Hey about a week ago I put a generic ebay intake on my 2002 Lancer LS, replacing the stock one. Says Bomz racing or something on it, I've never heard of it either. so I said, ah what the hell I'll give it a whirl.

So I put it on, didnt encounter any issues as it is an intake and is not rocket science. Reset my ECU as is standard practice and took off to try it out on the road.

First thing I noticed was my car felt like it had an anchor tied to the back that i was dragging. Not a small anchor that would go on a skiff or somethin, but an Anchor that would do well for something like the Truman Aircraft Carrier. Low end RPM, high end RPM, Midrange RPM, it was all the same. Dramatic loss in power. Also my "Check engine soon jackass" light popped on. Great, grand, wonderful.

So I took it to the dealership, and due to my rugged good looks got a free systems check, ya know the thing where they plug your car into a computer and it tells you whats wrong. They tell me nothing is wrong and I just need to put the stock intake back on.

So I just finished putting the stock intake back on, and now I'm waiting for the ECU to reset again. I'll post again to update what happens.

But before I go, does anyone have ANY idea what could cause this? Dealership was no help with suggestions, and i'm really bothered about it. I'm new to the whole Japanese car thing (grew up on v8's with dad) and there are a million things I dont know about. Thanks for the help in advance

 

lol. well i believe i read somewhere that alot of people have been having some problems with bomz products, but i could be wrong.

 

Mas Airflow sensor is on backwards or not plugged in maybe?

Try using the adapter that came with it and using your stock TB tube.

 

As far as the anchor problem, either the computer is still re-adjusting (takes a little time) to the way you drive (with a lead foot, if you're like most of us), or you just bought a cheap intake on ebay and now you're paying for it. I have an Injen short ram in my 03 ES and it had a check engine light come on when I first put in the intake, but by the second or third time I drove it, right before I was going to take it to a shop, it went away on its own. It was kind of pricey, but it has never given me trouble aside from hitting the battery, which I fixed.

 

first off ... by resetting ur ECU did u let ur car idel for about 15 mins before taking it for a spin? next ... were all the clamps tight to cause no leaks??

did you by any chance damage your ECU? before switching over to my RMR SRI ... i had a ebay intake too ... and i have no problems with it ... the only thing i would do is buy a K&N filter .... cause the filter that comes with it sucks ...

 

I never heard of much intakes going wrong .. personally i feel any aftermarket intake is better than the stock

In addition my SRI took 2 days to fit in until the CEL light stopped popping up .. Give it time i'd say, then swap out

 

check to see if the little resister inside the mass air flow sensor is broke that was my problem...i over powered the bolts trying to get them loose and hit the maf to hard and broke the little sensor inside. Check that out. if it is that then have someone drive u to autozone or pepboyz or something like that to buy a replacement maf unit...dont go to stealership. I did and cost me 600.00+ installation= 750.00
The worst thing i could have done and i did it...takin it to the dealership and there went my warranty. after you fix your problem get the SRI from RRM i love mine and the CF piece is great accent for my car.

 

Or car-parts.com for 50 bucks.

 

i had no problems with the aem cai. sounds good to.

 

Its probably something with your maf, i had a ****y cai too, the shop ordered one for the ralliart instead of oz, so they cut it and moded it to fit, they did it for free so i test drove it and had no complains about it, so prety much you cant mess up an intake unless you brake something or hook it up wrong.

Uhm... they cant void your warranty just because of that, they will charge you to repair it becasue you broke it, but they cant just void it because you have an intake in it or any other aftermarket part.

 

im running the same intake ,the bomz one,hasnt sent a cel out on mine yet,been running it for roughly 1 1/2 yrs...i agree about 1 thing thought,buy another filter the original sucks..

 

I jjust installed short ram (rrm) intake on my 03 auto. I reset ecu and you do have to let it re-learn. Let it idle for a bit then took it for a slow drive for about 30 mins. It still shifts a little funky at times but I think it needs a little more time to learn my style. I never got a CEL light.

Id say take it for a slow drive after letting it idle. you should be fine.

 

something else just came to my mind. Way back when I installed my SRI, nobody in Canada carried the MAF adapter plate so I had to make my own. If you had to remove the plastic plate that's on the front of the mas, the adapter plate has to properly cover the maf opening. If it doesn't cover it like the stock plastic peice, the ECU WILL throw a code and the car will run like crap since there is way more air coming in, than the ecu accounts for.

 

Well, I put stock intake back on for now just so I can get around. Tomorrow I think I'm going to try to install again.

The mechanics I had look at my installation job said everything was good and where it should be, and they had no idea why it was running like crap. Gunna try to do some mix and matching tomorrow. Thanks for the replies folks

 

CORRECT!!!

if your MAF is not reading properly the car goes into 'LIMP MODE.' make sure the MAF is not damaged, mounted properly with no leaks, and unobstructed.