intake stutter? HELP!

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 11:12 am

so i hooked up my intake today...now it is actually a model built for the GT but i managed to make it fit really well. so i let it idle for a bit and then took a drive...wow it was awesome sounding and worked wonderfully...then i disconnected the battery again to reposition the terminals, connected everything back up and realizing i had reset the computer again i went to let the car idle. well i turned it on and it stuttered and the exhaust gasses smelt very rich....i am going to give it another shot in a minute...i am giving it time to reset the comp. again. anyone experience this...or have any ideas...? worked great earlier today!

cohocarl · Post by **cohocarl** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 11:18 am

Does the check engine light come on? Re-connect the vacuume hose?Reconnect the MAF sensor? I don't imagine you took the throttle body or anything downstream from where the CAI clamps on, so other than that, I can't think of any reason it wouldn't run right.

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 11:31 am

the check engine light does come on and it wont rev past 3000 and it get a little stuttery at idle.anyone know how long i have to have the battery disconnected to reset the engine light???

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 11:56 am

is there a quick way of reseting the comp...unplug a fuse or somthin?? this thing has me beat...everything is hooked up just like it was earlier when it worked perfect!

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 12:39 pm

ok....this time its even stranger....I straightened out the hose that comes from the intake...(breather hose?) and now the car revs past 3000 but when you let off the gas it comes down past idle rpms and keeps going all the way down and shuts off!!???

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 12:40 pm

that hose coming from the intake tubing is quite long...am i supposed to cut it to a more appropriate length....it is probably 3 or 4 inches longer than it needs to be.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 12:46 pm

I think the check engine light is on for some period of time even after whatever caused it to come on has been fixed. There was a thread about it http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=5052 I don't think there's a way to immediately reset the light, but it should go away after a while once you get the real problem fixed.Sorry I can't help with the root problem, haven't done a CAI. Only advice I can offer is to check to make sure that everything is hooked up, even maybe something that you didn't mess with on purpose, and if you really really need to drive it tomorrow, you may consider putting the stock parts back in.

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 12:52 pm

i just went at it again....seems im leaving the battery disconnected long enough to reset the CEL so far.....this time it stuttered for a few seconds...corrected itself....and is now idling nicely w/o the CEL!! this may be it! the only thing i have moved is that hose coming from the intake tubing....maybe i should shorten it...i wouldnt want to get stranded at a stoplight b/c that thing fell out of place! i will let it idle some more then i will turn it off and then ill try turning it on again and if all goes well maybe i will take it up and down the street.....ill post back here....but if anyone has help as to whether i should cut that hose down please inform!

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 12:56 pm

arrrghh!....it was idling great that whole time and as soon as i stuck my hand near the engine bay it just decided to die....really it was like it sensed my getting near and just shut off.....coincidence?

scherry2 · Post by **scherry2** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 1:01 pm

just a ?. did you leave it idle for about 15 minutes? as far as the hose (vacumn) just don't have any kinks in it. thats all I can tell you.

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 1:12 pm

yeah....it idled for a while and sounded great....now when i turn it on it cant figure out the best idle speed and stutters and jumps from 200-400 rpms and cant figure out which of the two revs is better....they both sound very low and kinda rough

scherry2 · Post by **scherry2** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 1:22 pm

do you have the correct vacumn hose hooked up? when I hooked mine up i hooked the wrong vacumn hose up and it sounded funny hiss every other couple of seconds.

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 1:30 pm

yeah....it was doing a hiss every couple of seconds....taking air in and trying to get the idle right....

scherry2 · Post by **scherry2** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 1:34 pm

wrong hose! there should be a shorter hose. easy fix. wish I could see it to explain. there are 2 vac hoses try the other one by the sensor bracket you moved.

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 2:05 pm

i only got one hose w/ the system....i just shortened the hose from the intake tubing to the sensor and now the car wont rev past 3000 rpms again....and the engine light comes on immediately....im trying to show a pic of the hose.

