Focus Fanatics Forum banner

my ebay CAI

9K views 68 replies 20 participants last post by  FLYLOW 
#1 · (Edited)
got this in later today and i must say it doesnt look too bad. I know its ebay i know its cheap and its a knock off but guess what? I dont really care. Ive seen the aem one for the svt before and i didnt see many difference. Paint looked ok, shape and bends look ok only problem is the filter it came with besides it being cr@p its like 2'' wide and its impossible to fit in the tube. I also dont care why? cause i was going to replace it any ways. The K&N cone filter should be here tom.

also as soon as i got it i started wrapping it in heat wrap, but i ran out half way. ill have this on before the week end











 
See less See more
5
#18 ·
I say, good purchase Mate! As long as it does what it's designed for and doesn't cause issues from poor materials or construction... I paid $389 for my AEM cold air kit, and I ended up off the road last winter (for shame, no snow miles... GASP!). The car would crank, no problem, and even start everytime; but once the thing 'caught' it would just die on me. I chased parts and what I eventually thought was an electrical gremlin, and one day decided to look at the MAF after I'd already bought a new one. And to what did my prying eyes discover:


This little chip of the powder-coating had vibrated/sucked loose from the inside-end of the intake tubing and lodged itself betwixt the hot-wire and the plastic holding it! I took it out and the car fired right back up after all that time...

You gotta watch out for yourself, that's true; but the industry has some fun secrets that are designed to separate you from your income. Like the fact that only three companies manufacture batteries or motor oil... You'll just pay double for a major name battery or oil (synthetic oil being an exception).
 
#4 ·
It all depends. lol I dont know if you are saying 5400 was overpriced or underpriced. Depends on the miles I suppose. But I imagine its a nice car :D I paid $3700 for my zx3 with 91k miles. And I definetly love it! haha Oh and good luck with the CAI btw. Its always fun to experiment and be different and try something not many other people do.
 
#5 ·
could just mean its got high miles like i said do your homework anyone running a early build aem short ram intake will notice their cars idle weird look it up it might not be a bad buy but more often than not ebay junk is just junk
 
#6 ·
^ i know, but ill recheck the sensor welds tom, thats a probl. i did notice some metal shaving still stuck inside, ill grind this down. My bro still has an ebay cai in his zx3 and never had problems after about 4 years of using it. This one looks ok, im putting a bypass valve and the k&n filter, that should do the trick.

the filter it came with is so cr@p though lol! ive seen a few ebay/china made filter but this one takes the win. It doesnt even have the cloth fiber inside, its just a metal mesh like thing
 
#7 ·
the bypass is a waste of time and money i bought one then read up on them they dont keep water out unless you completly submerge the filber in water
 
#16 ·
the bypass is a waste of time and money i bought one then read up on them they dont keep water out unless you completly submerge the filter in water
Which is the exactly reason why you get one! It's like a cop and their gun: rather have it, and not need it, than need it and not have it.

I hyrdo-locked my first engine because I was stuck in a flash-flood and didn't have a beater car as an option. Now I do and the focus never goes out in the rain. Look at it like this: less than a hundred for a bypass, or over a couple thousand for a new engine/labor
 
#8 ·
Dear OP,

But it's still a good intake, and you'll see the same gains from this that you see people spending $100's on an AEM one. Just keep an eye on the worm clamps and the condition of the couplers with the heat of the engine. And the black valve cover vent hose is crap, block off the nipple on the intake pipe with duct tape, and dump the valve cover vent to the ground or catch can.

You DON'T a bypass valve on this CAI, if you have your driver side inner fender well shield installed correctly. I've driven in some HEAVY rains going back and forth from Socal and Portland, never had a problem. And the Bypass valve foam starts to rip from the engine movements anyway later down the road.

Enjoy your new "turbo" suction noise the CAI emits when you jump on the throttle, and sell the cheap filter on your local CL...

and if you really want that AEM feel, just buy a $2 AEM vinyl off eBay and slap it on there. No one will know except you.
 
#11 ·
I thought the bypass filter was a waste, only if you were FI? Id replace it every year before I take my chances with hydro locking it... I hydro locked my Focus only 12hrs after buying it... NOT FUN.

Obviously avoid puddles, but for me it was go thru (about 4in of water) or be clobbered by a semi... I took my chances with the puddle (flooded intersection)
 
#12 ·
lol! ill keep all that in mind and thanks for the comments guys... but im not a rookie at this... i am to the svt though

I ran a trd cai in my M-xrs for about 7 years no problems at all, the filter was about 5'' from the ground and all those 7 years where in puertorican weather (rains every afternoon)

and my turbo genesis had an aem CAI which was about 7'' from the ground, i later switched to a sri because it was better for the turbo

I did find times where i had to accelerate the car, shut off the engine, cross the puddle while running the turn the car back on on the other side, yup stupid but it worked.

my bro ran an aem bypass in his focus and never really had any problems, its made of hard plastic so it hardens and snaps/breaks after a few months because of the engines heat and movement so i know about that.

thanks for the comments and suggestion, lets see how this goes.
 
#14 ·
I have no intentions what so ever to use this filter, even if it was 3'' like the lower pipe. Before ordering it i already had plans to replace it with a aem or k&n 3''. The lower pipe is 3'' the upper pipe is 2.75ish so i guess the lower IS wider

the filter it came with is 2.5'' it doesnt even fit the upper pipe :( lol
 
#17 ·
actually $20 for the one im thinking about and like $55 for the aem one... ill prob get the $20 one... i can just wrap something around it when its not raining making it useless then when it rains ill just open my hood and vent it so it works...

 
#19 ·
The only reason people pay for aem is its legal to have on ur car mainly. Basicly paid extra for that real c.a.r.b. legal sticker EO #. Yes cali sucks but it makes up for it with the nice weather lol.
 
#21 ·
U haven't had a so cal cop inspect ur ride before lol. The imports burned everyone in socal and if a cop just thinks somethings not stock u get sent to the referee(car gets inspected with a fine tooth comb).put on the lift,smog machine, sound decibel test,mirrors shit even checking that turbo car are running the factory turbos. Damn dude even at a Starbucks meet we had a chp pull up next to a subaru sti, get out pull out a mirror on a stick and was checking all underneath for illegal mods. And it was parked by itself no one near it too. The owner was pissing his pants.
 
#25 ·
Pics installed yet? I'm interested, mainly because y "intake" was a bunch of crap pieced together by the previous owner and doesn't fit at all.
 
#27 ·
Not worried about installation, more worried about how well it fits since it's "cheap"...look forward to seeing the pics.
 
#31 ·
It looks similar to mine, and guess what! Ijust got my car back! :D hopefully I can drive it to the next meet and we can compare them ;)
Did you see Ray's intake? Well that's my "in case it rains" back up, I'll show you how to do it lol
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top