March Ram Air Install Help

NinjaViper

New Member
May 9, 2011
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What am I doing wrong? This looked so straight forward but as soon as I removed the stock air filter box I realized that the K&N was a different diameter than the intake (see picture). When I insert the filter into the intake hose it is just too loose, there is no way a clamp could tighten enough to make a proper fit.
To make matters worse I cut up my stock air box trying to make a collar to make this work so now I have no filter at all. I bought the ram air kit used so I don't have any instructions either.
If you have one, or know what I am talking about please help. I need to drive the car tomorrow.
 

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On my MAF setup the meter had a reducer to the airbox, i just used that to hook up that ram air box when i was running it. FWIW, if you drive the car in the rain, there is a good chance if you hit a puddle the air filter is going to be sucking water. You also have to really keep an eye on that box filling up with leaves, sticks, ETC.

If you are in a jam, just wrap some electrical tape around the filter to take up the slack until you find a way to hook it up or a filter that fits. Its hack, but it will work.
 
Yep... I remember that problem. Here's what I did to fix it:

I cut both ends off of a regular ole tin soup can and stuffed it into the filter opening then cut the can in half (roughly). Then fit the filter assembly inside of the intake hose (the metal rim from can top serves as a natural stop in the opening). The soup can makes it rigid enough that you can snug the clamp down over it so that it won't move.


I recommend that you NOT use the ram-air pickup. Just leave it off. The leaves, water, and other debris mentioned by folks above are a trueism. If you insist on using it, (I mean it is kinda kewl looking IMO) then you should fashion yourself a grate of some sort and fix it to the inside of the ram-air inlet mouth (3/4s of an inch or so inside of the inlet). That will keep big stuff out of the air box.

I never sucked up so much water that it was ever a problem but the potential exists if you're plowing through standing water. Rain is not a problem.

A big thing to remember is that when you park... STOP well BEFORE you hit the curb with your ram air scoop. lol
 
Okay so the conclusion is that the intake hose on an MAF car is smaller than that of a speed density? If that is the case I wonder what provisions March has for this for a new kit as they offer it for years 86-93.
I am not planning on using the hose and intake, I was just going to use the box and filter so that it gets a good supply of cold air. My car is a weekend driver and gets very little use, not worried about rain and I will have to keep checking for leaves.
I will try the tin can option, I wish there was a better solution.
 
The kit that you have will do either style. MAF or SD. It connects the same way regardless. Their connection solution is definitely not the best.

If you're not going to use the scoop then you don't have to worry about leaves or rain water. It's only the scoop and hose portion that makes those two things an issue.

The next problem that you'll run into (over time) is that the hole in the air box that the conical goes into, starts getting larger (heat cycles). I had to use F4 tape around the rim at the base of the conical to get a tight seal again.

Kenne Bell use to make a ram air kit that had a clean-out in it. Don't think they offer that kit anymore.
 
I covered the end of the air inlet scoop with plastic screen, which has worked great. I also never had an issue with water in the intake tract, there is more than a foot of rise between the intake inlet, and the air filter location. I scrapped the March scoop quickly, and the hose that came with it was a joke. I built a custom fiberglass scoop and tube, cutting a 4" by 6" hole in my bumper cover about where the fog light goes on a GT. It took some time to fabricate all the pieces, but I've used it for many years, and never had any issues with it.