When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
No offense but rather than screwing around with tape (the definition of a band aid fix) I think you would be happy with the Mina piece. It is well-made and looks better in the engine compartment than the OEM black plastic. You will also notice a bit more responsiveness and the price is pretty fair.
I never said the tape approach would be a permanent fix. Have to make a 250-mile round-trip tomorrow so Wayne (cjd777) and I can take another shot at fixing the passenger door latch assembly / window microswitch issue that has intermittently plagued this car since last summer. I do not want any pinholes or cracks in the plastic air duct's accordion section causing problems and throwing codes during that trip....
This morning I removed the black electrical tape that I had wrapped the accordion-pleated section of the air duct with a couple of days ago and wrapped that section again using my silver metal foil tape roll. Much more heat-resistant and probably more airtight. Certainly not perfect but it will do for now. If I can come up with a decent route for the Mina Gallery aluminum kit breather hose, I may order one. That breather hose will have to travel from just behind the MAF sensor all the way over to the drivers side of the engine where it attaches near the engine oil dipstick....
What fitting did Chris at Mina Gallery use to connect his breather hose end to your OEM breather hose inlet nozzle just above your throttle body?
Any idea what inside diameter size his breather hose is?
I also wonder if the Mina Gallery intake tube will clear the passenger inside corner of my OEM black plastic engine dust cover. It may not and I really do not want to cut my dust cover....
Jon--here are a bunch of photos that show exactly what is going on and where the breather house is routed. I basically watched as Chris did the install and I am guessing he would have the right hoses for you if you want to DIY.
I decided to order the Mina Gallery aluminum air intake tube kit a week ago. It arrived in yesterday's mail and I installed it shortly after opening the box to inspect the various components. Halfway through the installation process I decided to replace the kit's black rubber hose intake coupler at the air filter box side with a shorter, more durable silicone intake coupler that I found at my local Advance Auto Parts store for $10 (take the kit-supplied black rubber hose intake coupler and a ruler with you to verify that the inside diameters of any new silicone intake couplers you are considering are a perfect match). A much better fit and significantly easier to manipulate that end of the intake tube into proper position on the air filter box due to my new silicone intake coupler being almost an inch shorter than the kit-supplied black rubber hose intake coupler....
After the new aluminum air intake tube kit was in place at all the right angles, I snugged up all fittings, tightened up all clamps, cranked up the engine, and went for a 15-mile spin to ensure no codes were thrown. Mina Gallery claims a slight horsepower increase due to stronger and straighter air flow to the throttle body. No idea if this is indeed accurate but I really like the product and am glad to not have to deal with the lousy OEM plastic accordion section cracking and splitting ever again. Thanks again to SeismicGuy and Higgins for recommending the Mina Gallery kit to me....
