Okay spikyC and myself installed our Ractive intakes. All we got were the polished aluminum ones so I had them powder coated in red. The guy at the shop picked one of the most common ones and after it was done, it matched the tower bar. Lucky I guess. The red colour was called Fire Engine Red and I think it came out much better than if I had painted it myself with a spray can, plus it can take some heat. Anyway, we installed it on Cam's blue P5 first and figured out where everything goes then did mine. Found out that there are two different sizes of the rubber connectors. What?s up with the kits not having any instructions, hmmmm? Figured out that the bracket needed cutting as well as bending. We used neuromancer pictures that he posted as a guide. Thanks Jay.

Here is mine installed





And here is Cam?s installed




I have been getting a rattling sound going from 1st to 2nd so I checked the intake and everything is clear. I may have to do some adjustment but I really think the red colour adds to the engine compartment.

 

Cool guys!! Well, I didn't want to wait to get mine painted, so we put mine in last night.

Went to my uncles place, and after cutting, bending and installing the bracket he was like - 'that bracket's not gonna hold. I'll make you a new one'

He happened to have a thick piece of aluminum so we fashioned it to fit onto the 2 holes on the MAF sensor and it goes down to the batterpost bolt. Now I have a bracket on either side and it's SOLID. Definitly not gonna rub against the brake cylinder, but it flexes enough that it moves with the engine.

DAMN does it sound and feel good! I noticed a difference immediately. It was like night and day.

I'll try to take some pics and post what the new bracket looks like. It's not pretty, but it works.

 

The noise you are getting is the rear intake elbow just touching the brake master cylinder on acceleration. I've got an ASMI intake that is basically the same intake as the Ractive but with a slightly different cone filter. You have to make sure that the rear elbow is fully seated into the connector at the throttle body and you might have to make a stronger bracket to hold it up.

 

I don't think so as I checked and there are no marks on the pipe. I think it may be the filter touching the old bracket, you know, the bracket that holds the overflow bottle. I am going to take the whole thing apart and check it out.

I also had the engine running and reved it while looking to see how far the intake moves and nothing touches. I'll find out as it bugs me.

 

Looks really good guys. It does make a big difference.

Lata
Shane

 

You're probably right about the reservoir bottle! When we dry fitted mine the first time the filter was rattling against the reservoir bottle. A quick turn of the pipe solved that one!

Damn that aluminum scratches easy!! I accidentally scraped a piece of metal across the pipe and it left a little mark and there was NO pressure at all!! Grrrrr....

Now I really gotta clean my engine bay... I have this nice clean intake and everything else is on it's way to filthy. Chris, what was that stuff you were talking about to use on engines? Where did you get it from?

 

Jason it is called Simply Green. It is available lots of places like Canadian Tire, Superstore etc.

Also, I just picked up a new product called Grease Magnet by CLR, you know the same people who make the stuff that gets rid of hard water stains. It is supposed to be used mainly for getting rid of oil stains on driveways etc., but it also can be used to clean grease off of parts such as bar-b-que grills. My son used it to clean a valve cover this weekend and it sure works.

Speaking of valve covers, can you check your manual and let me know what is the torque for the valve cover bolts. I checked mine and while they were not loose, I could tighten them some more. Thanks.

 

Chris! Thanks - i'll have to pick some up.

I went out on my lunch hour and checked the torque on the valve cover bolts -
don't know what your wrench measures in so i'll give you all 3 -

6.9 - 9.8 nM
60.8 - 86.7 lbF
70 - 100 Kgf

when tightening - start at the top left corner bolt (closest to passenger door) and work your way clockwise finishing at the bolt in the very center. (imagine a spiral)

when loosening, work in the opposite direction - starting at the center bolt and going counterclockwise to the last bolt

 

Hey, no problem.

Hmmm, that's interesting, I always diagionally jumped back and forth across the cover or so I was taught by a mechanic. I guess that is what Mazda had in the manual, right?

By the way, did you catch my post in the exterior/interior section where I want to paint the cap in the centrer of the rim? Whatca think?

 

Yeah - I wondered about that too, but thats what the diagram showed in the book!

As for the emblems, I think that'd look pretty sharp!

 

Chris,

My intake was really rattling today, so i bent the bracket back a bit and it stopped..... for a while..... then about half an hour later it was rattling again.....

It is either hitting the bottle or the bracket.... or both... i think we are going to have to do what Jason did and brace it from the other side aswell... that braket that it came with is just too flimsy and doesn't stay in place...

Cam

 

Cam

I was thinking of the same thing however I may make a piece that wraps under and goes to the same spot on the engine. I have some stainless steel sheet at work and I may get a chance to work on it tomorrow.

 

Jason, I painted one of them tonight. I'll see how it looks after I take off the masking. I'll post it on the thread I started in the Interior/Exterior.

 

That bracket is cheap as *** - it does not hold the weight of the pipes and the cone at all!! Before we put on the new bracket it was totally sagging on its own. Left to it's own devices it would have bent enough to be rattling after just my trip home...

Coupled with the new bracket on the other side, the pipe isn't going anywhere! Haven't heard one rattle yet and I've been rocking the engine in stop and go traffic and everything trying to shake it loose.

 

how mych you guys pay for those intakes?? I am thinking abotu getting one and have one place saying I can get it for $120... oh and can you notice a difference once you put it in?? my buddy put an injen intake in his 240SXand said it is so sweett it purrs and he can notice hte power difference..

Brycer79