MX265

Dumb question: How much HP does an open air cleaner add to an '89 IROC w\ 305 TBI with no other mods?? Sounds crazy, but I couldn't find the answer. Numerous other mod's are coming such as catback and maybe custom chip, but for now, I was just wondering where I was at right now.

Thanks,
Andy

Axoid

On a dyno I got 10 RWHP.

MX265

Cool!! Thanks!

Berlinetta

Im not sure how much it adds but it sure as hell sounds cool. WOOOOOOOSH!!!!

Fredless

10RWHP?? DAMN. I didn't notice much over stock TBI cleaner with K&N. So with just Open air K&N 14x2 or 3 you think 10RWHP! I'm skeptical..

ZRATED

That sound like a resonable gain in HP, becuase the stock air cleaner crap is so restrictive

JPrevost

I've seen cars with exhaust work go with an open element and gain over 2 tenths and 2 mph consistently. Then when you add a bigger motor like mine it's like DUH!!! I could probably loose as much as 4 to 5 tenths and 3 to 4 mph if I ran the stock air cleaner.
The open element is the best bang for the buck no doubt. Back in the day flipping the lids on the stock air cleaner to make it into a half bread was also good for gains.
I've also seen a LOT of people posting about how carb made such a difference and they gained 2 tenths, then they say yeah, I'm running an open element . I guess sometimes you don't get the whole story.
I've got a good story about open element vs stock air cleaner. This is a true story down to every last detail. I was working a summer job and there was some equipment I could use to clean up my engine bay. The glass bead machine was awesome. So I stuck my air cleaner in, cleaned off all the rust and paint. Then I was like DUH, forgot to get paint. So over my lunch break I go to get paint. I take the same merge onto Rt.1 every day so I know exactly how to pull out into traffic and what the car does. Well this time I'm looking out to pull into traffic and like always I have to floor it. Nope, tire starts to spin like crazy and I'm like DAMN that feels awesome. Then it hit me.....I had forgotten to put the air cleaner on! So there is your proof. It was completely un biased from my own ignorance. Then I got a dual L69 snorkel housing and that was a happy medium. It felt really good and sounded awesome on the L03. Too bad it would be too small for my current motor.

TransAmTBI

I read that open element isnt all that good because in the summer, all of the underhood engine heat is getting sucked into the open element instead of cool air.. idk maybe i read wrong. any opinions?

JPrevost

in the summer where is their "cool air"
Remove the weather stripping on the back of the hood will help keep underhood temps down. Use winaldl and you can verify the intake are temps real-time. I noticed that on a completely stock snorkel setup, intake air temps are still very high. Remove the weather stripping and it doesn't change. Go to an open elment and the only time the underhood temps are higher than with the snorkel is if you've got headers, have kept the weather stripping, and are at idle. When the car starts to move underhood temps approach outside air temps. I've got over 20 hours of data that prove when you're moving more than 10mph the underhood temps plumit. Only if you do a bunch of idle racing in neutral will it effect enough to over come the benifits of having all that extra air. If you're really worried about it you could go with a dual snorkel but from countless fast cars at the track, open element is the easiest and cheapest performance mod!

TransAmTBI

then for 20 bucks i'll go open element!! and here i've been worried all this time! damn stock snorkel!!
thanx for the info!
Bill

Dragons91RS

Ive got a question that goes with this. I just put an open element air cleaner on my TBI 305, but my service engine soon light keeps coming on because the air temp sensor inside the stock air cleaner isnt pluged up. is there any way to bypass that sensor?

TransAmTBI

thats a good question and since i have the same motor i would also like to know the answerr to this

JPrevost

You can just drill and install it into the base of the open element. It's not mounted perminently into the stock air cleaner. If you don't want to drill sheet metal (I know I don't) then just hange the sensor through the tranny dip stick loop . Mine has been everywhere and it doesn't matter so long as it's closest to the intake and not the exhaust manifolds or laying on anything else. Right now I've got the darn thing zip tied to my 3 point STB. Be creative, just do NOT replace the sensor with a resistor! That's the old school way of screwing things up. Guys would do that trick thinking they were fooling the ecm thinking it was cold air so it would make a richer and more spark, well guess what, it's actually the opposite. As air temp is cold the ecm actually leans it out, that's just the stock calibration code, don't ask me for any details.

TransAmTBI

what about the pcv or that other plug thing?
what did you do with thoses?

JPrevost

Grab the $5 breather from car parts or Auto-zone. You know, that little chrome breather that just sticks in the valve cover.

TransAmTBI

ok now what about the plug..if you dont know what i'm talking about, its the plug that comes out of the main wiring harnes and plitterly plugs into the stock snorkle or do you detach that from the snorkel and do the same thing with the control vavle?

JPrevost

http://snflupigus.tripod.com/tech/op...tep1/step1.htm

dmccain

iTrader: (2)

I have a cold air intake off a 83 trans am on my 89 formula. i wonder is it any better than an open filter because personally i dont like the looks of the thing. it has an electric door that opens in the scoop and dumps air into the throttle body.

gsxrfann

What about the tube that comes off of the exhaust manifold? What do you do with it?

RS-Chevy-SS

The tube connects to nothing on the exhaust manifold. It is simply there to provide heat during a cold start. Otherwise the valve on the cleaner is closed. You can just remove the tube and you will see it simply funnels heat, not exhaust, just heat.

Schurkey

Have any of you installed an air filter restriction indicator into your original air cleaners to see if the OEM system is actually restrictive?

If you don't have a vacuum in the air cleaner at WFO, the thing flows enough air and isn't a restriction.






It just kills me to hear someone recommend removing the air seal at the base of the hood. The whole purpose of that seal is to PREVENT high-pressure air from entering the engine compartment. Why is that important? Because the radiator fan has to work harder to overcome the air leak from the rear of the hood. The air seal at the base of the hood is there because it improves cooling system performance. But what the hell, just rip stuff off the vehicle before you have any understanding of the reason it's there in the first place. Makes the car lighter, too.

Dougy89

Hey all, sorry to resurrect an old thread but i need a bit of advice please.... Bear in mind my 89 305 tbi bird is converted to RHD ok....

I went to put in a 14x3 flat base open element as the air over here is hot all year round and stock system doesn't seem to let much air in... I had to keep the tbi spacer or the damn thing interfered with my coil leads and throttle linkages and put in a 2" instead which is not ideal... I will need to get some spacers and try again sometime i guess...

ANYWAY, because of the RHD conversion I have various hoses etc running up the RHS where the breather tube that ran into the stock cleaner (in the rear of the tappet cover) ... My query is due to space constraints, can I move the PVC over to that vent hole and put the breather into the vent hole on the LHS without any ill effects? I can't see why it would be an issue as the "cycle of life" will be the same, just reversed? More clean air on LHS too....

Being new to these cars and motors I wanted to ask you guys who have hundreds of years experience on them as they are truly odd things for us Aussies! Thanks for your help!

Schurkey

Try it, see what happens.

The crankshaft is spinning; as such the PCV may be making best use of that motion to bring air in one side, and fumes out the other side. More accurately, the motion of the crank may--or may not--affect the flow of oil mist up to the PCV valve.

Dougy89

Thanks Schurkey seems unless someone who has tried it pops up soon i will just have to bite the bullet! Surely someone has tried it before?