How-To-Guide (TRD CAI) Installation

[smbin]

I'm leaning fuse. I thought about the coincidental starter issue as well. I appreciate all the input. I'll report back when I know the issue.

 

[smbin]

Well, turns out it was an issue with the starter and an aftermarket alarm the dealer had installed as a lot theft deterrent. It just happened to act up the first time I tried to start the 4Runner after installing the CAI. Alarm is gone and all is good!

 

[sekurt]

Do these things actually do anything, apart from make noise? Like has anyone dyno'd a stock truck and then the same one equipped with one of these?

My experience has been this: I have a Safari snorkel and CAI. The Safari snorkel was installed when they were first available, 2017ish ITIR. My rig is heavy and sits at 6336 on the scale with a full tank. I averaged 13.8 with winter or summer blend fuel and mixed driving. I installed the CAI in summer 2018 and with all things being equal my average has been 14.3. So I conclude with my setup a slight increase in fuel economy. I should note that the stock exhaust is still in place.

 

[Wolfman’s Brother]

13.2 million 5th gen 4Runners on the road and not a single back-to-back dyno session testing the TRD intake.

We’ve got a better chance at seeing how the American flag window decals and raptor grill lights perform on a dyno than we do a gat dang intake.

What a country.

 

[david05111]

13.2 million 5th gen 4Runners on the road and not a single back-to-back dyno session testing the TRD intake.

We’ve got a better chance at seeing how the American flag window decals and raptor grill lights perform on a dyno than we do a gat dang intake.

What a country.

If someone sends me an intake, I'm happy to do it on my 2020. I'll find a way to get it on the dyno and get numbers

 

[TheWraith]

13.2 million 5th gen 4Runners on the road and not a single back-to-back dyno session testing the TRD intake.

We’ve got a better chance at seeing how the American flag window decals and raptor grill lights perform on a dyno than we do a gat dang intake.

What a country.

What you mean ???
I have Dyno results in my build thread ???

stock :

TRD CAI :

 

[mo_mo]

13.2 million 5th gen 4Runners on the road and not a single back-to-back dyno session testing the TRD intake.

We’ve got a better chance at seeing how the American flag window decals and raptor grill lights perform on a dyno than we do a gat dang intake.

What a country.

I've been disappointed by the dyno results posted by most, not just for CAIs, but other performance products too. There are many variables such as running open/closed loop, thermostat open/closed changes back pressure on water pump, transmission temps...
Multiple back to back runs after the vehicle has been run through a tank of gas to ensure closed loop trims have been adjusted, recording temps, trims, etc.

I did make some runs on the street using OBD2 data, which runs into some bandwidth / refresh rate limitations. It's linked in my signature "TRD CAI".

 

[TheWraith]

For those with issues like me ... Where the TRD coupler keeps popping off...

I replaced my TRD Intake coupler that always seem to pop itself off in the most inconvenient times. With an HPS silicone hump hose coupler.

HPS is the only one I can find with a 4.25" x 4" long hump coupler. I wished it was red but black will do. If anyone is interested The HPS part# HTSHC-425-L4-BLK

 

[Gecko]

Plenty of dynos if you searched

Gecko's 2019 Limited 4x4 Black/Redwood Thread (All Dynos In)

+13hp and 13 lb-ft of torque


My ~5k mile review: I'm a bit torn. The intake is loud, IMO. Under 2k RPM or so, you can barely hear it which is nice, but when you go above that, it really gets loud as hell.

My 2016 4Runner Limited 4x4 was:
100% stock powertrain - no intake, nothing
17" Sequoia wheels on BFG KO2s, C-rated
Average: 14.5MPG

My identical 2019 4Runner Limited 4x4 is:
TRD Intake, MAF Calibrator, Borla Exhaust (does nothing but sound)
17" sequoia wheels on Yoko Geolandar G015s, P-Rated
Average: 16.9MPG

I think that MPG difference is about split between the lighter tires and the intake. 2.4 MPG over a tank has been noticeable, and no, I didn't buy a 4Runner for MPG. Some days I think about uninstalling the intake because of noise, but again, the MPG difference with it has been noticeable.

