From what Ive read on seafoam, its good to run it for about 100 miles with a 1/3 in the crankcase before changing the oil.

Part of my comment didnt make too much sense as I was doing other stuff while writing it >.>

Double check to make sure you did not disconnect anything when putting in the CAI. Make sure you have the hose connecting the crankcase to the intake pipe too.


As far as the IAR, on my 97 I have one and had no idea what to do with it. Most said to plug it since it was a left over that went nowhere once the stock intake was taken out but doing some research it actually helps as it regulates the acoustics between changes in the throttle plate and airflow in the intake pipe. Its not too likely this has caused a deterioration in your gas usage but it can be. You're in stop and go traffic and can get the volumetric efficiency you normally would when switching gears, efficiency drops under certain circumstances.

Basically the air getting sucked in hits the throttle plate when you close it and it bounces back. The IAR cancels out the negative pressure so that when the engine goes to suck more air in, the air is not flowing in the opposite direction from hitting the throttle plate. You need denser air.

Because you do a lot of stop and go, this seems most plausible. But I cant remember if the 6th gens have IAR's. Even without an IAR, after researching, I think that the diameter of the intake will make a difference in the acoustics as well. CAI or SRI are good for WOT really. Not city driving.

What I just did was I took the stock intake pipe and fit a little extra piping and a cone filter on it that runs under the bumper. This way I have a cold air intake with the stock intake pipe and IAR all attached. Ill see what that does for me...


With modern engines, a bad filter is not known to take away gas usage, just power, but it could also be the case that the CAI has just taken away from your engine's efficiency. Theres a big argument on what they actually do and to which cars.

And finally because there is a change in the intake temperature readings, that will change your gas consumption. It could be that your car is taking in hotter air depending on if you truly have a CAI or if its a short ram intake. If its sitting right next to your battery or under the bumper.

or you could just be driving it more aggressively cuz of the new intake :P

 

#1 answer is your going high end rpms for the noise and are blowing threw ur fuel. a CAI can help with fuel economy for short drives but driving to hear it will kill ur gas

 

I ended up changing the oil after about 80 miles. It was the blackest oil I've ever seen!

I went through and triple checked all the connections. Everything seems to be solid, and I think the squeaking is just something I'll have to live with. I took those dumb little breathers off and reconnected the crank case to the part on the intake where it was meant to go. It makes the squeaking a little louder, but I can't hear it over my music anyways. Ignorance is bliss

Thanks for all the info on the IAR; I'm still very new to cars so information like that is incredibly helpful! I should have a better understanding of what I'm doing to my Accord before I actually do it, too.

Did you attach the cone filter to the resonator? The filter my intake came with was junk (and broke), so I used the A&M one from my other intake that hadn't even been touched. Let me know if your trick does anything. When I get the time, I'm probably going to switch back.

The one I have is a CAI, not a SRI. The filter extends down towards the bumper.

I don't step on the pedal or drive [too] aggressively, if that's what you meant. The only reason I put it in was because I had read in countless places that it would help with fuel economy. The noise is something I can live with, but it's not the reason it's in there.

On another note, my radiator blew up yesterday. I noticed my car was smoking, so I pulled over, and there was coolant fluid ALL OVER my engine bay. I think the only reason is was smoking it because the fluid was burning off, but I checked the pressure and it wasn't holding anything. Unfortunately, I had to get it replaced at Sears because I don't have time to order a part and wait for it before driving my car. So I ended up paying nearly $500 for a $100 job. The mechanic there said that it could have been what was making my gas go down so quickly, but I'm not sure.

 

No worries, I started messing with my car before I knew anything at all about it. I still dont know a lot, just enough to keep me outa trouble now, not enough to keep me from wasting money here and there though.

But
Yeah, sounds like that may have been the issue with the radiator. Now that your cooling system is all good, try putting the stock pipe back on with the cone filter attached under the bumper. Like i did. Ironically I posted an issue about my fuel efficiency dropping but I think thats another issue. I did notice my intake temps were lower when using the stock pipe modified to a CAI rather than an aluminum pipe. Its all about experimenting though.
With the crankcase hose, id recommend keeping the metal pipes that allow the coolant to run along the crankcase hose if your car has that. It helps cool down the coolant. It should run from the FITV to the Intake manifold near the EGR if its the same set up.

 

As glad as I am that my engine won't overheat now, I really wish I had the time to have fixed it myself. It literally pains me to pay someone so much money to do something so simple haha.

My plan is to run this tank down, and then right before I fill up again, I'll replace the CAI with the OEM system. I'm was wondering, where exactly did you fit your cone filter? Maybe our cars are different, but it might give me some idea.

I'm not sure about those smaller pipes, but I'll definitely look once I'm out of class tonight. I don't my Accord even has a FITV?

 

Just as an update, my MPG has increased since my radiator was fixed and my CAI was installed. I'm at about 180 miles with over half a tank left. My driving habits and locations are pretty much the same every week, so I'm hoping this change is permanent.

 

Keep in mind that most, if not all, parts of the country has switched over from winter blend gasoline (which lowers fuel economy) to summer blend during the last month or so. There is no way a CAI can improve your fuel economy; that is a well established fact. Regarding your cooling system, unless your engine was running too cool due to a thermostat stuck in the full open position, and you replaced the thermostat when you repaired the radiator, the cooling system would have had no effect either way.

 

I'll take your word for it, but I've read just as many threads that say it increases the fuel economy as I have that said it doesn't.

Would the gas really have that much of an effect? What's the point in them doing that?

 

The physics of the situation are really quite simple; back in the days of carburetors a low restriction intake would definitely improve fuel economy, now with the ability to measure the actual weight of the intake air to a very accurate degree, the computer will meter out the correct amount of fuel regardless of the restriction of the intake, regardless of the temperature of the intake charge, regardless of the altitude, and regardless of the humidity. Change the intake so that more air can (in theory) make it past the throttle body at any given throttle setting (or descending in altitude which has the same effect), and the computer will add more fuel. The fuel economy will remain constant.

I've seen reports where, winter versus summer blend fuel can make as much as a ten percent swing in fuel economy (although the range is typically far less than that).

 

Thanks for the information. Always nice to know how things work! Now that I know it's not doing anything besides adding noise, I think I'll swap it out this weekend for the stock system.