed the mounting bolt and laughed in his face! Then Markus tried to install the lower intake, and had a lot of trouble. Andrew figured out that I had installed the mounting bolt wrong and fixed it. It turns out that the rubber mount should be installed on the backside of the sheet metal, from where the original bolt came out. I had installed it on the side of the sheet metal that I could see. Quick fix. With it installed correctly the lower intake tube went right on with an adapter and a couple of hose clamps. The braket screwed onto the mount and the folter tightened right onto the end of the intake. Easy!
Reinstall Fender Liner and Wheel
Andrew reinstalled the fender liner using the reverse process, reinstalled the wheel, removed the jack stands and lowered the car back to earth.
Tighten, Inspect Work and Test System
The little guys then tightened all of the upper hose clamps, checked everything over for tightness and fit. They made sure all tools had been removed from the car and then called me over to start it up. The car fired right up and no check engine light! We went for a zip around the block and the kids definitely felt that the intake made a huge difference. The sound of the engine was much more evident, with quick throttle blips taking on a new menacing tone. Full throttle was far more gutteral with multiple harmonics pleasing the ear.
Tools Needed
Remember in the beginning when we told you to read the instructions first? Well, if you did then you will see this before you start! Now that we were done with the install we could easily show you which tools we needed.
Relax
All done! Now sit back and enjoy a cold one! Of course, these are children, so they got to enjoy a couple of Henry Weinhard's finest Root Beers!
Intake Install (AEM)
