Removing Air box baffler

[weezer]

Here's another air box question: I removed the air box baffler in search of better air flow and sound, but kept the stock air box using K&N. However, now I'm in search of something to replace it. Has anyone ever done this?
I know I need to either install a smaller filter/mesh to keep dirt from going into the intake plenum.
Is this any help with intake air flow? Probably not much, but it's free!?

Thanks, ALL
Weezer

[schussey]

i'm kinda confused as to what exactly your question is.....seems as though you already removed the baffle. Sorry maybe I'm just being dumb, can you restate?

-chris

[weezer]

Hi,

Maybe I'm confused as to what the part is called: it is the hollow "container" that is attached to the left (when looking at the engine bay) of the airbox cover just on top of the radiator. I took that off and left a rather large hole on that can suck in dirt into the intake. What is the purpose of that part?
Sound suppresant? or something else?
That is what I took off. By the way, I have an M44 engine ('97 TI)

Thanks again.

[hotdog19d]

Heres a link: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=189790

I found from here http://www.geocities.com/e36rulz/DIY.html

[schussey]

yes, you are talking about the right baffle. In the M44, it sits on the butom of the airbox tub. Taking this out gives a greater noise. There is also something like the baffle on top of the airbox. I took both of out mine

-chris

[weezer]

schussey,

what do you put in place of the baffle on top? A hole is left when the top one is taken out, right?

Thanks

[schussey]

the top baffle is on the inside of the airbox lid, NOT the outside. The one you are talking about that leaves a hole in the top of the airbox is the resonance chamber.

Do NOT remove this. It leaves a hole above the filter, which means dust and such can be sucked into your engine.

[weezer]

I Actually removed it and replaced it with a small filter. I was hoping that it would create a better sound, but not much.

[AlaskaBlue]

I removed the front of my air box, but kept the back portion to act as a heat shield. I also ran a duct from the fog light up to the K&N Panel filter. There is a difference in performance, and it makes a really nice sound when the air is sucked into the engine. This set up was inexpensive as well as effective.

[schussey]

wait, so you just cut your airbox in half?

[GDB]

wait, so you just cut your airbox in half?

sounds like it.

[AlaskaBlue]

I did not cut it in half I cut the lower portion's front section off so that I could run a tube from the front fog light to the bottom of the air filter. It is a lot better understood when it is seen. My friends didn't know what I mean't either until they saw it.

[ddiorio1313]

Schussey...I noticed you posted something on bimmerforum abut the foam inside your air box. It is baffle foam to deaden sound...Get it out of there, cuz mine just disintigrated and went up and melted on my Mass Air Sensor.. I guess that is what it is called. It screwed up my gas mileage and cost me a **** load to fix..... At least that is hat my mechanic said....

[weezer]

Well, after toying around with the airbox; debaffle, removing the rasonance chamber, using fx ram air filter, using K&N filter, etc, I finally broke down and remove the air box and use a cold air intake system I bought for less than $30.00. I drilled a hole on the aluminum piping to relocate the air temp sensor and used a high perf. engine filter for the air pump. I only covered the cone filter with a cheapo metal cover...........eventually I will buy a plastic/carbon fiber cover to insulate it from hot engine air.
I've attached some pics.........enjoy.........recommendations/suggestions are welcome.

Thanks,
Weezer

[schussey]

Schussey...I noticed you posted something on bimmerforum abut the foam inside your air box. It is baffle foam to deaden sound...Get it out of there, cuz mine just disintigrated and went up and melted on my Mass Air Sensor.. I guess that is what it is called. It screwed up my gas mileage and cost me a **** load to fix..... At least that is hat my mechanic said....

yea dude, I ripped that out when I did the mod to my airbox. It was totally dried out, basically crumbled when touched.

before:
http://images.snapfish.com/3426%3A96723232%7Ffp54%3Dot%3E232%3B%3D%3A5%3C%3D74%3B%3DXROQDF%3E23234%3C287%3B5%3A7ot1lsi

after:
http://images.snapfish.com/3426%3A96723232%7Ffp63%3Dot%3E232%3B%3D%3A5%3C%3D74%3B%3DXROQDF%3E23236%3C4%3B%3A8863ot1lsi

[robcarync]

random question...how do you actually get the baffle off...its been a while and i decided to actually check it out...but i cant really figure out how the baffle is attatched...

my car is also m42 schussey...so it seems like your baffle points to the right of the car...and mine points straight ahead towards the driver seat...

i read all the forums on bimmerforums on the topic and they just say push the tab in and pull...so i took a screw driver...pushed down on the circlular thing on the top...and pulled but it seems like the baffle is also attatched to something on the outside of the air box...

crazy!

