The Frigid Airbox

[Jack B]

The air box in the pics below is insulated as follows:

1. Top and bottom wrapped with a single layer of 1-1/2" wide DEI foil tape.

2. Top and bottom wrapped with a single layer of the DEI 3/16" thick tunnel wrap over the foil tape.

3. The seams (two pieces of wrap) were caulked with the high temp red silicone and then covered with the foil tape

4. The bottom has one additional layer of the tunnel wrap.

5. The external portion of the IAT is protected by an external box that has one layer of tunnel wrap.

6. The airbox nipple for the factory valve cover vent line is closed off with a heat shrink cap. The oem breather line now goes to a catch can. This may be part of the reason the IAT temp climbs dramatically when the car is shut down, the valve cover vent line enters the air box very close to the IAT sensor.

The cold air plate under the airbox is the next step, then, retesting with the thermocouples to see if anything has been achieved


1678

[Newport Viper]

Oh when you said frigid airbox I thought you meant my home town of Cleveland...

[Steve M]

Curious to see the results.

[ViperSmith]

Oh when you said frigid airbox I thought you meant my home town of Cleveland...

I thought it was a joke about being married

:witless:

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jk jack i am excited to see your results

[nastygts]

Great Research. Also curious on the results.

[Nine Ball]

Nice work, I can tell you spent some time on that. Space Shuttle parts for your Viper.

Good point on the PCV hose, that has to be another source of unwanted heat inside the airbox.

[SilveRT8]

Is the Gen5 airbox the same as the Gen4 ?
I have an extra Gen4 box that I could use for this

[Jack B]

That hose enters the airbox between the filter and throttle bodies. On paper it would seem that at idle it would affect the IAT, at least till the car started moving, at that point the outside air would start to cool the IAT.
.


Nice work, I can tell you spent some time on that. Space Shuttle parts for your Viper.

Good point on the PCV hose, that has to be another source of unwanted heat inside the airbox.

[TrackAire]

That hose enters the airbox between the filter and throttle bodies. On paper it would seem that at idle it would affect the IAT, at least till the car started moving, at that point the outside air would start to cool the IAT.
.

I may be wrong here, but when researching catch cans and how the combustion gases from each cylinder bank escapes, the drivers side valve cover actually sucks air into the motor and comes out the passenger side PCV valve due to the vacuum from the manifold (on a Gen 4 at least). Ever notice nobody any oil on the inside of their airbox on the clean air side of the air filter? Even at full RPM's, I don't think there is enough vacuum to pull anything into the air box....not even a venturi effect. But, once past the throttle bodies, there is huge vacuum in the manifold when the throttle bodies shut or are barely open.

So, if you delete the PVC system and go to a open vented catch can, then yes, close off the passenger side valve tube since you're not getting air circulating from one side of the engine to the other under vacuum and may get some heat/fumes into the air box.

On forced injection cars, my above statements may or may not be correct....it depends on the system, boost, etc.

Look forward to seeing the results of your air box.

George

[ACRucrazy]

Good stuff. Love seeing people try new things.

[Jack B]

I think you are right, however, at this point we are not worried about WOT steady state operation or vacuum pulling in oil, we are trying to solve the problem of the IAT shooting up when you turn the car off. When you start the car after a shut down, the initially high IAT seems to create a problem at the dragstrip or on a dyno. When you shut the car off that vent tube is an open portal to the hot engine gases. The transfer of heat is always from hot to cold, therefore, if you have an IAT sensor at 80 deg F and hot engine gases at over 200 deg F, there has to be some heat transfer. There is only about 5" from the IAT sensors to the point in the box where the vent tube enters.

When I put the thermocouples on the intake I did not see that tube or I would have measured the temps. I will measure what happens when I put the airbox back on.


I may be wrong here, but when researching catch cans and how the combustion gases from each cylinder bank escapes, the drivers side valve cover actually sucks air into the motor and comes out the passenger side PCV valve due to the vacuum from the manifold (on a Gen 4 at least). Ever notice nobody any oil on the inside of their airbox on the clean air side of the air filter? Even at full RPM's, I don't think there is enough vacuum to pull anything into the air box....not even a venturi effect. But, once past the throttle bodies, there is huge vacuum in the manifold when the throttle bodies shut or are barely open.

So, if you delete the PVC system and go to a open vented catch can, then yes, close off the passenger side valve tube since you're not getting air circulating from one side of the engine to the other under vacuum and may get some heat/fumes into the air box.

On forced injection cars, my above statements may or may not be correct....it depends on the system, boost, etc.

Look forward to seeing the results of your air box.

George

[Viper.954]

The cold air plate under the airbox is the next step, then, retesting with the thermocouples to see if anything has been achieved


1678

I've been talking to you on the other forum. Did you accually install an electric cooling plate in an attempt to cool the incoming air? I was messing with my car today. I couldn't believe how hot to the touch the airbox was. While driving today the AIT hovered between 104-127 degrees. The computer has to be pulling out timing at those temps. Did you use the original air filter element?

[mblgjr]

Would love to know of this showed a sustained drop in running IAT differential and heat soak improvement.

Thanks!

[Jack B]

The plate that is referred to is an air deflector below the the airbox. It is basically a thin piece of sheet aluminum that is an inch below the airbox, it fastens at the base of the radiator and run upward to the lower cross member. One of my posts has a picture of the plate.



I've been talking to you on the other forum. Did you accually install an electric cooling plate in an attempt to cool the incoming air? I was messing with my car today. I couldn't believe how hot to the touch the airbox was. While driving today the AIT hovered between 104-127 degrees. The computer has to be pulling out timing at those temps. Did you use the original air filter element?

[Viper.954]

The plate that is referred to is an air deflector below the the airbox. It is basically a thin piece of sheet aluminum that is an inch below the airbox, it fastens at the base of the radiator and run upward to the lower cross member. One of my posts has a picture of the plate.

I found the other thread. Thanks again for the info. This forum seems better than the Alley.

[BlknBlu]

It looks pretty good (as good as it can with the wrapping), but my questions is. it will also trap heat as much as it traps cool temps correct?

Bruce

[swexlin]

Oh when you said frigid airbox I thought you meant my home town of Cleveland...

I thought of one of my ex-girlfriends.....

[Jack B]

Without the plate, forced hot air is always blowing on the box.

Heat always transfers hot to cold, therefore, the plate is almost unidirectional.




It looks pretty good (as good as it can with the wrapping), but my questions is. it will also trap heat as much as it traps cool temps correct?

Bruce

[Viper.954]

I've been reading about the DEI tape. Is there a reason you didn't get the gold tape? It's advertised as better. Secondly, did you put any tape on the bottom of the deflector?

[Jack B]

Bottom of air box has the insulating tape, tape on the deflector would be of little value.since it is not a closed vessel. The plate is more to redirect the hot air flow.


I've been reading about the DEI tape. Is there a reason you didn't get the gold tape? It's advertised as better. Secondly, did you put any tape on the bottom of the deflector?