I need a little help. I just installed my AEM CAI today and when I got it all put back together, right when I start hitting the friction point in first and second gear under load, I can hear this sorta knocking sound around my feet. I thought it might have been my intake hitting the battery, so I put a little foam inbetween to cushion it and repositioned the intake a little more so that it would be as far away from the inner fender lining. After a quick test run, it sounded like it went away, then after a short drive, it came back. I just want to make sure it is probably my intake hitting the battery or lining, which would be an easy fix with some more foam or dynamat. Anyone else have this problem with their AEM CAI? It only happens under heavy load in 1st or 2nd gear, 3rd and up no problem. If I go for a really soft and easy start, I sometimes don't hear it. What do you guys think? It sounds like something is tapping against something...just want to make sure its not my tranny or clutch since I removed those two bolts to install that bracket they tell you to in the manual. Thanks for any help!

 

I like to get a person in the car to rev the gas for me, the motor seems to rock back and forth alot in these cars, I bet you will be able to figure out where its banging if you get someone to rev on it hard while you look and watch....also I like to grab on to the intake pipe and shake it real hard in all directions eventually you will figure out where its hitting.

 

I already tried both of those methods. I revved the engine and there is no knocking sound from the inside. However, when I shake the intake, it does hit on the battery and the filter hits on the fender liner if I shake it real hard. There is suprisingly a lot of play on the long down pipe as that tranny mount piece gives way quite easily. I can hear it pretty clear inside when under load in 1st and 2nd. When I drove to work today, it would sometimes happen, depending on how much load I put on the car. If I do a really smooth start revving a little higher, the sound doesn't happen. However if I don't have enough RPM's, you can hear that sound. It is definitely there if you do a harder start where the engine sounds like it is bogging down. I think the intake hitting the plastic isn't the problem as the sound is too prominent inside the car. I'm thinking it could be that thing that looks like a mount near the filter. Mine just misses it by maybe 0.5cm. When I adjusted the intake last night, I saw that the blue finish near that mount was gone as it had rubbed off on that mount. I'm gonna get some dynamat and put some on the battery and on the intake around that mount as well as inside the plastic fender cover and see if that does the job. If that doesn't, I'm totally stumped

 

yeah that mount? with the cord is your airbag sensor and it is designed to miss it by about 1-3mm. I recut my fjuita cai to be a short ram style cause the thing eventually was triggering my airbag sensor to disengage by bumping it. It doesn't sound like it is hitting the sensor, cause your light would come on, but I think you need to check everything you touched or altered under the hood to find out what it is, i.e. factory airbox parts, resonators, underbody paneling, bumper trim, intake attachment points.....

 

Yeah I was rushed last night installing it because I had to go out for a family dinner. Came back and tried to fix it, thought I solved it, but then yeah, no luck...so that mount looking thing is for the airbag? Will it deploy by the intake knocking on it? BTW when you had this problem, did you hear some sounds in 1st and 2nd gear? I might have to do what you did as well, and cut the pipe so it sits closer to the tranny towards the middle of the engine That mount looking thing looks sorta like a wheel holding something inside of it. Wish I could describe it better, but the image is vaguely in my mind. It clears it not by much, a few millimeters. Im thinking this is the source of the sound since the blue coating scraped off after adjusting the intake. I can see the primer they applied before painting the intake...

 

Well, revving wont/shouldnt cause the knocking as much as driving would. Remember when driving the motor/trans/mounts are under load. So driving the car would cause the motor to move back and forth.

Have you tried pulling/moving the intake with your hands? You'll find it. I hate noises, I know what youre going through.

 

I had the fujita intake so it might be different, and I know that the airbag sensor was black with a clip and some harness coming from it with yellow pieces, not sure if that is what you are refering about. The airbag won't go off though, it will just disable it if the light comes on. I would just take it off, retighten everything and put it back on with attention to what could be making the noise.

 

rawr! I might just have to do that. It's weird, that sound only happens sometimes under extremely heavy load. even when I flip through gears revving up and pushing the engine, it doesn't make that sound...nor can I re-create it by shaking it when the car is stopped. Oh well, small price to pay and a little more elbow grease should fix her up. It was well worth the money for the intake, the engine and intake sound drown out the fujitsubo wagolis after 4000RPM. DAMN does it ever sound good Has a little more pull as well hehe

 

When I had the AEM CAI on my car I had no trouble like this at all. I think I was only the 2nd Fit in NA to have one on and never heard this sound. It has been sold to another member and I haven't received any complaints yet. I would go ahead and try reinstalling it and make sure everything is properly tightened up.