Intake Bull$#^*

[09rmk600]

I have 350 miles on my 2010 Assault (bought new this year). On one of my last rides we put on about 85 miles, the last 5 or 10 miles it started to bog pretty bad.

I got it home and of coarse the entire engine compartment was packed full of snow. I looked in the intake area behind the light and it was also packed full of snow (pics). Inside my airbox there was veins of ice than down into all 3 intake tubes, and of coarse alot of snow/ice in the air box.

I removed the airbox because I wanted to see what the inside of the airbox looked like (check the pictures).

I am embarassed to tell the other guys that I ride with (doo and cat) what the inside of my airbox looks like. How can they call this a deep snow sled when it leaks as badly as it does, and I don't live anywhere near the mountains.

On that same ride, my cousin, who has the twin to my sled, didn't make it home. He blew his motor (300 miles on it) and had to get a truck to come out and pick him up. I think I must have just got lucky that mine didn't also blow up. The dealership told him that the codes they pulled of the sled said the failure was to do excessive detonation, which can be caused by water in your fuel. I have a feeling it could also be caused by excessive amounts of snow sucked in on the intake side.

I realize that there are many issues with this sled and some of them can get fairly complicated. For me it seems to be a simple one at this point. Water/snow in my enigine is not goood!!! I thawed by sled out, added some fuel de-icer to the gas and after a mile or 2, it started running like the Rocky Mountain King again. Now I just have to find a way to keep the water out!!

EDIT- keep in mind that in the pictures the sled ( aka The Popsicle )had alread been melting for a couple of hours.

 

[Trenchmaster]

The air inlets on these things are a joke, try sticking a flash light up the hole in the hood in a dark garage. You will see all the areas where snow can get in, I ended up pulling mine all apart to re seal it. The gasket around the headlight wasn't even close, all the little nibbys for the windshield leaked inside the air box. The headlight adjuster also gives snow a straight shot in. The seam on the front of the box has a gap, that I duct taped closed, no issues since I did all these things. While your at it you might want to wrap your wiring harness where it goes into the hood through the sharp edged square hole.

 

[mountainhorse]

Do a search on sealing the airbox.

Make sure your intake screens (#5 & 6) are in good shape... I Prefer to use the Fire N Ice intake screens.... clear silicone around the headlight.... make sure that the plastic access cover (#10) has no gaps between it and the hood... OR... If you have rolled the sled, that it is not all broken up or detached from the hood. Seal it well if it is.

Also... put a piece of good black duct tape (I like gorilla brand) or better yet the SPG adjuster cover, over the headlight adjuster knob.

Also seal around the gauge pod where it meets the hood.

 

[thefullmonte]

Thats a mess! I've never seen one that bad before. As trenchmaster stated, there is a lot of sealing that the consumer needs to do.

Seal all the seams on the airbox itself as it will suck in any gunk it can find under the hood.
Seal the headlight to the hood. I took mine apart and used a closed cell type of weather strip foam. You can actually see where it should go and not where it was placed. Some people just silicon sealant.
Seal the intake shelf to the hood. Again silicon or weatherstrip.
Seal the headlight adjuster. Some used duct tape. SLP and Skinz make a nice one.

 

[BadAftertaste]

It's about time for an aftermarket intake that ditches the factory box and shelf all together. Everything out there at the moment still relies on the junk factory box. I know the '09 one piece boxes are a bit better, but still don't address the shelf/headlight/adjuster etc...

There has got to be a better way...

 

[Mag]

I put the timbersled intake on the wifes 09 700, no more worries about sealing headlights or adjusters. Has worked flawless for 2 seasons.

 

[mountainhorse]

Although there are many that have had problems... The factory system will work... I've had my Dragon in over the hood blower pow and not a bit of ice/snow in the airbox.

Sealing the intake area in the hood is crucial to keeping snow out and making this work.

Also increasing the intake area and using a better air inlet screens... I'm a fan of the FNI console air screens as well as the FNI air screens behind the windshield.

When the main inlets get plugged up a bit... the engine will suck snow/water from all the cracks ets.

A bit of homework can get it working more dependably for little money.

 

[diamonddave]

It's about time for an aftermarket intake that ditches the factory box and shelf all together. Everything out there at the moment still relies on the junk factory box. I know the '09 one piece boxes are a bit better, but still don't address the shelf/headlight/adjuster etc...

There has got to be a better way...

I agree with this completely. I have a large suspicion that the bulk of issues are from this, poorly sealed airboxes. They are allowing foreign debree, belt dust, and sucking snow in the intake. I've pulled throttle bodies off with the 09 and newer airboxes, sealed headlights, etc. with 300 miles and found them to be nasty black. The 600-700 mile throttle bodies make me wonder how they even idle. I know of some vehicles that wouldn't run with throttle bodies looking like that.


This i think is why alot of the turbo's seem to last. I agree with the theory that the intake temps being higher and added fuel are helpful but almost all of the turbo's are running with a much better filter system and it's this that makes me think this is exactly what we need.


EDIT I guess I should' have looked at your pictures. Are you sure you are not missing the upper air shelf that attaches to the hood?

 

[wang11]

with that much snow in the air box he had to have the snow fall in while opening the hood never ever seen that much snow in the box that just seems impossible rode in deep fluff hitting u in the face all day and never seen even a fluff in the box but mine is sealed pretty good. When i spend 8 grand i research and find the flaws before dumb things like this happen.

 

[MORSNO]

EDIT I guess I should' have looked at your pictures. Are you sure you are not missing the upper air shelf that attaches to the hood?

You are correct diamonddave, he said he could look right into the intake and headlight area. That area should be closed off by the shelf, part #10 on mountainhorses drawing. No wonder it is WAY beyond normal.

 

[Danbot]

Im running a 900 so totally different airbox, but the same headlight pod problems. I credit my first engine destruction to snow ingestion through the headlight pod, which is not in any way sealed from the showroom floor. Some time spent with closed cell foam and silicone will get it taken care of.
Good luck

 

[09rmk600]

I figured it would be obvious that I had removed the "shelf" from under the hood so that I could see just how much snow was under there, and take the pictures.

As far as the snow falling into the airbox after the hood has been opened, I always clean my dash and tank area before opening the hood (and I try to make a habit of not opening my hood very often).

I siliconed the entire windshield area, I even removed the windshield, and filled the screw holes for the winshield with silicone before I pughed them back in.
I also got rubber weatherstripping and sealed the entire shelf area. Then took a piece of foam and stuck in it the hole where the wirring harness enters to the "shelf" piece.
The entire airbox was sealed with gorrilla tape.

It's better, not perfect. I still have a little bit of snow in the top of the airbox, and the "veins" of ice running down the tubes.

I ordered the slp dash intake (should be in next week), and have one more trick up my sleave. We fabricated a fine metal grate to cover the 3 intake tubes, and then are covering it with a 100% nylon fabric. The fabric is similar to pre-filter but a little less restrictive. If it works well this weekend, after I get the slp intake I will try using pre-filter material instead of the nylon fabric. The biggest issue I can see is that with the pre-filter material it may be to restrictive, hopefully the slp intake will fix that. If it works I will post some pictures.

I just want it to live!!!

 

[Trenchmaster]

Sounds like you should be good to go now, when I first got my sled I saw all the info about this on here. I sealed my air box up and my sled now has 1800 trouble free miles on it. Did I get one of the good ones? am I just lucky? or did the sealed air box make a difference. I don't know but it sure can't hurt!!!