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scherry2 · Post by **scherry2** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 2:19 pm

you go a hose with the system? you should have 2 black hoses on the car originally. 2 by the sensor 1 long and 1 shorter you should be able to just switch the 2 hoses around.

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 2:31 pm

i got that bigger blue hose in the pic....got that w/ the system...that runs from the tubing to one of the sensors...i have tried switching it to the other sensor and oddly enough it made no difference and the car acted the same way....there is one hose that im not using.

scherry2 · Post by **scherry2** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 2:35 pm

I've got a new comp so i can't give you a pic but I just looked at mine and you should have a hose with 2 90 degree bends in it that is the one that hooks up to the cai and its shorter and goes to the sensor you moved. used my son's new (my old ) comp for pic. hope this helps

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philndz · Post by **philndz** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 2:44 pm

ok...im gonna try to explain this b/c it is so hard to do in writing....there is a stock hose that comes out from under the engine cover....that is running into the sensor (the one mounted on top that has the blue electronic hookup...you can see it in the pic i posted above)there is a hose coming from somewhere behind & on top of the brake fluid resevouir....this hose (which has a green valve mid-way) is connected into the other port on the sensor w/ the blue electronic hookup (same one mentioned above)....ok those are the two hoses i have connected to that sensor....now for the sensor mounted below that one....the one that has a similar looking electronic hookup but in black not blue.....we have two hoses again, one is stock and comes from the same direction as the one by the brake fluid above but this one comes from below that resevouir instead of on top...this hose is connected to the lower sensor (w/ black hookup)the other hose on this lower sensor is the one that runs to the intake tubing....(the blue hose that came w/ the intake)hope this makes more sense now.ps...the two hoses from the brake fluid direction are mounted on the sensor in the same way...the hoses fit onto nipples that point in the direction of the firewall.....the new hose and the one that goes under the engine cover both mount onto nipples that point to the passenger fender

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 3:11 pm

two more pics....ill explain after i get them loaded

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philndz · Post by **philndz** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 3:21 pm

# two

58742=1608-IMG00031.JPG

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 3:29 pm

ok...the first pic there is my buddy jeff using a pen to point to the hose that runs from the sensor to the intake tubing....now originally i was using the blue hose that came w/ the intake but we switched to the hose that scherry was using (the one hose that we had no other use for) to see if that would make a difference.(oh yeah....no difference)ok...pic #2 there is the lower sensor mounted below the one mentioned above....you see the two lines on it...the hose from below the brake fluid and then the other one that goes beneath the engine cover......IF YOU SEE ANYTHING WRONG IN THESE PHOTOS PLEASE LET ME KNOW...thx!

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 3:52 pm

any fuses i should try?

cohocarl · Post by **cohocarl** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 6:13 pm

quote:now it is actually a model built for the GT ...If I remember right, my base had only the shorter hose to re-hook up to the cai, and the sensor that screws on.(?) Could the gt cai instructions have you removing another hose from somewhere it wasn't supposed to be unhooked?

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 12:27 am

well the only difference i can see between the gt and the base is that i had to be a little more creative w/ the way i mounted everything which is no problem....and then also i dont have to cap off that extra nipple that gt owners do. (b/c i dont have that nipple on the base)on a side note....i dont actually think its the intake thats giving me troubles.....i hooked up the stock intake and im getting some similar reactions.

savedbyzero · Post by **savedbyzero** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 1:52 am

O.K. Here's the deal...you got the intake off ebay, right? Well, the MAFS is your thorn in your side, I'd bet. These intakes appear to be homemade. I made my own short ram intake and MAFS bracket. I had the EXACT same symptoms. It would spit and sputter, run fine, then throw up a CEL. I would disconnect the battery let it idle, it would seem to be fine then the cycle would start all over again. This was also causing the mysterious "stalls" when coming to a stop. If the sensor is postioned exactly right in the middle of the airstream, you're screwed.Without the proper tools and testing, this is a very difficult home-brew intake to design. It seems straight forward enough, but it's not. It ran fine on initial start up because the computer was still running on old info. But youwould have felt little increase in performance. Once it read the new data and tried to process it, the data didn't match up.I'd say send the hunk of pipe and hose back. Get your money back and buy a tried and true intake system from AEM or Injen.

