air intake questions

[roaldd]

hey guys
got a couple questions. is a tornado worth it? what does it do? and kkm cone filter is $85 r something, cant u just buy a cone filter that is has the correct output for less, or is the kkm just that? what else comes with the kkm?

 

[roaldd]

and yes i looked around at the other threads about the tornado. i didn't find a straight answer on what they do and if the are good r not

 

[Skibum1989]

dont waste your money on the tornado, aldive ran actual dyno tests on the effectivness of the tornado and found it to be absolutely useless. It's supposed to 'stir' the air up so when it goes into your engine, its better mixed or something, they claim large MPG improvements, but I have NEVER seen an independent test that showed ANY POSITIVE improvement whatsoever with the tornado installed, only angry reviewers who wasted 60 bucks.

The kkm is an open element reusable air filter apparatus that replaces the factory airbox. It comes with a filter and adapter to your MAF housing. Definitely worth the money there. Does not replace air intake tubing, only the filter/airbox.

 

[mrladylover]

Im not sure if I completely agree with Skibum (no offence). I had an increase in gas milage on my '97 5.0 Explorer. Its nothing HUGE but hey every little bit helps. This is just my opinion.

 

[prozachappy]

I've been running my KKM for almost 3 years now and love it. Never any problems with it at all. It will come with an adapter for your MAF like posted above. Most open element filters you just purchase at an autostore will not have the proper hardware to mount to yours.
MAC makes a good intake set-up as well, but more expensive. There are others K&N etc...just preference I suppose.

As for the "tornado" all reports that I have read, and posts from others who have tried it say... Smoke and Mirrors.
Never read anything on their application as far as 5.0's go...could be a different story. On a 4.0 engine it has little if any effect.

 

[mrladylover]

Like I said it wasnt a HUGE increase and I would prolly have to agree its not worth the cost that its priced at. If the price was slightly lower then it would be worth it.

 

[big_hoovie]

I've got a friend at work who installed a K&N filter in their car, and got a noticible increase in power and milage, and following that, installed the tornado, and saw absolutly NO change whatsoever. waste of money if you ask me. I'd just stick with the K&N filter

 

[nismotunedgtr]

Tornado did nothing for me.

On the other hand I put a K&N filter in my 1992 Grand Marquis and saw 3+ MPG better and it hauls even more ass now...gotta love them modular motors!

 

[410Fortune]

Damn I wish I would have invented that pesky little thing.

You know the tornado is a great idea, for a carbed engine, on some of them it might actually swirl the intake charge and make a difference.

On anything else = gimmick.

 

[aldive]

We tested one on the dyno on my truck.

 

[roaldd]

hey thanks guys. i also read about putting a 95 mac intake in the first gen and relocating the battery. i cant seem to find anything except cheap piece o crap on ebay. also, do you tink that if you used up half the grille for a scoop that brought cold air to the box, do you think that the engine would overheat because the radiator is half blocked?

 

[prozachappy]

I routed my scoop out just below the bumper. As far as putting it in the grille, depends on how big of scoop and how much it blocks the condenser. The a/c condenser is what I would be worried about most...if it is blocked from outside air, it will be more likely to freeze up. Although...your radiator could suffer too. I believe (not 100% sure) at higher RPMs Ford fan clutches will disengage and let the outside air cool the a/c condenser and radiator rather than the fan running at high speeds to cool the engine. So if you block to much of the grille you could run into problems.
If your scoop is smaller, I wouldn't worry to much. Mine is 4" by 4" I could have routed it threw the grille without any problems.
You can kinda see my scoop here in this pic. It is the rectangular black piece (pass side) you see just below and behind the lower tube on my bumper. It feeds directly up to my filter via 3" hose.

 

[roaldd]

thanks, i think that i might to some type of mod that re routs the air intake box. how much of a difference would a new pipe make (the one that is between the mas and the throttle body), one that i would make out of pvc? if it is bigger diameter (how big can you go and still clear the hood?). and btw, prozachappy, ur truck is sweet.

