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Mod 20 - CAI

18K views 34 replies 20 participants last post by  Mjoe7 
#1 ·
***** Very Important Note *****
Although MADDOG had a big part to play in my decision to purchase and install a CAI, the decision was not made under duress. :D
***** End of Very Important Note *****


First off....I have done a couple of mods lately that I did not do a complete 'How Did', and boy have I received some serious flack for that, so in an effort to redeem myself, I got snap happy while doing this install (66 pix here to stall your internet connection with), and as it turns out, that was a good idea.

Although I am pleased with the final outcome, the road to success was littered with obstacles. IMO, Volant kinda dropped the ball in a few R&D areas, so the fit and finish would be less than acceptable by anyone with even the mildest form of OCD.

OK Brad....Shut Up and show us some pix!!!



First off, the infamous box :)




The CAI to choice......YUP....Volant! :woohoo:
Volant Part# 160576. Picked it up from AutoAnything




Opening the box, this is what you see




Remove the 'Air Pillows' and ....




What's in the box?




And with the bag of parts opened -




Start by opening the hood :doh: -




I started the project at the IAT (Intake Air Temperature) sensor. You have to slide the red tab in order to press the release to unplug it. The red tab on mine had an attitude, so I reinforced my desire to continue by introducing it to 'Needle Nose Pliers'. -




Press the black tab on the wire side of the red tab and unplug -




Next, armed with a 5/16" socket on an 8" extension and ratchet handle (1/4" drive), I loosened the intake tube from the TB (Throttle Body) -




Next, using the same tool, loosened the clamp on the Air Box side of the intake tube -




With minimal effort, the intake tube slides off both ends. Here it is sitting on the engine cover.




.....to be continued
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Here is a view of the TB -




Now for those that have worked on engines for many years, this next picture is self explanatory....but for those that haven't, I stuffed a 'CLEAN' rag into the TB. This serves 2 function. First, your engine is not really happy about any dirt that gets into it....but for a short time like a CAI install, it's not a big deal. HOWEVER.....If you were to drop something into the TB (like a small socket), and it ended up going past the plate (because you were playing with it), you could end up with it finding it's way to a cylinder when the engine is running....and that would end the proper operation of your engine, and would kill your warranty much faster than a tuner. Odds are with this install that nothing would happen, but old habits die hard, and I will not take the chance for the 20 seconds it took to find a clean rag and stuff it down the hole. :)




Next, I removed the makeup air hose/line from the air box. Here you can see the coupling hose right beside the spigot it attaches to (Red Circle). This slides of real easy.....cuz it's quite oily inside.




Then grab the air box and lift it straight up and out........to expose the dirt underneath it. :)




Next I removed the engine cover by lifting up on the front until it 'pops' loose, and pulled forward. Here you can see the 2 rear alignment/mounting holes at the back of the engine (Yellow Oval), and the 2 clip pins near the front (Red Circles).




Next I removed the makeup air hose/pipe/thingy (Red Arrow). At this stage, it is only connected at the drivers side valve cover with a right angle rubber end, right behind the oil filler neck. (Yellow Arrow) It pulls straight up with a bit of resistance, and is likely pretty slimy with oil. This area is covered by the engine cover, so doesn't benefit from a good engine wash unless the cover is removed.




Here is view from a different angle that shows the spigot the right angle rubber end is connected to.




Careful when removing the makeup air pipe/hose/thingy....as it will drip oil. Here is what it looks like removed....and some oil splatter from it on the ground.




Next I removed the IAT from the Intake tube. It was very happy where it was, and did everything (other than call it's lawyer) to resist relocation. With the aid of a fork shaped trim tool, I was able to convince it that reloation is a good thing.

Trim tool in use - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Close up of IAT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - IAT's new home in the CAI
-
-




.....to be continued
 
#3 · (Edited)
Then I prepped the new Air Makeup Line.
Here is where a description discrepancy showed up between the instructions and what is actually there. The instructions referred to the 45deg fitting, which in my case, was MIA. So I tossed the instructions off to the side, sized up the parts they had sent, and removed the right angle fitting from the pipe. It's not a true right angle, but it's much closer to 90deg than it is to 45deg. :4-dontknow:




Then I assembled the fitting in the only way that made sense, even though the 2 fitting supplied where radically different diameters, I was able to get them on the supplied hose. The straight fitting (required about 5 low class words to attach to the hose) connects to the hose and previously removed right angle rubber fitting. On the other end, the supplied 90deg fitting slipped on without any indignant words.




