Do Not Buy Ebay Intakes!

[nightwalker]

I am an avid ebay shopper (who else isn't?) and saw an intake for our 240s for sale, really cheap. Paid total of $40 after shipping. I get it, put it on, and used my HKS filter instead of the cheapo filter they include. I drove the car around and thought to myself, it really seems as if my car is lower on power. How can that be? I really didn't think about it, and the car drove fine, plus it cleaned up the underhood a lot. That was about 3 weeks ago, and I haven't really driven the car hard.

Fast forward to today. Last night, went out with the boys for a little touge, and hopes of getting some slide practice. Dam, the car does not seem to want to power out of a turn. Have to really use the e-brake. Looking like ass in front of some friends. (really frustrated because the car felt "different") So after coming home last night, I could not sleep, and stayed up all night trying to figure it out. Somewhere in my madness, I recalled the intake. So I went and dug up my stock tube and studied it. I looked at the big opening right under the IACV fiting, and thought to myself, I don't need that, so I cut it, and hot glue it shut, nice and flush. Then I jumped on ebay, and studied the intakes they have for sale. Then I realized it. They don't use 3 inch piping. All the intakes use coupling reducers to go from a 3inch opening (throttle body, and filter) to a 2.5inch pipe. Every single intake I look at from all the different sellers uses the same thing. So, to confirm my hypothesis, I put the factory intake back on, and took it out. Right out of my street onto the main road, I was able to get the back end out. The car pulled so much more willingly in the upper RPMs, and the gas pedal was more firm. I couldn't get a chance to dyno the difference, but if someone wants to substantiate my claims, you can have this junk pipe, as long as you are willing to post the charts and give back to the 240 community.

I almost take the ebay intake and run it over. :axe:

here are the one's I'm talking about:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38634&item=2457385043

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38634&item=2457419609

BTW, this one doesn't even have the right bends! :squint:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38634&item=2457239454

note: if you are buying an ebay intake, make sure it is 3inches all around.

[holisticbeatz]

Yes, the stock intake functions more efficiently than most aftermarket ones.

[fastpace]

if you really want an intake you should make it yourself. that is what I did. I just went to home depot and got some plumbing tubes and measure what I need and made my own CAI. What I sugest you do is get a k&n filter, cut a 3 inch hole into your airbox and make a CAI that connects from your front bumper to your airbox and you will be set. I really liked mine, but recently took it off because of standing water on the freeway in houston last week (scared the hell out of me) and besides I can do without for a couple of months before I go turbo.

It is always more fun and gratifying to make or do things yourself then to just buying a product and putting it in.

[matlock]

I bought an Ebay intake, and I put a different filter on it, and it works quite well. I also have an S13.....I haven't had a problem with it and I noticed a power gain, and It also smoothed out my idle.....Mine is somewhat like the second one listed.

[twitchy]

2 things...whats the ICAV thinghy you mention and did you try and put an S14 intake onto an S13?? (ie what kind of 240 is it?) Cause i was lookin to get one- i got a decent one for my dads Civic Si for his birthday for cheap and its kickass all round. But I can get a K&N filtercharger kit (FIPK) for about $150CAD. Anyone go this route?! Aaaaah so many goodies to look at...its one of those things you should really spend some money on to get a good one.

[Advan]

My friend didn't buy an intake off of Ebay, but he he bought Arospeed Rotors and Apex brake pads from them. Fom what the seller said, these were new rotors, so when he got them in, they weren't new at all. They were used and had a tarnish color to them. But now, after cleaning them up, they look like new. Now the brake pads came from Canada, a company called Apex...Not the actual Apex we all know, but a different Apex. He believed that these were the actual Apex brake pads since they were red. They're good pads I guess, since they have a slot in the middle. So overall....I won't be buying any type of performance parts/kits from Ebay, because I don't trust what those people say when they're selling items, even if they are reliable.

That sucks though I guess. $40 for shipping..dang.

[nightwalker]

The intake fit fine. Mine is a S13. But KA intakes are the same bends, just differences on where the vacuum plug ins are. The main flaw I found was that the intakes were not a big enough pipe. One other thing to consider, is that the metal sits next to the radiator and soaks up all that heat.

The only good intakes I've heard of are the Injen and AEM.(Though they are metal and sit next to the radiator as well) I had an Injen on my SOHC motor, and it worked great. heh, you get what you pay for.

[ryan hagen]

never had problem with my intake, the stock one is like s 2.5 by 2" triangle, i like mine, i notice power gain, maybe you didint hook up the idle air tube right???

[SilviaDriver]

wonderful butt dyno

[ryan hagen]

wonderful butt dyno
sorry all of us dont have a dyno next door, its a 3 1/2 hour trip to one in madison for me

[old_s13]

this is a stupid thread...

[Danio]

Maybe you should take your car with the stock intake setup back to where you looked like an ass in front of your friends, and see if the car performs any better. Actually, maybe you just weren't driving that well that night. Or maybe your tires were more grippy. Or maybe the road conditions changed. Or maybe your adrenaline level was different that night. For my car, Injen's intake alone made hardly any difference. O_o

[Heartwork]

first sign of a bad product: http://www.deltamodels.bigstep.com/EbayLogo.JPG

[nightwalker]

Sure it's hard to substantiate a claim with out print outs and hard facts. Nor am I an idiot when it comes to automotive install, maintenance, repair, etc. (How many of you rebuild your own engines, or do your own swaps?) I thought it might be helpfull to others to voice my findings. Take if for what you like, my car has more power and definitely pulls harder since I put back in the factory pipe. (Maybe some of you probably got a nice intake and I didn't, who knows) Just thought I'd share. That's all.

[AceInHole]

i thought the AEM intake also used a 2.5" pipe?? I'd have to wonder if a vacuum line was loose or leaking on the ebay pipe you had... shouldn't be that much of a difference from 2.7" to 2.5"

[old_s13]

"How many of you rebuild your own engines, or do your own swaps?"

Wow, skilled! Last I checked, I thought this was a knitting forum.. I didnt know there were "car enthusiasts" on here too! ;)

[nightwalker]

Actually this seems more like a "smart a$$" forum. :rolleyes:

[twitchy]

does a system exist that doesnt pipe the tube over top of the rad?!?

[ISTOTOSAO]

Actually this seems more like a "smart a$$" forum. :rolleyes:

Good call nightwalker.

[knightrider]

if you want a intake that doesnt go over the radiator, build your own, relocate your battery and put the filter where the battery once was, thats the only real way its possible to get a 3 inch pipe from the drivers side, to the pass side of the engine,

[black s13]

yup, i wanted a shorter intake, so i took a hax saw to my injen, now it just goes right up and over the radiator hose, and sits right where the battery used to be. im trying to make it go under the radiator hose, but i need to find a decently flexable coupling in order to make it work (TB points up, needs to go straight in order to go under hose)

[twitchy]

on the other hand maybe if Nissans highly paid engineers decided it should go over the rad we should leave it like that..I dunno

[knightrider]

ha, what do those guys know.

[misnomer]

Fuck, can there be ONE THREAD without the bickering? C'mon people. . .

Anyhow, back on topic. . . What else do you have on your engine needing a 3" pipe going in? For a stock setup with a 2-2.25 or so inch tailpipe, a 2.5" pipe going in should be more than enough by my figuring.

[nokeone]

maybe the MAF adapter was shaped slightly different and didn't allow for proper air flow..

and just cause nissan factory did something by no means makes it the perfect way...they factor in many things aside from performance...think about it for 2 secs and i'm sure you'll see what i'm talking about...

[HiPSI]

first sign of a bad product: http://www.deltamodels.bigstep.com/EbayLogo.JPG


there IS a difference in buying good stuff cheap on ebay and buying cheap stuff cheap on ebay ;)

nothing wrong with ebay, just have to know what you're getting into before hand.

[dct223]

HRm.. yea i thought all aftermarket intakes for 240's were 2.5"... Anyways i didnt wanna pay 100+ for a AEM intake so i went with a cheap ebay intake, bomz to be exact... and i noticed small power gains with it... with the higher RMS. I know for a fact i did not lose any power with it. My motor had a disticnt louder roar to it on the high RPMS... I have no problem losing grip off the turn to slide out on a turn... LSD sure does help when that happens =D Anyways... My guess ur human error on install... or a ya like other people said a lose vacuum hose or even lose coupling.

BTW this thread is fruitless

[Ghettokracker71]

I hope this one works well...otherwise I'm out on $$ :(

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2454531990

[Grant]

well just to inform you guys. when u install intake/pulley, stuff like that, you lose a lil low end..... but do gain in the highs..

and also. the AEM intake uses 2.5" piping and did just as well as the injen in numbers. your throttle body is only 60mm so it should not matter that much.

[Ghettokracker71]

well just to inform you guys. when u install intake/pulley, stuff like that, you lose a lil low end..... but do gain in the highs..

and also. the AEM intake uses 2.5" piping and did just as well as the injen in numbers. your throttle body is only 60mm so it should not matter that much.
So long as I get some HP in the upper ranges!!!:)

[matlock]

on the other hand maybe if Nissans highly paid engineers decided it should go over the rad we should leave it like that..I dunno
Nissan probably makes it go over the radiator since the battery is in the way, to my knowledge all the intakes that don't go over the radiator require battery relocation. Maybe I am wrong, thats why I said to my knowledge because i don't want to misinform anyone.

[nokeone]

you are correct...^^^

[Advan]

well just to inform you guys. when u install intake/pulley, stuff like that, you lose a lil low end..... but do gain in the highs.. I was gonna ask how do you get back that low end power, but I did my search on it and now know.

[Ghettokracker71]

mine eBay CAI supposedly goes over the rad...it comes in tomorrow according to my UPS tracking #

EDIT:Whoops wrong usage...mein intake! lmao sorry ...turning german on y'all asses

[Ghettokracker71]

I was gonna ask how do you get back that low end power, but I did my search on it and now know.
J/W...what exactly did you search FOR? I want to know...lol

[Advan]

I did a search in here and typed in "low end power," went to one of the threads(can't remember title), and basically read the whole thing about butterflies and such.

[Ghettokracker71]

I did a search in here and typed in "low end power," went to one of the threads(can't remember title), and basically read the whole thing about butterflies and such.
I just did that and read conflicting reports....I don't know what to believe! 240sx.org says gain in HP...some guys on here says its crap...others say defefinite gain but shit-ass idle....AHHH

[Advan]

hahaha, I see. Well I just thought that before I post the question, and get flamed for it, it may have been best if I looked it up first, then if I couldn't find it, then I'd ask ya. btw, One day me and my mom, were in the car driving pass the grocery store, and saw KA fastback...automatic(i know i know)for a cheap price of $1650. Usually they range around $2000. I may end up buying it, we will see.

[Ghettokracker71]

Okay...I got mine in today,and went to put it on....the little tube that goes into the top of the stock airbox is too short...so I gotta goto an autoparts store and get a longer one....stock one is shot anyway,...my question is...all the other stock tubes fit except this damn big ass hose from my radiator....what is this? Do I need it??? CAN I BLOCK IT INSTEAD? for now I am just using the MAF adapter and filter until I know if I can block that hose or not...

BTW:I already have a stock cold air port...theres a tube coming into my stock airbox coming from the place that everybody cuts a hole to run a cold air tube into the engine...it even is stamped "nissan" and is the stock ugly black color

[dct223]

I just did that and read conflicting reports....I don't know what to believe! 240sx.org says gain in HP...some guys on here says its crap...others say defefinite gain but shit-ass idle....AHHH


lol maybe thats y my idle is a little more rough... this weekend ill go back to stock see if that helps my idle...

[nightwalker]

a big hose from your radidator? you sure? be more specific

[misnomer]

Idle may also be rough because of a vacuum leak- make sure all dem little hoses are connected (or capped off)