 

[prozachappy]

thanks for the comp

I've seen snorkels, scoops,cold air induction, and intakes all made from PVC...so it can be done. It can be done but... personally, I would use something a little more practical like 3 or 4" rubber hose. 2 reasons: First, rubber is easier to work with, it can stretch and bend for ease of placement, and will seal better around your MAF and TB by simply using hose clamps. PVC on the other hand, is stiff and will not bend ...so you would be using a lot of elbows and connections, you would also have to use some sort of resin around your TB and MAF to seal it :thumbdwn: Second, PVC looks a little gEttO IMO. Intake hose can be purchased at most auto stores, but an even cheaper plase is the junkyard. I know that the old BII and some 80's model F150's came with straight 3" intake hose. Also, most diesel engines use longer, large rubber intake hose. Just look for old delivery trucks and such while your in there. I always pick up various sizes of extra hose when I'm in the yard cause you never know when it will come in handy. Who knows if you know exactly where you want your filter to sit, then take measurements and note the bends and maybe you'll luck out and find a stock intake on something else that will suit your needs. If your looking to just move it to location like the 2nd gen explo's then just pick up an intake from one of those. Hope this helps.
J.

 

[kdogg212001]

so where would be a good spot to re-route my kkm intake?? i thought about the driver side fo the engine but not sure cause the power steering pump sits there! hmm and ideas that i am missing?

 

[roaldd]

thanks prozachappy. that is an excellent idea to use rubber hosing. did you notice on ur truck that pipe that leads to the back of the headlight? i disconnected that from the box. it seems to give a little better response and it idles 300 rpms lower. what size pipe did you use to go from the box to just under the bumper? how did that work out for power and response? does it also restrict how deep you can go?

 

[prozachappy]

That little pipe and scoop your referring to is your air induction. I tore mine out years ago when I removed the whole stock airbox for an open element filter. If your truck is still running the stock filter and airbox, you need that piping to introduce cold air into the system.
You should idle somewhere between 650 and 750rpms...if you weren't before you removed your air duct then you were probably running rich and need to figure out what is causing that condition. By removing air from your intake system you just unknowingly leaned out the mixture...lol.. which would explain your drop in idle.
My cold air induction set-up has changed a few times over the years. I use to run just the open element filter which technically does not require any forced air. But due to the location of our filters, to much engine heat was robbing me of power. So... I added a forced air set-up to the open element filter, it made a noticeable difference. I still wasn't happy though, I drive a lot of highway miles so my engine is constantly hot, plus...the older your engine gets the hotter it runs. So I decided to enclose my filter as best I could to protect it from unwanted engine heat. I experimented with different set-ups, none of which satisfied me. Then one day while at the junkyard I picked up an extra airbox and took it home. Cut it to fit my KKM filter leaving the bi-metal sensor on the back of the box purposely attached. So now I basically have a cold air set-up...my filter is protected from the engine heat, and cold air is forced in via a 3" hose. I am very happy with my set-up, throttle response as well as high and low end power have improved tremendously.

 

[prozachappy]

Here are a couple pictures for you. You can see how I introduced cold air via the 3" hose coming up from beneath the filter in the last pic. The end of the hose is capped with a small sceen to keep large debris from entering the box.

also: not really sure what you meant by " restrict how deep I can go"? I assume you mean water? I play mostly in the dunes and other desert environments. A scoop beneath your bumper would not be ideal for mudding or other water activities Think snorkal for that.
BTW: if I had it to do over again, I would have completely moved my filter to a location further from the engine and more accessable to outside air. Remember though your MAF is calibrated to measure air at a certain distance. So keep that in mind when moving things around.

 

[roaldd]

thanks. so how do i fix the idle problem. mine is runnin around 900 with the induction on. do i just move the idle screw? and what about the tps at .96 volts. that might help if im runnin a little rich.

 

[tgertz77]

I would just get the iFab intake off eBay... havent heard anything bad about them...

edit:

nevermind, just read bad stuff about them.