I thought I was finished with mods for the year, until word of the
Safari Snorkel becoming available for the FJ reached my ears ...er, .. eyes.
Tacozilla is a forum sponsor and all around good guy. While ordering the snorkel from him I got a bit impulsive and ordered the
TRD Cold air intake and the
TRD Exhaust. They were shipped very quickly and I was ready for mod heaven
Any one of these installs alone was relatively easy. All three at the same time might leave you a bit thirsty
I happened to be coming down with something, so when I started at 8:00 pm one night, by the time I finished I was just a shell of a man. I went right to work the next day and ended up being awake for 38 hours straight before I finally got some sleep.
The Cold Air Intake install was pretty straight forward. You just follow the well laid out instructions. I took my time and enjoyed the time spent with the truck.
The snorkel was just as easy. The directions make it all a piece of cake.
Of course I ran into some problems (as usually happens with a project at some point)
Problem one. I bought the wrong size arbor for my 4" hole saw
. At 11:30 at night I discovered this. ...but being an old sheet metal worker from way back, I just drilled a hole and got my Aviator snips out (reds) and cut the circle by hand. I don't even think the fender is 18 gauge. It felt like 20 or maybe even 22 gauge. It was easy to do.
Problem Two:
The connection between the CAI and the snorkel should have been easier than I made it. I started out with a plan gone bad. The reason is; there is simply not enough space between the ARB connection hose and the CAI inlet to do very much fancy stuff.
What I ended up doing is:
I still used the full length of the ARB connector tube.
I still used the rubber seal for the CAI that you put around the CAI box inlet opening.
I ran the ARB connector tube straigh
inside of the CAI box. It is a pretty good fit, but not completely air tight and certainly not water tight.
I tried a few different things with gasketing, window glazing tape, glazing rubber, door seals, etc etc.
What I ended up deciding is that the only way I can know for sure it will be air and water tight is to go back to basics. Caulk. Silicone.
I grabbed some black silicone and went around the perimter of the ARB inlet tube. It is a complete seal. It should expand and contract with the cold weather here in Chicago and it should not have to be replaced for 10 years, but I will inspect it annually just in case.
The exhaust was EASY. Buy the right tool folks, or you're going to be wrestling with the hangers way more than you need to. Both Craftsman and Snap On make what is called an Exhaust Hanger Removal Tool. You might need to order it. I had one of the guys in the shop make me one from an adjustable clamp. With it the exhaust hangers pop right out of the rubber hangers holding them.
Here is the Snap On version
YA3202, Pliers, Exhaust Hanger Removal
I have 45,000 miles on my FJ, so some of the bolts were fairly rusty. You need a bit of leverage to get the bolts off if that is the case. For the second time my hi-lift jack handle has saved my skin. It is the perfect size to slip over your socket wrench handle to use for leverage.
I did end up rounding off the head of one of the bolts behind the muffler so I just grabbed the sawzall and cut it about 6 inches back of the connection.
Both old pieces came right out (no need for ramps or extra height) and the new one bolted right in place. I don't have any pictures of the entire thing (maybe today) as I was dead dog tired by this time.
My truck is breathing so nice now. I love the sound (Exhaust + CAI) and the whole truck seems to "glide" for lack of a better word. ...it's almost as if it felt bogged down, or had a sinus infection before. Now it just seems to be burden free due to the better flow of air.
Merry Christmas to me. I think I'm done with mods for this year. ....again
