So I was able to spend some time this weekend putting on the new parts I've acquired over the winter.
While there was a few slight hiccups, boy was it worth it.
To start the parts list:
- Cobra Jet Intake Manifold
- Super Cobra Jet Monoblade Throttle Body
- Cobra Jet Cold Air Intake
- Boss 302 Engine Covers
- Boss 302 Intake Install kit
- Bama Tunes/Tuner
The total install was rather easy even though it felt like it was way more involved than it probably was. Removal of the old intake and installing the new manifold was cake, just took some time. The directions up until this point were spot on from Ford. :awesome work: Moving the fuel vapor hose gave it a cleaner look overall, but as many have posted on other sites, its not really necessary. I did it to follow the directions to a "T" so I would minimize any issues. Moving the plug for the fuel vapor hose required the wire to be lengthened as there isn't a jumper extension. Repining the wire harness wasn't too bad either.
This brings me to my first hiccup, which is
not in the directions.:nono: When mounting the new throttle body to the manifold, it just says to slap it on there. Unfortunately, they forgot to mention that the bolts from the GT throttle body are quite long and look ridiculous if you move them over to the cobra jet setup. So a quick trip down to the hardware store and i picked up some nice stainless steel hex head bolts (6mm x 1mm x 25mm). While frustrating that it was not included or mentioned, it made for a nice break.
Next hiccup was the break booster line, not a big deal but it was a bit long. There's a metal coolant tube that goes directly into the block that is slightly in the way. There's no mention of using the new one included in the new intake manifold's box. We just bent the current one out of the way (only a few mm) and now it doesn't hit the throttle body. Seems like something they should have mentioned if you're going to include the part.
So my step father and I finish the rest up and all seems well. Loaded the Bama tune I requested a few days earlier and it started right up. Gave it a few revs and the sound of the new intake is.....well, I'll get to that in a minute.
We took the car out for a test drive and all was well. We tried a bunch of driving scenarios such as: town driving, highway cruise, wide open throttle, engine deceleration, and then we hit our first snag. Out of nowhere, we lose all power and get the good ole wrench light. With my winter beater I experienced the same problem exactly and knew immediately it had something to do with the throttle body. The catch was, there were no codes or check engine light. Started it back up, all was well again, head down the road, decel in a lower gear, go to hit the gas after coasting, and there was a significant delay after slowly easing back on the power. This time it threw a code: P2112 Throttle Actuator Control System - Stuck Closed. We make our way back home and hook it up to a more professional scan tool and see that the throttle isn't where the car thinks it is and then it shuts closed, killing all power. Tried another tune and it wasn't any better. Since it was Sunday, I had to wait until Monday morning to give Bama a call.
I give them a call in the morning and what they recommended after looking into the tune itself was to return the car to stock, disconnect the battery for 10 min (resetting the PCM), and reload the tune. I was skeptical since beyond the deceleration, it was perfect, but I carried on. After reloading the tune, I cringed as I went into town to grab gas and see if it had worked. A few miles in, I was good. Took a tour of the development, still good. Decided to test all scenarios out again, bog it, decel, wot, city, highway, and still all good. So I packed up and made the 150mile trip back home all without issue.
Now for the best part! I
absolutely love this intake. At lower RPMs, under load, the intake now makes a slight whistle and you can start to hear a whoosh as it pulls air. Similarly to a quiet blow off valve, I love it, but some people don't like it. From 2k-3, there seems to be a flat spot as you hit the throttle hard. Its not a big deal with highway driving and it still pulls, just not the extent 3k+ is. Not a complete shocker as this intake was developed for the drag strip. From 3k+ on, it sounds like a beast is trying to rip itself free, it gets loud, pulls hard, and makes you question why you didn't do this sooner.
The downside for my setup though is that I have to get my high flow cats and x-pipe back on once I get ahold of magna flow. I'm pretty sure I'm starving the cobra jet with the stock exhaust.
Lastly, is the drivability. So the only thing I've noticed is that there is a slight delay after using the motor for deceleration. It may be something with the tune, so I'll have to hit up Bama again and see what they think. Cold startup, up until its warm sits near 1k, but then goes back to normal once warm. It may be the same as stock, but I feel like I notice it more now. Warm idle tends to bounce a little like from 650 to 850 at a stop light. Again it could be a tune issue, but the throttle body is 65mm x 147mm, where the stock one is 84mm so it could be a side effect of a huge throttle body.
All in all, Bama and AmericanMuscle have been great and I'm excited for this year's shows and cruises. :rockout: