Hi,

I have a 2006 min cooper S. I took the stock intake box out and decided to put a filter on it. i still have the original rubber hose on there and I wanted to take out the bottom part of the stock intake box because I don't see a point for it to be there. Does anyone know how to take out just the bottom part of the intake box?

Thanks!!!

 

The point of it is to hold the DME. You can take it out by removing the bolt on the front driver's side of the box. Then pull it toward the front of the car. There are two rubber pieces that hold it at the rear. They will slide out when you pull the box forward.

 

The ECU will not have a home.. (What 002 said)...
not having a nice secure/sealed place for the ECU seems risky.. But that is mod-ing..

You will also loose the air path from the front as well.. It might not be a "big path" but that is "ram air" coming from the front grill..

Bottom line.. pull it out and see what you can do with what is left.. But hold on to all the parts (just in case you want to go back to stock)

Enjoy

 

There are other considerations: it acts as a barrier to the heat coming from lower in the engine bay, in part from the header and shields. It also supports your filter from looking at your photo.
So here are the pros of keeping it:
1. It holds the ECU
2. It allows air from the front intake duct above the radiator to reach the intake filter
3. It acts as a thermal barrier, albeit partial

What you have is a HAI. Notice the H stands for HOT. There are many threads about HAIs and modifications to create thermal barriers to improve their efficiency. I've never seen anyone actually remove the lower box section.

 

The only reason that I wanted to take it out was i thought that I would get more air from the bottom, i don't know if that would help. I'm trying to get better sound without replacing the rubber hose. I don't know if there is going to be a difference, but the ECU scares me now.

 

One more thing that I forgot to mention is: Is the box to the right with cables also attatched to the inatke box?

 

If you're looking for more air, you should remove the piece that is separating the driver side cowel area. It's best to leave the bottom of the box alone. The benefits (if any) won't be worth it.

EDIT: This part...

 

Thats a good idea!!! Will there be any difference in the amount of air?

 

Tons.

Most aftermarket CAI have that piece out.

This is my Helix intake:


Note that the back is taken out, but the bottom of the original air box is still in place.

 

RaT48: There are many threads here discussing these issues, and what people have found. You will find out that: (i) people don't remove the airbox bottom, (ii) people remove the barrier between the cowl area and the airbox, (iii) people spend a lot of energy ensuring that cold/cool air gets to the filter and hot air doesn't. All of these things are good ideas, and all have been tried before, and either proven, documented, or at least evaluated by a jury of peers. You will do well to study these threads.
Good luck with your project.

 

I wasn't going to... but after reading the good DrPhil's post... i just have to now.

 

Thank you for all your time. Last question will more water be getting in there?

 

The box you refer to is the DME (ECU) - the cables that connect to the DME, anyway. It is integrated into the airbox bottom. It comes out of the airbox enclosure easily, but does need a home.

 

Another topic much discussed: not to affect your intake, or damage your engine. Most water will get in when you wash your car, and it rarely gets all the way to the air filter. The airbox bottom helps here too, to collect any water and keep it away from the filter.

 

I don't really care about water getting in the filter that much beacuse its K&N and its water proof. I just don't want a lot of water to gather in the bottom on the air box because there is no cover on it.

 

Actually there are drain holes in the lowest parts of that part... So there is not any "normal" way to collect any water that the filter would be sitting in a puddle..

 

I have decided to remove the plasic cover behind the the intake box, how do I remove that part, I also may want to put it back on just in case, so I don't want to damage it!!!

 

To take out the "back wall" ... here is a how to that shows some great pictures..

Enjoy

 

On a slightly different but related note, does anyone know of any issues (such as codes) resulting from unplugging and re-plugging the DME cables when installing an intake?

 

I've never had a problem, nor heard of one. Be careful when disconnecting the plugs, as they have releases that move along a slope to "push" the plug off, and pull when reinserting.

 

Dr.Phil you are a genius

 

Thanks

 

Now you tell me! I just installed the JCW Intake, and those ECU plugs gave me some trouble getting them out. I thought I had pulled the catch enough but I guess not, as 3 of the 4 little catches broke off on the front plug. I assumed it was just a tight fitting connector. Hopefully this won't give me any trouble with a loose connecion down in the future.