A Dummy’s Guide to the AEM Cold Air Intake

AEM is an auto parts company that has been in existence for almost 20 years. Their products range from engine management systems or EMS, all the way to water and methanol injection kits. They claim that their products are “engineered to outperform” and perhaps there is no better testament to this fact other than the AEM cold air intake. The company has been manufacturing and mastering cold air induction systems for cars ever since they pioneered the device back in 1994. It looks like all their work has paid off with this revolutionary device.

The cold air intake or induction system functions by relocating the filter which used to be located inside the engine compartment. Because the filter is now outside, the air inlet temperatures inside become much cooler. And because of the fact that more oxygen is carried by cool air, the blast in the combustion chamber becomes more intense. This results in more torque and horsepower for the vehicle.

And that’s not all for the induction system. In fact, that’s only a fraction of the actual power equation. The diameter and length of the inlet pipe are also tuned in order to better fit the resonance of the engine. As a result, larger power gains are delivered because more air is moved to the cylinders. In the creation of their cold air intake system, AEM has also tightly monitored OBDII sensors and other relevant factors to ensure that no problems are encountered regarding the engine.

In fact, AEM is so confident in the excellent construction standards of their cold air induction system that they guarantee that their mechanism will either last as long as or even outlast the life of one’s vehicle. Aside from a lifetime warranty (subject to terms and conditions), all of the company’s cold air inductions systems come with a synthetic DRYFLOW air filter.

Getting Started

Most car tuners usually enjoy installing auto parts themselves. They feel that this process is part and parcel of the joy which is brought about by this hobby. Although it may seem like a herculean task, installing the AEM cold air intake is actually quite simple once the basics are covered. It just needs some handiness skills, a lot of patience, and the passion for fashion.

The first step in the installation process requires users to get accustomed to the car’s engine bay. There should be a huge black box there that is connected to the intake manifold. This is what’s called the AEM air filter. By unscrewing anything that’s holding the filter in place, the user must remove the filter before unclamping the tube that connects the device to the intake manifold.

The next step involves the removal of the OEM air intake. Before actually removing the intake from the engine, users should be sure that they have already disconnected all of the wires that are hooked up to the engine. For a majority of sports cars, a plug is present that connects the OEM air intake to the engine’s intake manifold. This too should be unplugged. After all of the wires are unplugged, the user can then remove the entire air box while also taking out any of its additional pieces that may have been left in the engine bay.

Inside the AEM cold air induction system’s box one should find some screws, a few hoses, a couple of clamps, the intake tubing, and the air filter itself. Because of the fact that the air intake will be positioned outside the engine bay, it would be easier to install it first.

Installing the Air Intake

It’s now time to begin with the actual installation of the air filter. The first step is to take the air intake’s tube and run it through the wheel well’s hole. The end of the tube should then be plugged to AEM air filter in such a way that the filter fits inside the engine bay. For some cars, users might have to remove the wheel well’s mud guard or even the front bumper to accommodate the filter tube. Once the air filter is connected securely to the AEM intake tube, the bumper or the mud guard can then be reinstalled.

The next step is to hook the tube of the AEM intake to the engine’s intake manifold. One of the clamps can be used to connect the tubes. Now take the hose that was included in the box and connect one end to the intake manifold. The other end should then be connected to intake tube’s inlet. This second inlet should be located in the OEM intake, just beside the inlet that connects to the engine’s intake manifold.

The last step is to reset the engine’s ECU by disconnecting the car’s battery for around 5 minutes. Once the battery is reconnected the car will be able to recognize the new AEM cold air intake installed and adjust its fuel ratio accordingly.