Does the KJ need more air?

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Sat Apr 14, 2007 7:20 am

I’m wondering if our KJ could use a little more air. :idea:

I’m not sure how different the air inlets and boxes compare from 2002 - 2007, but my ‘07 inlet sure looks suspicious. I had the engine running the other day and could feel the vacuum suction by putting my hand a few inches insides the inlet. This observation made me question if the engine is getting all the air it could use or could it benefit from a little more :?:

I realize that I don’t have a clue nor do I pretend to know what I’m talking about. :oops:

However, I was wondering what some of you thought. I know our engines aren’t starving for air, but maybe additional air would help it perform better. I understand that the fuel/air mixture has already been set from the factory. And from my understanding we can’t force more air into the engine as the engine can only digest so much air. I also understand that air will only flow as efficient as the air filter will let it flow. The reason why I’m asking is because on my Diesel, I added a (PSM) cool air inlet hose http://dieselpowerproducts.com/shopping ... num=1&=SID and it made a noticeable difference, especially when towing. If the 3.7L motor could benefit from a little more cool air, I could fabricate an additional air inlet routed much like the CRD. I would then use an AMSOIL air filter that is 98% efficient at 15 micron. I would think this would be much cheaper and perhaps more efficient than an aftermarket shielded or open type air intake system. The PSM for my Cummins was $99 dollars. Qualitative data showed that the PSM inlet while retaining the factory air box outperformed other aftermarket shielded boxes that cost $300 dollars or more. :shock:

Any thoughts would be helpful :!:

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Sat Apr 14, 2007 8:02 am

I would caution against adding a CRD type inlet - we had about 15-18 page thread on wet air filters and the best fix was to go to the gas engine Air Intake - it's one of the recommended mods on FAQ.

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Sat Apr 14, 2007 8:31 am

ATXKJ wrote:

I would caution against adding a CRD type inlet - we had about 15-18 page thread on wet air filters and the best fix was to go to the gas engine Air Intake - it's one of the recommended mods on FAQ.

Good observation! I’m very much aware. We owned a CRD for a very short while. We didn’t experience the amount of moisture and debris that some reported, but I could see the concerns. The way my ‘07 is designed I’ll have to retain my lower box, therefore I wouldn’t directly use the CRD lower box. But I would fabricate something similar by using a flex hose and drill a hole into the side or bottom of my bottom box for an additional inlet. There are several points where I could route the hose to the grill or under the air dam.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Sat Apr 14, 2007 9:29 am

Ive always heard that the stock air box is actually better than any after market intake since the stock intake works like alittle ram air that pulls cool air from the front. Even a K&N that has the shield would not get as much cool air as the stock intake does.

In other words, I wouldnt worry about it.

DarbyWalters · **Posted:** Sat Apr 14, 2007 9:33 am

The Dodge Trucks with the 3.7L get 5 more horses than the Liberty. I think they have a BIGGER air box...so more air would most likely help.

KY Liberty · **Joined:** Sat Jul 09, 2005 1:46 pm **Posts:** 1195

More cold air will help your performance, but it will take big changes for much difference.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Sat Apr 14, 2007 9:51 am

KY Liberty wrote:

More cold air will help your performance, but it will take big changes for much difference.

Dang you KJ LIberty,stop posting that pic! It makes me want that hood even more :lol:

! (A joke,so nobody get's confused

)

DarbyWalters · **Posted:** Sat Apr 14, 2007 12:06 pm

I think the "just out" Ea air filter from Amsoil will give a bit better flow and protect better than OEM or K&N...

Part Number EAA201

hooperswish · **Posted:** Sat Apr 14, 2007 12:48 pm

[/quote]I think the "just out" Ea air filter from Amsoil will give a bit better flow and protect better than OEM or K&N...

Quote:

How can it possibly give better flow AND protect better? I always heard it is one or the other, NOT both, as this is contradictary to the laws of science.....

swyszomirski · **Joined:** Sat Oct 01, 2005 2:59 am **Posts:** 286

For a while I had a rusty's air tube and a 6x9 cone K&N filter under my hood, but when I put the stock box back in while I was taking my time cleaning the K&N I noticed the stock filter had better low end, and my mileage went up a bit. I think the mileage increase was because the K&N took in air from the engine compartment (hot) while the stock air box takes the outside air from under the hood lip (colder).

My .02 cents...

stephen

JJsTJ · **Posted:** Sat Apr 14, 2007 1:23 pm

hooperswish wrote:

I think the "just out" Ea air filter from Amsoil will give a bit better flow and protect better than OEM or K&N...

Quote:

How can it possibly give better flow AND protect better? I always heard it is one or the other, NOT both, as this is contradictary to the laws of science.....