[robcarync]

i think i figured it out ... when you are done...the cone thing is gone...and so is the funky thing on the outside...so you are left with a hole in the side of the box...in which the engine sucks air through? or is the outer piping thing suposed to reattatch to the airbox somehow?

i took the box out... and got the cone shaped thing out...and realized the other thing couldnt connect to the box without the cone because the hole in the box was too big...

i think that seems right...but it was hard at first because i was under the impression that only the cone was removed...and the thing on the outisde stayed there...

anyway...i guess...right now i have the circular hole in the side of my box...is that right or wrong...

[motorsport]

yea on the M42 it is properly de-baffled if there is a hole in the front of the air box.

[robcarync]

oh alright thanks a lot! i drove it for a bit and noticed the engine was louder...but i was riding around hoping my engine doesnt blow up cause i didnt know if i was supposed to have a hole there or if the other thing was necessary to keep the engine from blowing up!

and this doesnt do anything bad to the engine correct?

[robcarync]

another question on debaffling an m44 on my friends car

opened up the air box and took the top and bottom baffle out that had all that foam around it. no problem...vaccumed the foam out and no more baffle or foam.

now i get to the question!

i see this intake has the tube that goes over the radiator and has the weird shaped plastic piece on the passenger side that sucks the air from behind the grill it looks like.

in my car (m42)...the box was properly debaffled when there was just a hole in the airbox...and the engine sucked the air striaght out of the hole in the air box.

do i do the same on his car? do i disconnect the box from the tube running over the radiator? so the air is sucked directly out of the hole in the airbox? or do i just take the cone thing out from the inside and leave the air flowing through the tube over the radiator?

currently the inside baffles are out but i left the box connected to the tube because i didnt know what to do with it.

im assuming i would disconnect the box but i didnt want to do something to my friends car if i wasnt sure.

[chepas]

another question on debaffling an m44 on my friends car

opened up the air box and took the top and bottom baffle out that had all that foam around it. no problem...vaccumed the foam out and no more baffle or foam.

now i get to the question!

i see this intake has the tube that goes over the radiator and has the weird shaped plastic piece on the passenger side that sucks the air from behind the grill it looks like.

in my car (m42)...the box was properly debaffled when there was just a hole in the airbox...and the engine sucked the air striaght out of the hole in the air box.

do i do the same on his car? do i disconnect the box from the tube running over the radiator? so the air is sucked directly out of the hole in the airbox? or do i just take the cone thing out from the inside and leave the air flowing through the tube over the radiator?

currently the inside baffles are out but i left the box connected to the tube because i didnt know what to do with it.

im assuming i would disconnect the box but i didnt want to do something to my friends car if i wasnt sure.


I'll say leave it conected, that whole tube is to suck cold air coming from the front of the car, but if you remove/disconect it the air will come from everywhere underneath the hood, HOT air (someone correct me if I'm wrong) it should be Cold Air, and is why is called CAI (Cold Air Intake) for better performing,,,,no??

[robcarync]

yeah that is what i figured because i knew it was sucking cold air...but removing the inner baffle in his car didnt really do anything at all to the sound/performance...(what little performance there is, but hey its free)

so i wasnt sure if i was suposed to disconnect the airbox from the tube to make it so it gets the air through the hole like it is in my car...

my car had the snorkel that went straight out and got cooler air from the front...but i removed it and the engine was louder and it seems to be slightly swifter (probably a mental thing where i imagine performance because i know something was done, but the engine definently sounds better)...

random question though...is it better to get cold air through the hose that is restricted...or better to get hot air from the bigger hole with no restriction and freer flowing?

quite a dilema!