 

[Gecko]

Also, when I floor it, there is still some awful rattle coming from the passenger side of the dash that sounds like a loose trim piece, but I can't narrow it down. This wasn't there before the intake... annoying. And I've double checked the fitment and tightness of everything I installed.

 

[jawkdna]

If you need a CARB stick for your TRD intake as most don't come with them...
Let me know I've got some of these on the way:

 

[Gecko]

So I ended up uninstalling my TRD CAI last week and would appreciate some feedback. I bought a 2019 Limited in September last year and shortly after, I bought and installed the TRD CAI myself. As soon as I took it out for a drive, there was a very loud and obtrusive rattle/vibration above ~4k RPM coming from the passenger side of the dash.

Since I installed the intake myself, I uninstalled it twice and tried to diagnose the rattle. Was something loose? Misaligned? Did I need to change some adjustment? Everything was extremely tight and I was pretty sure of my install work, so I just got used to the noise.

My 4R is a year old and 10k miles, so still under warranty, and I decided to bring it to the dealer to try to get them to diagnose the rattle. A master tech completely uninstalled the TRD CAI, reinstalled it, took it for a road test... still rattled/vibrated from the passenger side above ~4k RPM. They asked me to go back home and get my stock intake to use as a variable. Uninstalled the TRD CAI, reinstalled stock, no rattle. He re-installed the TRD CAI again and drove again... rattle/vibration was back. I left with the OEM intake installed.

The tech said that the OEM intake allows for a fair amount of flux and movement, whereas the TRD intake is very rigid. He said above 4k RPM, and especially when going WOT, the engine moves more in the bay and rubs the TRD Intake, causing the vibration to occur. Because the TRD CAI sits on the passenger side of the engine pay, it feels/sounds like the vibration is coming from the passenger side of the dash. The stock intake has more "give" so at higher RPM, it doesn't rub.

Has anyone had an issue like this with the TRD CAI? I'm decently technical, and installed/uninstalled/reinstalled it myself 3 times, the tech uninstalled it 2x and tested against the OEM intake... so I'm a little surprised that nobody else has had an issue like this? If I made a mistake with the install, I'd think a master tech could diagnose or fix it, and he had the same issues. I saw a nice jump in MPG with the TRD Intake, and the dynos showed ~13hp/lb-ft, so I'm not excited about having to take it off.

I will say, the stock intake is smoother and the noise is so much nicer, but it definitely kicks down slower and you can feel a slight reduction in oomph - not just the noise giving that impression.

 

[mo_mo]

So I ended up uninstalling my TRD CAI last week and would appreciate some feedback. I bought a 2019 Limited in September last year and shortly after, I bought and installed the TRD CAI myself. As soon as I took it out for a drive, there was a very loud and obtrusive rattle/vibration above ~4k RPM coming from the passenger side of the dash.

Since I installed the intake myself, I uninstalled it twice and tried to diagnose the rattle. Was something loose? Misaligned? Did I need to change some adjustment? Everything was extremely tight and I was pretty sure of my install work, so I just got used to the noise.

My 4R is a year old and 10k miles, so still under warranty, and I decided to bring it to the dealer to try to get them to diagnose the rattle. A master tech completely uninstalled the TRD CAI, reinstalled it, took it for a road test... still rattled/vibrated from the passenger side above ~4k RPM. They asked me to go back home and get my stock intake to use as a variable. Uninstalled the TRD CAI, reinstalled stock, no rattle. He re-installed the TRD CAI again and drove again... rattle/vibration was back. I left with the OEM intake installed.

The tech said that the OEM intake allows for a fair amount of flux and movement, whereas the TRD intake is very rigid. He said above 4k RPM, and especially when going WOT, the engine moves more in the bay and rubs the TRD Intake, causing the vibration to occur. Because the TRD CAI sits on the passenger side of the engine pay, it feels/sounds like the vibration is coming from the passenger side of the dash. The stock intake has more "give" so at higher RPM, it doesn't rub.