[/quote]

How about flow better than OEM, filter almost as good as OEM and filter WAY better than K&N while still flowing almost as good.

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Sat Apr 14, 2007 1:50 pm

JJsKJ wrote:

hooperswish wrote:

I think the "just out" Ea air filter from Amsoil will give a bit better flow and protect better than OEM or K&N...

Quote:

How can it possibly give better flow AND protect better? I always heard it is one or the other, NOT both, as this is contradictary to the laws of science.....

How about flow better than OEM, filter almost as good as OEM and filter WAY better than K&N while still flowing almost as good.[/quote]

A better quality filter using top notch technology results in better flow while trapping dirt. Amsoil produces 98% efficiency while blocking down to 15 micron. :wink:

Many aftermarket filters including K&N aren’t too bad, although their oil filters are using outdated technology and take a second seat against Amsoil. The consistency and efficiency of an K&N is based on how well the filter is oiled. Part of the filter might block down to 15 micron while another part of the filter will let larger particles slide right through. :shock:

It’s about consistency and the nanofiber that Amsoil uses works really well while holding more dirt but maintaining flow. Oiled filters such as the K&N clog easy and require cleaning frequently in dusty driving conditions. Several independent lab tests have been performed using Amsoil EA filters, K&N, and other popular aftermarket brands. The quantitative data came from various lab tests as well as real world driving conditions. I’ve never seen K&N or any other competitive brand outperform Amsoil.

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Sat Apr 14, 2007 2:08 pm

It’s rather frustrating, but I hear so many people say, “The K&N gets better the longer I use it and the dirtier it gets.” :roll:

Well, I guess that might be true in the fact that the dirtier the filter the more dirt K&N blocks. But good grief, a dirty filter means it’s clogged and is restricting air flow. :shock:

Totally misleading, but people buy into it like it’s some great theory. This is what K&N users should be saying, “Hey, my clean K&N filter allows a lot of dirt through the filter, but the more I use it, the more dirt is absorbed into the oil and it makes a tacky barrier that keeps more dirt from coming into the engine” That sounds more like it. Much more accurate.

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Sun Apr 15, 2007 2:41 am

Jeepjeepster wrote:

Ive always heard that the stock air box is actually better than any after market intake since the stock intake works like alittle ram air that pulls cool air from the front. Even a K&N that has the shield would not get as much cool air as the stock intake does.

That’s right, this is why I want to retain my factory air box but add an additional inlet into the factory lower box. I would like to install something like the CRD inlet taking fresh cool air from the front grill straight into the lower air box. Here’s where I question the factory inlet on my ‘07. If you closely look at the air inlet you will notice the air has to go through the grill and is theoretically channeled upward into the inlet. Obviously this indirect location keeps a lot of dirt and moisture from entering into the air box, however it still isn’t the best example of a RAM AIR. The CRD inlet design (in my opinion) is a better example of a Ram Air. In this scenario the fresh cool air is taken at the grill and goes through a duct with some minor bends and delivers the cool air into the air box. If we had kept the CRD, I would not have done the V6 modification. I would have depended on a quality filter to prevent unnecessary debris and moisture from entering into the air intake.

I find it interesting that several KJ drivers have reported their best mileage gains at speeds between 70 - 75 mph while running stock with the 3.7L. I’ve heard some say that they maintain their mileage whether running 70mph or 80mph. Based on this observation, I am making a wild guess that the faster the KJ runs down the road, the more air is forced up into the air inlet providing more power and resulting in optimum mileage gains.

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:01 am

dieselenthusiast wrote:

It’s rather frustrating, but I hear so many people say, “The K&N gets better the longer I use it and the dirtier it gets.” :roll:

Well, I guess that might be true in the fact that the dirtier the filter the more dirt K&N blocks. But good grief, a dirty filter means it’s clogged and is restricting air flow. :shock:

Totally misleading, but people buy into it like it’s some great theory. This is what K&N users should be saying, “Hey, my clean K&N filter allows a lot of dirt through the filter, but the more I use it, the more dirt is absorbed into the oil and it makes a tacky barrier that keeps more dirt from coming into the engine” That sounds more like it. Much more accurate.

Agreed, I have a K&N on my XJ(not completely by choice) and I have noticed the dirtyer it is the better my gas mileage, I am thinking more and more that I will go back to the stock airfilter and see how my power and such compares.

hooperswish · **Posted:** Sun Apr 15, 2007 12:34 pm

.

Quote:

How about flow better than OEM, filter almost as good as OEM and filter WAY better than K&N while still flowing almost as good.

Sounds good to me....

BVCRD · **Posted:** Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:43 pm

I don't think so. I gets all it needs.

Does the KJ need more air?

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