I then attached the Make Up line to the engine -




Now following the instructions, I removed 2 of the grommets from the OEM Air box -




They just pop out with a bit of twisting motion -




Then locate the holes on the bottom of the Volant CAI box -




And using a similar twisting motion....and bit more effort, attach them as shown -




These 2 grommets will attach to the studs (red circles) -




Now this is where the whole install took a turn....
I take pride in the fact that I actually do read the instructions, and will attempt to follow them (for the most part), but these instructions suggested I was near completion....It couldn't have been further from the truth. From this point on, I believe any warranty I might have had on this new CAI, is officially VOID. Take note of the Air Box Mounting Frame attachment screw circled in yellow above....

Begin...Modding the Mod!

During the test fit of the box, the first thing I noticed is that the air intake duct did NOT line up with the opening in the fender, so the OEM sealing gasket was not even in the same ZIP code!

What did I do wrong ???

Easy....I believed that when you purchase an expensive premium CAI, that it would fit properly.... :doh:

I measured the distance from the lower pin to the upper pin in the truck - 6-7/8".
I measured the spacing from the upper and lower reliefs on the CAI box - 6-1/8"
Fast math....11 carry the 5 divided by pie subtract a cup of coffee....That's 3/4 of an inch!! :SHOCKED:

Brad = NOT IMPRESSED!

So, I removed the grommet from the upper mounting hole (blue circle), test fit again....No Joy. :(
Under further inspection, I noticed that the mounting screw and it's embossment, were interfering. (red circle). This is the mounting screw I referred to in the pic above.




Here are a few pix that show the 'wonderful' fit. (Blue Arrows)
Also note that there are 2 major annoyances when installing and removing the Volant air box.
Evap pipe from AC - Yellow Arrow
This lonely wire - Red Arrow
Both of these now have names.....which cannot be repeated here without having a bunch of ***.








.....to be continued
 
#4 · (Edited)
Armed with frustration, a 3/4" hole saw and the realization that the interfering mounting lug was the same size as one of the mounting pins (just shorter), I drilled a warranty voiding hole in my new Volant CAI box -




I then installed grommet #3. (The OEM has 4, so still have a spare...:smileup:)
Note, I have re-installed the grommet in the upper mounting hole as well. What the heck, if it doesn't fit right, at least it won't rattle. :shakehead:




Then an idea to seal the opening to the fender......




Here's what it looks like...doesn't work worth &%$# to seal a tailgate, so maybe it will work for something it was never intended to work on...makes sense to me :dork: -




So I carefully cleaned the edge of the inlet duct with paint thinner, pealed the back off the sealing strip and wrapped it around. I even carefully cut it to length first (25-1/2"), only to discover it stretches.....a lot! Had to cut 1-5/8" off when I got all the way around.




That's when I discovered that my 'Great Idea' had a flaw (Like that never happened before). The ends of the sealing foam would not stay attached for more that....2 seconds. PITA! So out came the trusty pop riveter.....:)




I'm not worried about the gap in the seal as it is at the bottom out of view, and will sit right on top of the OEM seal so will seal properly anyway.






Now...between taking time to take photos, test fitting a couple of dozen times, researching appropriate names for certain pipes and wires and modding the mod, this 20 minute CAI mod has lasted til full dark, and I can't see anything properly, so I ripped everything off that was pre-prepared, and put all the OEM stuff back on for the night....




Maybe....just maybe....tomorrow will have this thing sorted out. BTW - for those that have never seen one, this is what the filter element looks like.....up close -








.....to be continued
 
#5 · (Edited)
Oh yes.....a new day! The sun is shining, the wind is at bay and my truck has that glorious layer of 'night dust' masking that blinding reflection of a clean truck.

Time to fit the Volant air box :woohoo:
Before we do that, just want to see how the filter fits......YUP.....here we go again! :sad:

As you can see in this pic, I got the filter on the flange after a few minutes of struggling and muttering a few words of derogatory encouragement. As it turns out, the spacing between the flange mounting bolts is little smaller than the outside of the filter. (red circle) Not by much, but enough to make this process almost impossible unless you can get your hand in from the duct side to 'help' it along.




This was going to be an ongoing issue in the future, so might as well deal with it right now, so decided to replace the factory mounting bolts (red circle) with some 1/4" x 3/4" carriage bolts from the inside, and cap with acorn nuts for nice finish and no sharp edges (blue circle) -




Here are the bolts in place -




And the flange mounted with the new bolts -




Here's the view from the outside. Turned out not to bad. I did use flat washers (same as factory) and spring lock washers under the acorn nuts -




Finally it's time to test fit the air box....and it fits perfect right off the 27th hop! Definitely more challenging to install with the new seal interfering with the A/C pipe, but was worth the effort.