Has anyone had an issue like this with the TRD CAI? I'm decently technical, and installed/uninstalled/reinstalled it myself 3 times, the tech uninstalled it 2x and tested against the OEM intake... so I'm a little surprised that nobody else has had an issue like this? If I made a mistake with the install, I'd think a master tech could diagnose or fix it, and he had the same issues. I saw a nice jump in MPG with the TRD Intake, and the dynos showed ~13hp/lb-ft, so I'm not excited about having to take it off.

I will say, the stock intake is smoother and the noise is so much nicer, but it definitely kicks down slower and you can feel a slight reduction in oomph - not just the noise giving that impression.

Never had this issue, and I have over 50k+ miles and a few years on my unit. The only issue I've had is the cover doesn't sit well with the two clips vs the stock retention method of the filter/cover.

There aren't really any moving parts to the system other than the deltaP gauge. Could that have been rattling somehow with the spring element to cause your noise?

If the engine was moving enough to make contact with the intake, are there any marks that show this?

 

[Gecko]

Never had this issue, and I have over 50k+ miles and a few years on my unit. The only issue I've had is the cover doesn't sit well with the two clips vs the stock retention method of the filter/cover.

There aren't really any moving parts to the system other than the deltaP gauge. Could that have been rattling somehow with the spring element to cause your noise?

If the engine was moving enough to make contact with the intake, are there any marks that show this?

I don’t recall what that part is or where it sits. Can you elaborate a bit more?

 

[mo_mo]

I don’t recall what that part is or where it sits. Can you elaborate a bit more?

On the TRD intake box there is a little pressure gauge. It's a gimmick to alert you that your filter is dirty. It has a little yellow button to reset it. You can see it in this generic photo.

 

[Gecko]

On the TRD intake box there is a little pressure gauge. It's a gimmick to alert you that your filter is dirty. It has a little yellow button to reset it. You can see it in this generic photo.

Ah yes. Not sure... I had it pressed down as instructed, but to your point, that’s about the only moving part on the entire intake.

I’ll have to look over the TRD CAI parts for any sign of contact or rubbing as well. Good point.

 

[perf0rmance]

If you need a CARB stick for your TRD intake as most don't come with them...
Let me know I've got some of these on the way:

I'm interested - PM inbound

 

[carlodonz]

I went with the vacuum hose that matched the OEM size hose more closely, so it's what you can find at the parts store in those sizes....


A little O2 safe silicone to seal a hole next to a mounting grommet on bottom of air box & 1 Plug using silicone to seal a hole on the side of the air box.
Whatever size fits the hole.....I can't remember the actual size.

I just cleaned my filter and I also noticed the small hole at the bottom (the one on the side is plugged already).

Can I ask you why you think it should be plugged? If the kit gave us a plug for the side hole but not one for the bottom, maybe it should be left open?
Maybe it's a way for drain any moisture or excess water?

Thanks!

 

[Saker]

I just cleaned my filter and I also noticed the small hole at the bottom (the one on the side is plugged already).

Can I ask you why you think it should be plugged? If the kit gave us a plug for the side hole but not one for the bottom, maybe it should be left open?
Maybe it's a way for drain any moisture or excess water?

Thanks!

I never recalled the oem factory lower air box to have any hole in the bottom. So I plugged mine, as many have done.
I guess that's an individual choice!

Let us know how it turns out!

 

[carlodonz]

I never recalled the oem factory lower air box to have any hole in the bottom. So I plugged mine, as many have done.
I guess that's an individual choice!

Let us know how it turns out!

Thanks for the prompt reply.

I haven't check the stock air box but if there isn't one there, I guess you got a point! lol

I like the TRD CAI but I'm a bit annoyed by the whistle, I might try to put some tape and see if that helps reducing it.