scherry2 · Post by **scherry2** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 2:28 am

Sorry but that looks like a short ram air, not a CAI and also I didn't know it wasn't a Injen. sorry If my help led you astray. I should have known when you stated that the long blue hose came with it. what kind is it? maybe the company that made it can talk you through it.shouldn't be any different than any other really.quote:on a side note....i dont actually think its the intake thats giving me troubles.....i hooked up the stock intake and im getting some similar reactions.hook the stock system back up, unhook the battery for 15 seconds. then rehook up battery, let it idle for a while.if you have the same problem take it to the dealer. if you had this problem before installation of new intake you should have had problem fixed first. to me it sounds like the wrong vacumn hose hooked up to your new intake.

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 3:22 am

i did hook up the stock stuff and its not the intake system at all that is causing the problem....the dealer is lookin at it now...hopefully an easy fix like reseting something....now the question is do i give the intake another attempt when i get the car back...i mean yesterday afternoon when i put it on the first time it worked great...man...i should have left it alone! LOL

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 3:23 am

i think it is a pretty much generic intake...i mean it fits the vibe but its kinda of a no-brander.

savedbyzero · Post by **savedbyzero** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 4:06 am

AEM solved my problems!

dmitri · Post by **dmitri** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 9:55 am

Let me see a picture of where it goes into the throttle body. Show a up close and different angles. Something might be wrong there because it sounds like it...

scherry2 · Post by **scherry2** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 10:51 am

yea Id like to see the intake all laid out. see if its any different.

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 12:41 pm

quote:yea Id like to see the intake all laid out. see if its any different.

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scherry2 · Post by **scherry2** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 1:01 pm

yea its a ram air alright. looks cool!where is the air sensor located? it should work, hope you didn't find anything serious wrong at the dealer.

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 8:29 pm

sensor fits in on the side that you cant see....about mid-way in the piping...they still havnt looked at it....i guess there busy.

Psychobroker · Post by **Psychobroker** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 6:03 am

quote:hook the stock system back up, unhook the battery for 15 seconds. then rehook up battery*OT*Not to hijack this thread, but I read somewhere that disconnecting your battery would require you to input a code into your radio/HU if you have the factory alarm system. Is this this true? If so, where do I find my code? Not that this has ANYTHING to do with your problem...please do keep us posted. I was looking at those eBay RA Intakes for $89 + s/h, but it seems like they didn't compensate correctly for the sensor..

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 6:13 am

quote:*OT*Not to hijack this thread, but I read somewhere that disconnecting your battery would require you to input a code into your radio/HU if you have the factory alarm system. Is this this true? It was probably some misinfo, a lot of GM radios have that "feature" but Vibe radios don't http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=4513

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 6:36 am

ok....now a intake question for the pros.....by the looks of things i had the hose from under the engine cover and the hose from the intake tubing reversed. NOW....im a little scared to be honest to try it again...so what do you all think...opinions needed!

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 7:14 am

<<Buy an Injen>> $! i got this for $40 and im not sending it back b/c even though the seller sold me the wrong intake...he wont pay shipping back and he also wont guarantee a refund when he recieves it....just sounds too risky to me. so i just left bad feedback and im keeping the intake....just dont know whether to put it on again now that i know what i did wrong. im thinking what if i do it right this time and it still screws up!

