Which sensor is which?

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ToNeZ90

Member
:
2010 Mazda 3 Base Sedan
Hey guys,

I'm about to doa custom mod for the intake. I'm sure some people have done it before. I bought a K&N cylinder filter and i'm gonna take out my factory box and plug the filter in. I noticed that there are two sets of plugs on the intake.

I had a friend look up what they are and he told me they are the MAF (knew that one) and a air temp sensor. We guessed that obviously the temp sensor was the small plug that is inserted into the stock air box just after the filter.

1. Is this correct, and is the larger plug thats just after the air box the MAF?

2. He told me i could probably just drill a tiny hole in the filter for the air temp. Is that safe?

3. If anyone has done this, can i easily plug on the K&N filter without having to do any other mods besides the air temp sensor?

any advice is appreciated and considered in my decision. :)
 
the MAF isnt a plug, its right after the air box, it has hose clamps on it, you dont even need the air temp sensor honestly, most people just plug it into a hole in the fender

and yes you can do that with the KN filter, just take off all the plastic junk besides the MAF and the plastic pipe that looks like an accordion sort of, then just place the filter after the MAF
 
ok anything i need to do before i start messing with the plugs? and should i reset the system by unplugging the battery for 5 min, so it adjusts to the extra airflow?
 
Before doing anything to an electrical connection under the hood it is a good idea to unhook the battery. The MAF sensor is pretty expensive, so reducing the risk of damaging it is a good idea.
 
You have to put the MAF into your intake system. And yes, you can just cut a hole into your intake and use the OEM grommet.
 
ok i got the intake installed.

I'll Post pix later
The main problem is the support. My friend and i were able to make it support itself with zip ties and then we wrapped the ties with e.tape for heat resistance lol VERY G-rigged

Anyone know where i can get just a support bar that screws into the MAF (where the air box was weing secured) and also screws into one of the other holes that the air box was screwed into?

My friend suggested to just make one from hope depo. sounds like a plan to me but i wanna get some feedback from u guys first.
 
ok lol i couldnt stop laughing while taking these after work.

So the first picture is a shot of the whole engine bay (duh)

As u can see in the second picture that IS a sponge cushioning the cannister from the intake. The reason we did that is because it was the only position we could keep the intake from moving.

The 4th picture shows the rigged zip-tie hold wrapped in electrical tape for heat resistance. lol(yupnope)

What i was thinking of was to buy a peice of metal thin enough to bend and drill through to connect to the MAF screw inlets in pic 3 to the bottom of the stock air box holder in pic 5.

when I am able to do this, it will also allow me to take off the zip-ties and move the intake a bit closer to the engine. That way it's not hitting the cannister.

Any ideas? lol
 

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I found the 'accordian' tube from a neon in the trash and used that to extend the filter to the fender area (it did not need support then ;))

Be careful to not have it hang on the MAF like that. You will hit a bump and the weight will pul the MAF out and the car dies. (uh, ask me how i know [sigh])
 
I made a bracket out of some steel that bolts to the holes in pic 5. I welded another piece on it to make an L and i put a small flat piece on the top to have the piping on my short ram intake rest on it. I ran a brace from the top of vertical piece down to the base at 45 degrees for extra support and welded all the joints. It works great.
 
Go to home depot (or any hardware store) and buy "L" mounting brackets. They make them in various sizes, and they aren't expensive. They are just pieces of steel bent at 90 degree angles with 2 bolt holes on each side. Like a glove.
 
ucMP3 said:
Go to home depot (or any hardware store) and buy "L" mounting brackets. They make them in various sizes, and they aren't expensive. They are just pieces of steel bent at 90 degree angles with 2 bolt holes on each side. Like a glove.
Click to expand...

i was actually going to do that on friday. its cool enough down here that i wont have to worry too much about heat build-up.
 
Personally I would take a stock intake over that ghetto rigged sh*t any day. The 'random pockets' in the stock intake are designed to make more torque so any aftermarket intake will lose some torque and this car doesn't have nearly enough as it is.
 
hornsfan10609 said:
Personally I would take a stock intake over that ghetto rigged sh*t any day. The 'random pockets' in the stock intake are designed to make more torque so any aftermarket intake will lose some torque and this car doesn't have nearly enough as it is.
Click to expand...

well, i did it more because i travel a quite a bit every day and it would help on gas. Even since the install on Monday, i already noticed less gas consumption. I DO hit over 70 every day when traveling to my college, so its not like i'm doing 55mph at most.

Torque is good for the car. Since the install i have gotten better response from the low-end, and i will still be repositioning the intake once i get the support braket. (which should give it better air access)

MOST IMPORTANTLY........sounds better than stock (naughty)

EDIT: all my upgrades are for personal feeling and gas improvements. nothing more :)
 
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hornsfan10609 said:
Personally I would take a stock intake over that ghetto rigged sh*t any day. The 'random pockets' in the stock intake are designed to make more torque so any aftermarket intake will lose some torque and this car doesn't have nearly enough as it is.
Click to expand...

Never heard this before. Links? Reasoning?
 
pokets are more to slow the velocity of the air traveling into the engine. if the stock system is better than aftermarket, then why dont they just use a stock system for racing?
 
ToNeZ90 said:
pokets are more to slow the velocity of the air traveling into the engine. if the stock system is better than aftermarket, then why dont they just use a stock system for racing?
Click to expand...

The thing most people don't consider is that when the engineers at car companies design cars, they are not designing race cars. They have a lot more considerations than just performance. Fuel consumption, driveability, comfort, and countless other things are considered also.

With that being said, I don't really see how those folds effectively increase torque in a way that would be beneficial to the motor's performance. I'm pretty sure it's just easier to make the intakes that way because of a cost issue from the viewpoint of the car maker. Those bends allow the intake to be adjusted without new pipes being necessary.
 
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