[chepas]

yeah that is what i figured because i knew it was sucking cold air...but removing the inner baffle in his car didnt really do anything at all to the sound/performance...(what little performance there is, but hey its free)

so i wasnt sure if i was suposed to disconnect the airbox from the tube to make it so it gets the air through the hole like it is in my car...

my car had the snorkel that went straight out and got cooler air from the front...but i removed it and the engine was louder and it seems to be slightly swifter (probably a mental thing where i imagine performance because i know something was done, but the engine definently sounds better)...

random question though...is it better to get cold air through the hose that is restricted...or better to get hot air from the bigger hole with no restriction and freer flowing?

quite a dilema!


dilema dilema. or do both man, leave it and add an extra hole!!

and ran a hose from the brake duct: (I did it!!)
http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=4264


is little to much work since is not your car, but that's what i do in other cars, try stuff! hehe

[robcarync]

yeah im not sure what to do about my friends car...right now it just has the inner baffle removed and its all connected to the snorkel...i guess ill leave it...he was a little bummed that it didnt make his engine any louder like it did on mine...but id like to hear from schussey maybe since he has the m44 engine and did it on his.

as for the hose to the brake duct...i was thinking about that for my car...how does it work? any performance gain? is it about like a cold air intake? (logically thinking it seems like it would...only difference being that the actual filter is still in the air box...

[schussey]

i took out all that piping over the radiator, but when i find time i have plans to fog my airbox.

[robcarync]

alright thanks schussey that's what i thought should be done but i wanted some confirmation before i actually did it on my friends car

[schussey]

no problem dude

[Prada]

this is my
M42 original airbox:

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/260000-260999/260366_180_full.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/260000-260999/260366_177_full.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/260000-260999/260366_186_full.jpg

[Prada]

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/260000-260999/260366_187_full.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/260000-260999/260366_176_full.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/260000-260999/260366_174_full.jpg

[Prada]

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/260000-260999/260366_178_full.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/260000-260999/260366_179_full.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/260000-260999/260366_183_full.jpg

[Prada]

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/260000-260999/260366_185_full.jpg

[Boxbrownie]

I'll say leave it conected, that whole tube is to suck cold air coming from the front of the car, but if you remove/disconect it the air will come from everywhere underneath the hood, HOT air (someone correct me if I'm wrong) it should be Cold Air, and is why is called CAI (Cold Air Intake) for better performing,,,,no??

Correct, because cold air is denser than warm air so you get a greater "charge" of air into the cylinders, more air=more oxygen=better/cleaner burn=more power.

Best regards David

[Yellowducky]

Hey gang, I have a M42 and had made the mod to the airbox, except that I cut out the funnel shaped tube, leaving the connector to the intake that leads to the outside near the grill.

I use a K&N drop in replacement filter too. I have been using this setup for quite some time now and the initial reaction is pretty much the same as you guys. After 2 yrs, I am starting to feel the lack of power below 3000 rpm and felt that the stock setup has better gas milage and quicker response. Maybe I do need the airbox pressurized? This mod has gained top end on the expense of the bottom end. Since I had my baffle cut off, I have no choice but to source a new one to compare. Any thoughts??

[bullmand]

Here is some information that may be useful or interesting. On the M42 the intake path is directly into the front of the airbox from somewhere between the driver's side headlight and the driver's side kidney. On the M44, it comes from the same location on the passenger's side and through a hose that sits on top of the radiator. This seems really stupid and the general theory is that this was done to cut down on engine noise. For those of you who would like a slight increase in the amount of airflow(and possibly a decrease in air temps) and a don't mind a little more engine sound, I would recommend the M44/M42 dual intake mod seen here:

http://www.318ti.org/notebook/M44_dual_intake/index.html

This will maintain the factory look and position of all those other related intake bits. I did this to mine about 4 years ago and it's been great. I also took out the foam liner. This mod is really on useful to M44 owners. I don't think it would be worth the cost and effort to add the parts from the M44 to the M42. I may still have the part number for the M42 intake cone at home if anyone wants it.
David Bullman