Ferdy Mint
Full Access Member
We have several 7.3 psd in the family, and most have an S&B cold air intake (CAI). It’s been our experience that intake air temperature (IAT) as measured on the Edge console will trend down to ambient air temp after a few miles of road at highway speed. That’s handy. And it shows that your $300 is doing something more than a 6637 can do.
The S&B CAI gets its cold air from two places. One is the LF fender well just behind the driver side battery. The other is in front of the truck behind the grill, driver side.
We always cut a hole in plastic front panel behind the grill, about the size of the front air opening into the CAI, to allow cold air more directly into the intake.
But the last 7.3 we put an S&B CAI on, we found that Furd had stuffed the driver fender well partially with sound deadening. It’s a 2003 XLT Lariat FX4, which was just about top of the line back then and has all the luxo stuff you could want including lots of sound insulation. I’m guess Furd put that in there to cut down on diesel noise from the mighty 7.3 motor.
This particular truck has not gained as much cool air as the others. IAT stays at least 10F above ambient temperature even on the open road. That sound insulation seems to have blocked off the air intake in the LF fender well. I figured I could call and ask S&B about the issue, them being the CAI experts, right?
But S&B is a Cali company. They’re nice and polite on the phone, so I sat and listened while a “tech” read a basic installation checklist to me off his screen. Those instructions are already in the box. He didn’t have much knowledge of a 7.3 and their own CAI. I had to explain the dual intakes to him. Remember, this was a “tech” on the phone, 2nd line support. I finally got S&B to say that nobody has brought this issue up before. To me, that means that his computer screen didn’t give him any hits.
So I’m turning to the forums. I didn't get any good hits on the internet for this issue, just guys beaching about the cost of CAIs.
I reckon I have three options to lower IAT:
I’m thinking option 3 might be the best long-term solution. But a lot of work.
Wouldn't this be nice, lol
The S&B CAI gets its cold air from two places. One is the LF fender well just behind the driver side battery. The other is in front of the truck behind the grill, driver side.
We always cut a hole in plastic front panel behind the grill, about the size of the front air opening into the CAI, to allow cold air more directly into the intake.
But the last 7.3 we put an S&B CAI on, we found that Furd had stuffed the driver fender well partially with sound deadening. It’s a 2003 XLT Lariat FX4, which was just about top of the line back then and has all the luxo stuff you could want including lots of sound insulation. I’m guess Furd put that in there to cut down on diesel noise from the mighty 7.3 motor.
This particular truck has not gained as much cool air as the others. IAT stays at least 10F above ambient temperature even on the open road. That sound insulation seems to have blocked off the air intake in the LF fender well. I figured I could call and ask S&B about the issue, them being the CAI experts, right?
But S&B is a Cali company. They’re nice and polite on the phone, so I sat and listened while a “tech” read a basic installation checklist to me off his screen. Those instructions are already in the box. He didn’t have much knowledge of a 7.3 and their own CAI. I had to explain the dual intakes to him. Remember, this was a “tech” on the phone, 2nd line support. I finally got S&B to say that nobody has brought this issue up before. To me, that means that his computer screen didn’t give him any hits.
So I’m turning to the forums. I didn't get any good hits on the internet for this issue, just guys beaching about the cost of CAIs.
I reckon I have three options to lower IAT:
- Pull the CAI and remove all that sound insulation from the LF fender well. That would defeat the idea of sound insulation. It’s true that this truck is a lot quieter than the older ones.
- Extend the front snorkel further forward and open up the intake behind the grill even bigger. I’ve seen Dodge Ram Cummins guys with a huge shiny air intake lurking just behind the grill. That would be cool but space is tight up there on a PSD. I reckon that if this option were a good one, why doesn’t anybody include it in their CAI kit. AFE, TYMAR, Banks, Volant ...
- Install a rear-facing hood scoop just in front of the driver. That would get cool air from the cowl, which is a high pressure spot at highways speeds. It would also put the intake over the S&B CAI top panel, which is removable. I’d need to fab up a rubber boot that seals up against the hood, and of course cut a hole in the hood. I’d need an offset too, so heavy rain doesn’t wind up directly in the filter box. In a Perfect World, I’d have a Chevelle SS 454 cowl induction flapper, see pic below …. sorry, I got carried away.
I’m thinking option 3 might be the best long-term solution. But a lot of work.
Wouldn't this be nice, lol
You must be registered for see images attach