Here's a couple more pix showing the fit -






So (following the directions again.....:hah:) I installed the hump hose (which would have been so much easier to install before mounting the air box), but none the less, it's on -




Next came the reducer at the throttle body and the air duct -




Then connected the wire to the IAT, which although a bit tighter than the OEM....it doesn't put any undue strain on the wires -




So I installed the filter element (this went real well) -




and bolted the cover on -




Then I disconnected the IAT and removed the air duct at the TB and air box so I could install the engine cover that I forgot to install in my excitement to get this project completed... LOL


.....to be continued
 
#6 · (Edited)
Installed the engine cover, and reinstalled the air duct, IAT wire and finally the makeup air hose (Blue arrow).




Here's a few pix to show the finished product :) -








And finally a pic that displays the new look... :i_rolleyes:




Please tell me you weren't' expecting it to look different....:LOL:


The road test - Yielded some expected and some unexpected results. First off (expected....or at least hoped for), a noticeable improvement at WOT...not a lot, but noticeable. Secondly (unexpected), there is a very noticeable intake sound! :wow: This I really did not expect from a sealed CAI, but it is very noticeable[\B] at WOT. Since I still have the bottom port on the CAI open, I expect some of this sound will reduce when Volant releases the 'scoop' for the 4th gen Rams....which is supposed to be in November. In the mean time, I may try adding a short piece of flexible ducting to see if the intake sound is reduced....which I'm kinda hoping for.

All in all, I would recommend this CAI to anyone looking for a quality CAI, but am a bit disappointed that a premium CAI has a few design flaws that result in such a poor fit, that it pretty much requires modification so the fit and finish matches the reputation. Once competed, IMO it looks fabulous! :D
 
#7 ·
Only because you have spaced reserved,

QUITE BLAMING MADDOG FOR YOUR MODS WE ALL KNOW YOU LIKE THEM AND ARE JST SHIFTING THE BLAME!!!! :D

ill stay tuned for finished update :)
 
#8 ·
Update Complete! :smileup:

Blame MADDOG....Oh No! I made that completely clear in my 'Opening Statement'..... LOL

Truth be know, I need to thank him for point me (and whole lot of others) in the right direction.....but don't tell him....we need to keep him humble. :D
 
#9 ·
This is great Brad. Thank you for:
1) Taking the time to do such a thorough job of writing it up and including pics,
2) Making it a humorous read as always and
3) Keeping me from having to take pics and writing a description when I put mine in (much easier to just give people a link to your thread).
 
#17 ·
.... (much easier to just give people a link to your thread).
I need to figure out how to charge for this to help pay for my addiction. :D

Well done Brad. Great read and it is nice to see somebody take some serious pride in what they are doing.
Thank You! I'm really not that fussy. As long as it's perfect...I'm happy. :)

Nice job Brad. I really didn't have any problems with mine, but it looks like you sorted yours out.
Your is 3rd gen....which apparently they got right. It's us 4th gen owners that have to contend with a bit of 'Close Enough' attitude. :smiledown:

What Brad, your engine cover is not painted yet. :Wow1: .......
Isn't necessary.....I Ordered it in Black to match the truck. :gy: They gave me a great deal....only an extra $125. ;)
 
#10 ·
Well done Brad. Great read and it is nice to see somebody take some serious pride in what they are doing.
 
#12 ·
What Brad, your engine cover is not painted yet. :Wow1: Well an excellent write-up like that and all the agrevation you went through to get it installed properly deserves a healthy amount of Rep points. However, the system won't let me "something about spreading them around" :LOL:
You should seriously give Volant a call and ask if you can join their design team. :smileup: Well done, keep these great DIY Mod instructions coming. :smileup:
 
#13 ·
I had the same problem with the Volant not matching up to the opening in the fender well. What a horrible design flaw for something as expensive as it was.
 
#18 ·
Yup....I was less then impressed. IMO, a premium product should pay attention to the fit and finish details, as well as the performance aspect.

