Has anyone successfully eliminated the heavy airbox?

[harpon]

I tried this a few years back on an Escort and got horrible result- I tried to put an adapter and small cone aftermarket air filter on after the MAF sensor- to clear space under the hood and because it's lighter in weight. When I finished the car simply wouldn't start with the new air filter, and when I put the old box on again, it started immediately, same as ever. Has anyone had any success putting an aftermarket stand alone air filter, perhaps with an adapter, on the end of a Festiva MAF? Any thoughts about it? I just got the MAF off to clean it. Is there anyway to test it off the car? The car is currently not starting with no fuel pump although a new one was just installed (two years ago!)

[F3BZ]

hard to believe that plastic filter box weighs anymore than a CAI setup. the way i'm reading this you put a cone type filter between the MAF and the TB? regardless, i found taking a hole saw to the bottom of the existing box will give you more airflow potential than the TB can use at WOT

[harpon]

No- I'm really only hoping to clear space under the hood- I put the cone on the outside of the MAF- The box is rather heavy and has to bolt together,with four more bolts to fit the box to the MAF body- I put an aftermarket and lightweight plastic radiator fan on my Aspire last summer and got rid of the heavy stock fan and the heavy shroud- the new fan has such a thinner profile and works so much better and now I can reach the drain plug from above. If you put a cone filter on the end of the MAF, you have to use a 4 bolt adapter to the MAF- I'm just wondering if anyone has run that set-up without any problems. I may need a new MAF and it's depressing how much a rebuilt one is for a Festy- compared to those I see on other cars. I can get a new one for the Accent for less than $20, But for a Festy a rebuilt MAF is about $100. It's the only one I've seen with SEVEN contacts on the plug. The old one has been cleaned and ready for install- I just don't like the air box and the excessive space the breathing system takes.

[Dragonhealer]

There are tests you can perform on the AFM off of the car, but without a full bench setup are not fully conclusive.
any code "T" or "S" AFM will work properly as far as calibration for the B3.
The code is on a small metal foil sticker, on the top or side of the AFM, sometimes missing of course...
1990-1993 Miata, some Protege, some KIA etc. Should be $5 to $20 at a U-pull-it.

[ricko1966]

I'm with f3bz on this one a hole saw and a k&n filter is more than you need on a stock b3, Thanks for the interchange on the afm ,dragon healer. Porsche 914 1.8 engines used air flow controlled electronic fuel injection and the trick on those when you bored them,stroked them,big valve heads and a big cam was modify the plenum put on a larger throttle body and use a datsun 260 air flow meter any such plug and play tricks on festy's when you have more displacement turning more rpm?

[navdoc101]

Yep ,I just drilled holes in the bottom , removed the small horn on the side of the box & installed a K&N filter. part # is 3332 I believe. Works great , been that way for about 5 years. Much better air flow , weight is NOTHING.

[Nerd Racing]

If you are concerned about removing weight, look into a smaller battery before you go to a hot air intake setup cone filter.