Since I'm not having much luck finding a decent shop, what sort of things could I do myself? From the videos I think putting a CAI in is about as complicated as I feel comfortable with (and the CAI is pushing it till I try more stuff).

Ideas?

 

I hate to say it but doing a CAI is about as easy as it gets besides checking your oil.


But in all seriousness when you are just starting out a lot of the stuff looks hard but once you get started it's not bad at all and with every new thing you do you will become more confident.

 

What you described is basicly how I feel. I know I could do more stuff, probabily easily but I'm afraid to break something.

I'm used to computers where dropping a single screw can fry the whole system.

 

Changing the throttle body actually looked easier to me than the CAI they installed.

 

Cars are in my opinion easier than computers it's very hard to break anything if you just make sure you follow the instuctions after you are done with a job go back over the instructions checking to make sure you did everything and you will be just fine

 

Meaning I'm probably over thinking how hard it is and i can probably do more than I give myself credit for.

The air filter in the old Plymoth Voyager looked much harder than it actually was. Having to take off most of the air flow housing to get to the air filter looked much more daunting than it actually was. It wouldn't suprise me if most of what I'm thinking of is like that.

 

Bingo


just don't do gears by yourself that one is worth paying someone for

 

x2 there

but like like anything else like taking off ur valve covers, lower & upper intake manifold are a breeze too

**** i could take off my upper intake manifold in less than 10 mins which is not that hard to do, once u take that off ur gonna want to keep on going and going, lol, well not really

 

Shame the CAI doesn't give the V6 much of a upgrade (at least from what you guys have said so far).

I'm at least getting a K&N filter if not a whole CAI system (not really sold on a CAI givent he engine)

I may change the throttle body but I'm not sure. At the moment I can't remember what ti does lol

Probably will change the headlights since one of them is a bit cloudy.

 

its never a shame to just to buy a CAI

buy it from AM.com the one for 69.99 it comes with everything u need and even a new air filter.

ohhh and it whistles too (not for me anymore since i bought the BBK 56mm throttle body)

 

You really just have to dig in. I was always afraid to do stuff to the car for fear of really messing it up. The only way to get over that is to just do it. You will make mistakes, always, but through research, planning, and being aware, experience, you will make less and less mistakes and build confidence over time. There are still things I don't feel comfortable with, but I know that nothing will be accomplished if I don't just start doing it. Think of the happiness and sense of accomplishment you will have after your finished. You may not feel confident in your skills now, but do all you can to learn about what you are going to do like install a CAI. Take for example a CAI, the easiest thing you can do. Read about it, think about it, plan it out, then do it. Its almost impossible to mess up. After you do it once, you should do it again, take it off, put it back on. I have to take my RAI off all the time, took it off Sunday actually to replace the spark plugs. And you know what, I made a mistake by not re-clipping the MAF, but everything is fine. You just gotta do it.

 

this is soooo true

nice one man

Ohhh and my very first time i put in my CAI, it took me about 30 to an hour figureing wat goes were and this was when i barely started to mess with my stang. I didnt look at the instructions or anything like that. I just looked at the pieaces and see were they fitted, lol

 

*nod* I'm pretty sure I can install a CAI. Just hardly seesm worth it for, as you guys have said, no noticable gain in performance. From what you guys have said, on the V6 3.8L it sounds like a semi-expensive peice of flashy equipment that doesn't do much more than the K&N filter by itself. Does it do more than I think it does?

What woud replacingt he throttle body do? Can I do that without replacing the stock air system?

 

hey man, i use to feel the same way, you just dont want to **** something up... I was freaking out about cleaning my engine bay with water and **** but nothing happened so... just get over the fact that its hard to **** something up

 

A CAI may not add much but everything adds up. Like take my goals for example, to be competative in my region and class in Solo II. There are tons of things I can do to make the car better, some may not big as big of an improvemnt as others but the small improvements still need to be done. Cost vs Gain is really what you should consider. Don't go spend $200 on a CAI, buy and ebay one or something and it does the same thing. Even though one small thing doesn't change much, think about the big picture. In the end you will end up with a full bolt-on sixxer and then looking for that power adder, and by that time your confidence and skills will have progressed alot.

 

it looks harder than it is,

1. get a manual, there is nothing more comforting than being able to read instructions, and look at pictures...sometimes you forget where all the hoses and bolts go.

2. take pics, it may sound silly but after spending a couple hours changing an intake, you will not remeber where all the hoses and vacuum lines go...or where which bolts go where.

 

i only did number 2

 

okie. will do.

 

I have read my Haynes manual front to back more than once, and always take pictures of what I'm doing if I've never done it before. Thoes are both good suggestions. I have even taken my laptop into the garage with a website pulled up for references. And always give yourself enough time to complete something. You can never go by the normal time it takes to install something, I usually double or triple that.

 

something that is an easy swap is a shifter. its four bolts off, four bolts on.

 

Automatic Transmission. Seen any good alterations for that type of shifter? Thats certainly one area of the car I wouldn't mind changing. Particuarly since the little red "P R N D 1 2 3" indacator is not working (it doesn't show which your in).

 

Also, (and this is going to sound really naive) what does the "Trac Off" button do? It's functional but I haven't the slightest clue what effect it has.

I'm guessing it's the traction control on/off switch but beyond that I don't know.

 

Yes all it does is turn the traction control on or off.

 

is it on when the light is lit or when the light is off?

 

Its off when the light is on.