Psychobroker · Post by **Psychobroker** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 7:19 am

The EBay RA intakeAlso, thanks for the link Joatmon! You da man

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 7:25 am

quote:The EBay RA intake Yep, thats what i got....i know i reversed the vaccume hose and the one from under the engine cover. I think i might try it again soon...not now though

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 10:07 am

ok...heres my problem. i think i have the confidence to throw the intake back on but what worries me is that i have a fairly long commute to work and dont want to get stranded. so if i install it again and everything works just fine, what are the chances then of me getting down the highway and the MAFS decides to change it settings and the car wont work again???? that would leave me stranded w/ the intake on and no easy way out!

scherry2 · Post by **scherry2** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 10:12 pm

We have confidence in you do it this weekend.you know that you had 2 hoses switched. sit back, relax and reinstall the intake, taking your time and hooking the correct vacumn hose and you will have no problem. you can do it.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 10:24 pm

I dunno what to tell you dude. I guess this is kind of the lesson you learn for buying inferior products. When it comes to my car, I go wth name brand, tested, reliable products. Especially when dealing with the engine -- something that can easily get messed up. Plus, I never would buy ANY product without a warranty, or a guarantee that if it doesn't work, or it's defective, it will be replaced and/or refunded...Honestly, I don't think you should use it, and I think you should demand a refund. If he won't give it, then I say file a claim against him with Paypal or your credit card company for selling bad merchandise.But that's my opinion...

savedbyzero · Post by **savedbyzero** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 1:19 am

The car shouldn't just stop. Run crappy, yes, but not just throw up it's hands and start coughing! The only thing mine did is get the stalls a couple times. All yoiu gotta do is restart it. It happened twice in like 2 months. Both coming up to a toll booth. If it happens, take it off, save up for tested intake.

MiamiVibe · Post by **MiamiVibe** » Sat Aug 02, 2003 1:01 am

these ares quotes that everyone should live by "If its to good to be true, it probably isnt true""Being cheap will cost you twice as much"If you pay $40 for an intake you are going to get a $40 dollar intake. Sorry buddy but i think you got shafted.

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Sat Aug 02, 2003 1:06 am

quote:Sorry buddy but i think you got shafted.Well...i sure didnt get shafted...b/c i willingly paid $40 for a questionable intake. I took the risk being fully aware that $40 compared to $150 is cheaper for a reason. Now, having looked at the more expensive RA intakes, I really see no difference and no reason that this should not work just as well as the others. I know I installed it incorrectly the first time and I will attempt it again probably this coming week. We shall see.

MiamiVibe · Post by **MiamiVibe** » Sat Aug 02, 2003 7:36 am

yeah but you are paying $40 dollars and if it doesnt work you are stuck with useless intake and then are still going to end up paying full price.

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Sat Aug 02, 2003 8:11 am

quote:yeah but you are paying $40 dollars and if it doesnt work you are stuck with useless intake and then are still going to end up paying full price.Well....IF it doesn't work then i wont be spending any more $ right now b/c i dont have any more. I would have to wait awhile and this $40 would just get put down to experience. And i could probably sell it to someone for $20....it does say its for the vibe GT / matrix XRS and i have a base vibe so maybe someone w/ those cars would want to give it a shot for $20?

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Sun Aug 03, 2003 11:05 pm

quote:REI does not pay well? LOL....hehe...no silver,...they pay me pretty good but i have had to put a lot of $ down for next semester at school and what not so im a little outta cash. BUT....the good news is: I installed the intake this morning and it WORKS AWESOME!!! I even hooked up a Ram-Air setup...I have a scoop behind the lower honeycomb grille and large diameter piping that pumps right out at the intake filter....I just got back from highway testing it. I live real close to the highway so jumped on in the opposite direction of rush-hour traffic and let it rip. Didnt go past 100mph but in 5th gear 90-100mph is so quick.....it used to be a slug at those speeds.....4th gear is not even funny....the speedo kinda jumps from 90 to 100 like the car is not even working hard. I think the ram-air really works big time at those speeds! to all who said it couldn't be done: My $40 intake ROCKS!