Very well done. Thanks for the pics and the patience to post them here for us. A thread like this make me think about buying a CAI instantly, lol. Very shortly everybody going to start to blame you instead Maddog for craving to do MODS.:rep:
Well....if they do that, I'll make sure the blame falls in the right lap. :LOL:

Nice job Brad. I can't agree with you more about the poor R&D Volant did here but what do you expect from a company that couldn"t even get their name right side up on their own product lol. By the way don't even bother emailing volant with your thoughts/opinions, you won't get any answer! I am working on a ram air duct for mine now and will post up pics once I get it just right. cause I will not give volant ANY more of my money
Even so, I think I will write them anyway. If they choose to ignore this....well....that will be 'Their' business decision. I will include a link to this thread, as there are a few posts that support my disappointment. :4-dontknow:

......
:wow: i think that ship set sail a while ago :gy:
OUCH!!! :LOL:
 
#14 ·
Very well done. Thanks for the pics and the patience to post them here for us. A thread like this make me think about buying a CAI instantly, lol. Very shortly everybody going to start to blame you instead Maddog for craving to do MODS.:rep:
 
#15 ·
Nice job Brad. I can't agree with you more about the poor R&D Volant did here but what do you expect from a company that couldn"t even get their name right side up on their own product lol. By the way don't even bother emailing volant with your thoughts/opinions, you won't get any answer! I am working on a ram air duct for mine now and will post up pics once I get it just right. cause I will not give volant ANY more of my money
 
#19 ·
Really nice install, and great post. Thanks for sharing the experience. A quick question if you'll indulge a novice question (and one I could probably get an answer to in search I'm admittedly too impatient to perform): What swayed you to the Volant CAI over others available on the market? No judgment from me as I am wholly unfamiliar with all of them - just curious to know as I contemplate one.

Thanks!
 
#22 ·
......What swayed you to the Volant CAI over others available on the market? .......
In no specific order -
-The look
-Sealed box with ducting for 'true' cold air intake
-Reputation

the company donaldson that makes that filter actually is in the same town i am in. I knew a buddy that worked for them. They make a bunch of filters also, not just automotive. its pretty cool. Nice mod. what u plan on doing next?
Next item on the docket is the ??????? ???????? ????, which should arrive this week. :D

I thought it was easy to put Dustin's Volant in my truck...maybe he did all that craziness already!

MAD PROPS for the tailgate seal idea! That is exactly what I was going to use on mine!
I'm very pleased with how the tailgate seal worked...and looks. I achieved both a positive seal and the finish looks....'Factory'. :) Even if the air box sat down the additional 3/4" needed to properly fit the OEM seal, the final finish would not have been as nice. The Dodge OEM duct has a great fit and finish to it, so I would have expected a premium unit to at least equal that. :4-dontknow:
 
#20 ·
the company donaldson that makes that filter actually is in the same town i am in. I knew a buddy that worked for them. They make a bunch of filters also, not just automotive. its pretty cool. Nice mod. what u plan on doing next?
 
#23 ·
Tried to put mine in Sunday evening and had the same problem Brad. No extra hole for a proper fit. It was too late to tackle it then but it looks like I will need to drill the extra hole like you did. Agree this is second rate quality for such a high dollar part.
 
#25 ·
What a quality "How To" Brad.. I hope to be able to help people out just as you do someday!
 
#28 ·
Fabulous write up and photography. I like your writing style and never say die attitude. Thanks for taking the time to document your adventure Volant owes you some serious R&D royalty bucks! I'm off to follow your other mod links in your sig. Anxious to see the Fastman TB mod and results. I'd give you REPS if I had any REP Power. I owe ya!:smiley_thumbs_up:
 
#29 ·
Thanks Tenn4Hemi. Might be a while before I install the TB. It arrived right in front of winter, so I will likely wait till spring. With the roads the way they are, I sure don't need any additional HP, and would not find any road sticky enough to 'test' the results. LOL
 
#32 ·
I've installed many different CAI in other vehicles, and all have a bit of tweaking to do if your as OCD as I am about it being 'just so'. This one took more then average, and although I think Volant needs to step up their game in the fitment department, I will recommend this product to anyone looking for a premium enclosed CAI. The final product looks great and works great.....but for people like me, it takes a fair bit of love to get it there. :)

Glad you enjoyed the writeup. I certainly enjoyed writing it, as writeups like this have been a huge benefit to me when doing mods. :smileup:
 
#33 ·
Just wanted to say Thank-You for this write up. It helped aid in the installation of my volant. Had I not read this a dozen times things may have been interesting. You would think installing a cold air intake would be simple but Volants lack of detail in some areas had me bending and twisting to get the rubber boots and clamps some what straight.
 
#34 ·
Brad- I know this post has been up forever but I just read it today. One more reason I find this forum so valuable... people spend the time and exert a bunch of effort to help their fellow Ram owners. Really nice write-up.
Thanks
 
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