DIY Cowl Intake

[Wildman]

Superchargers and V8’s make this make way more sense.

Even if you've got a stock engine I can see the benefit in doing it. Either stay with a stock air box or if you have to ditch it then this is a better mod than any of the supposed CAI out there.
I had a 4 cyl originally and I'd added a York for onboard air so I had to lose the stock air box.

 

[Abendage]

Mine was no real good way to get cooler air into the engine. View attachment 622917

I have the same problem. Highlines and air conditioning means this is the only option for intake. Not that it’s a bad thing. I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather have it. IAT consistently 10-15 over ambient isn’t a bad thing.

 

[Rickyd]

@The Ghost of Jerry Bransford what do you think of stock intakes?

 

[Steel City 06]

I see a hydrolock in your future.

In my case, heavy rain (~4 inches an hour) had no issue. If the cowl floods it goes down the HVAC intake first before it ever gets in the snorkel.

 

[Lemmy]

Nice job and good video.

@Sam410 Can you comment on the ‘noise level’ of the intake. I hear this mod is something that will project intake noise to the cabin.

Just like the Jeep OEM part, the windstar airbox has a small drain-hole on the bottom of the canister. In your video it looks as if the airbox is installed with the drain hole pointing to the passenger side. Maybe, just maybe rotate the canister a little. Or did you plug it when you modified the canister?

 

[Rickyd]

Nice job and good video.

@Sam410 Can you comment on the ‘noise level’ of the intake. I hear this mod is something that will project intake noise to the cabin.

Just like the Jeep OEM part, the windstar airbox has a small drain-hole on the bottom of the canister. In your video it looks as if the airbox is installed with the drain hole pointing to the passenger side. Maybe, just maybe rotate the canister a little. Or did you plug it when you modified the canister?

It does indeed let you hear the inside of your motor. I don't find it obnoxious though.

 

[tworley]

Same comment as @Rickyd . My windstar intake has an obvious "whoosh" sound, nothing obnoxious and no one else appears to notice it.

 

[Wildman]

Nice job and good video.

@Sam410 Can you comment on the ‘noise level’ of the intake. I hear this mod is something that will project intake noise to the cabin.

Just like the Jeep OEM part, the windstar airbox has a small drain-hole on the bottom of the canister. In your video it looks as if the airbox is installed with the drain hole pointing to the passenger side. Maybe, just maybe rotate the canister a little. Or did you plug it when you modified the canister?

I guess I might be hearing my engine in other ways but I honestly don't hear much intake noise.

The GoPro is mounted on my windshield so you'd be getting pretty good idea of what it sounds like. And this is a 5.7 Hemi not a 4.0 BTW

 

[astjp2]

I dug out my ford air cleaner, it’s off a v8, bigger and my 05 firewall is not even close to flat, where people have been putting them on the older modes was flat across, my 05 has a large protrusion where the A/C box sits. So now it’s a question of what to do next…try to find a winstar v6 air filter or go with a different setup?

 

[jjvw]

I dug out my ford air cleaner, it’s off a v8, bigger and my 05 firewall is not even close to flat, where people have been putting them on the older modes was flat across, my 05 has a large protrusion where the A/C box sits. So now it’s a question of what to do next…try to find a winstar v6 air filter or go with a different setup?

The canister from the Econoline vans are larger than the Windstar canister.

When I rebuilt my intake after the supercharger last year, I grafted the larger Econoline snout onto the Windstar canister to help reduce the air flow restriction at the cowl.

 

[Steel City 06]

The canister from the Econoline vans are larger than the Windstar canister.
View attachment 623932
View attachment 623933
View attachment 623934

When I rebuilt my intake after the supercharger last year, I grafted the larger Econoline snout onto the Windstar canister to help reduce the air flow restriction at the cowl.
View attachment 623935

Pretty sure the Econoline filter box is the same as the 4.2L V6 Essex engine that Ford used in base model F150s. I used the Windstar version since it was smaller in diameter.

If so, there's also a super common mod called the "Gotts Mod" that basically accomplishes that.

 

[astjp2]

Pretty sure the Econoline filter box is the same as the 4.2L V6 Essex engine that Ford used in base model F150s. I used the Windstar version since it was smaller in diameter.

If so, there's also a super common mod called the "Gotts Mod" that basically accomplishes that.

It’s like a header, going big can cause an engine to lose power in the lower rpm, tube diameter is a direct correlation with pulse management and air temperature.

 

[Wildman]

It’s like a header, going big can cause an engine to lose power in the lower rpm, tube diameter is a direct correlation with pulse management and air temperature.

Are you saying the engine can intake more air than it can use? And that restricting the amount of air it can intake relates to low end performance?

 

[astjp2]

Are you saying the engine can intake more air than it can use? And that restricting the amount of air it can intake relates to low end performance?

No, but what a tunnel ram vs a short single premium intake can make a difference at what rpm an engine makes best power or torque. Longer and smaller is typically lower, larger diameter and shorter is higher rpm’s

 

[lBasket]

Are you saying the engine can intake more air than it can use? And that restricting the amount of air it can intake relates to low end performance?

OEMs use variable length intake runners due to something of this effect

 

[Wildman]

No, but what a tunnel ram vs a short single premium intake can make a difference at what rpm an engine makes best power or torque. Longer and smaller is typically lower, larger diameter and shorter is higher rpm’s

Yes I understand that but in this instance with these cowl intakes are you saying the size of the tubing makes a difference? That was how I was reading your reply.

OEMs use variable length intake runners due to something of this effect

Not the same as an air intake. The variable intake runners are part of the intake manifold AFTER the air intake

 

[lBasket]

Yes I understand that but in this instance with these cowl intakes are you saying the size of the tubing makes a difference? That was how I was reading your reply.



Not the same as an air intake. The variable intake runners are part of the intake manifold AFTER the air intake

Ah yeah I guess you're right. Not quite the same thing

 

[Steel City 06]

Tubing size absolutely makes a difference. Unfortunately the variables are so complex it takes a very involved CFD simulation to accurately predict what will happen when changing the length of the diameter of an intake.

My Windstar intake has one heck of a resonance at WOT and 2,200 to 2,500 RPM and also 4,400 to 5,000 or so RPM to a lesser degree. Fuel trims seem to go quite positive in these bands, so I probably inadvertently created some volumetric efficiency peaks there.

For a while I debated going large diameter on the entire intake, but have decided against it as those peaks I have are already at super convenient RPM bands for freeway use. While I couldn't say for sure without testing, I suspect going large might eliminate those two bands.

 

[Wildman]

Tubing size absolutely makes a difference. Unfortunately the variables are so complex it takes a very involved CFD simulation to accurately predict what will happen when changing the length of the diameter of an intake.

My Windstar intake has one heck of a resonance at WOT and 2,200 to 2,500 RPM and also 4,400 to 5,000 or so RPM to a lesser degree. Fuel trims seem to go quite positive in these bands, so I probably inadvertently created some volumetric efficiency peaks there.

For a while I debated going large diameter on the entire intake, but have decided against it as those peaks I have are already at super convenient RPM bands for freeway use. While I couldn't say for sure without testing, I suspect going large might eliminate those two bands.

I knew Jeep had done some crazy things with the intake tubing on the 2.5 but I always thought it was for noise abatement and that was it.

 

[astjp2]

Yes I understand that but in this instance with these cowl intakes are you saying the size of the tubing makes a difference? That was how I was reading your reply.



Not the same as an air intake. The variable intake runners are part of the intake manifold AFTER the air intake

Hilborn stacks are varied based on diameter and length, runs to rpm and temperature.