Swap K&N CAI back to stock(ish)

I bought my truck (1996 4x4 3.4L) with a K&N CAI. Is there anything I'd need to swap the intake to a 1998-2003 stock setup besides the airbox (

$89 17700-07060 labwork Air Cleaner Filter Box Engine Upper & Lower Housing Assembly Fit for Toyota Tacoma Pickup Truck V6 6cyl 3.4L 1999-2004 17700-07060

17700-07060), intake tube (17881-62170), MAF sensor (

$158 22204-21010 Internal Air Flow Meter

22204-21010) and filter? Are there any vacuum lines that don't look stock? I recall the later MAFs work with the earlier trucks with a repin of the harness. I'll probably remove the throttle body spacer while I'm in there.

 

Good plan!

That engine bay looks really dirty.

Underhood insulation blanket is rotten. Recommend you just yank it off. The least of your worries at this point is the possibility of your hood paint bubbling.

Your existing K&N filter is so filthy and clogged that it looks like it has collapsed. You already know that.
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Put the intake idea aside for now and clean up your engine bay first. Seriously, I would be reluctant to even pulling the oil dipstick out with an engine bay that looked like that.

No bueno.
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You need a trip to your local coin-op car wash and a roll of quarters. Bring someone with you who knows what they're doing.

Start there. But you have the RIGHT idea.

 

Sounds good, will do. Do you know any good guides to washing an engine bay? I don't have anyone locally who knows what they're doing unfortunately.

EDIT: I can figure it out, just gotta figure out the parts I need to swap my intake back to stock.

 

Why change the MAF if it's working?

Totally agree with getting rid of the "cold air" intake though. They really don't do anything but cause problems.

 

I'm not sure it's not going out, the truck seems to hesitate at medium-high revs and high load. So I'm considering replacing it. Plus the 98-03 MAF sensors are significantly cheaper than the 95-97 MAF sensors.

 

I would bet a dollar and a donut the reason your truck is running outta power (hesitating under load) is because that air filter is so clogged. Seriously. I don't think I've ever seen one that bad. Your engine is running out of air.

Actually, do that first. Gently remove that filter and clean it off as best as you can. I would soak it in a bucket of something like 50/50 Simple Green & water to start. And then switch over to the K&N cleaning & re-oiling kit. Don't use dish soap or car wash soap whatever you do. You don't want residual suds foaming up afterwards. Straighten it out as best as you can. All of your rinsing with your garden hose shall be from the inside --> out. The opposite of the way the air normally flows through it.

Do not let a good cleaning be the enemy of perfection. This is horseshoes and hand grenades. Close to clean for now is good enough. Patience, grasshopper, then it needs to sit out in the direct sun for a few hours until it is dry. Then you can LIGHTLY re-oil it so you don't foul the MAF sensor. And then re-install it for now. Until you can get the correct parts later.

As far as cleaning you engine, here's what I recommend.

1) Get yourself a can of Gunk engine cleaner. If you have Simple Green and a spray bottle, that'll work too. And a roll of quarters. Drive around until your truck is up to FULL operating temp and pull it in one of the bays. LEAVE IT RUNNING. Hood up. And just spray it all down with the Gunk or Simple Green. Obviously, try to avoid soaking & overly saturating components like your fuse box although it has a cover.

2) Pay attention to where you are spraying and pause every few seconds. If it stalls or starts sputtering, just STOP. Hop inside and rev the engine gently until you get back a normal idle. Let it soak for a couple of minutes so the heat can help dissolve all that grit and grim. Then, you are ready use the LOW PRESSURE (aka "spotless") rinse option on the control dial. Sometimes, there is enough of a pee stream coming out of the wand on the regular Rinse dial option and that is all you really need. Try that too. Do NOT blast water up close. RINSE the cleaning agent off. GENTLY as you can.

It will steam up, and stink and smell, and that is OK. No huffing, LOL. Just keep it running the entire time. Ease it forward outta the bay and re-position it into the direct sunlight. Hood still up. A handful of rags to wipe down and puddled water in nooks and crannies. BE CAREFUL because the engine is HOT. Let it bask in the sun for another 2-3 minutes and then you can close the hood and go home. Take the scenic route on the way home, including a handful of miles on the freeway.

Spot treat any stubborn spots later at home when the engine has cooled down and you can be more hands on with rags and even a very soft brush. Like a $2 paint cheapo brush.

That's how I do it. HTH & good luck.

 

That engine bay is screaming "help"! Why not just start with getting a new filter? I've been thoroughly cleaning my engine bay on and off the last couple of months...got a tarp, put down some a crappy moving sheets from harbor freight, let it cool down, and used like 6 cans of foaming cleaner and let it soak, then ran water over it, very easily.

 

^^^ This.

Not sure about the run it up to temp and then hose it down method, seems like a recipe for cracking a header.

I'd also avoid simple green under the hood- it can be more corrosive to alloys, and in my experience when I sprayed it up from the bottom to avoid the alloy bits on the top of the engine, it took the paint off the OEM steering system hard lines.

Also agree with starting with that air filter. I wouldn't waste time washing it though, just get a new cone filter and call it a day.

 

I guess I should have stipulated that after soaking it, I actually pushed it out of the garage, and used very a very gentle stream of water and of course avoiding sensitive areas, then let it actually just sit out in the heat and dry for a couple hours...

 

Yeah, obviously you have to thoroughly rinse off whatever cleaner you use. I don't even think you have to be gentle about it. Don't spray it at the fuse box or the air filter. The rest is fair game.

When a rodent attempted to take up residence in my engine bay, I had to clean all the rat shit out. I just got some odoban, put in a spray bottle, sprayed it everywhere, let it sit for 10 minutes, and then hosed the whole engine bay off- no issues. I also hose the engine bay off as part of giving the 'ol girl a wash. Never been an issue. I wouldn't take a pressure washer to it, but the hose has never been an issue.

 

Good - no great - advice above.

One thing you definitely wish to avoid is "thermal shock". Which is applying too much rinse water too quickly. Even at ambient temps, spraying 75F temp water onto a 220F engine exhaust will indeed crack chit in an instant. Don't let that happen to you.

Less is more with the rinse water. Not to be crass, please forgive me, but that is why I used the term "pee stream" above. That is all you need.

 

Thank you all, I'll see if I can get the engine bay cleaned this weekend.

I don't want the K&N. It's more susceptible to water, filters worse than a paper filter, and doesn't add any power. If you want to trade intakes though I'd be down lol

 

yes... and no.

susceptible to water - If you have water in your engine bay, you're gonna have larger problems.
worse than a paper filter - doubt it.
doesn't add any power - I closed up airbox the other day by installing the plate for the deckplate mod for my smog check, and the difference in power is notable. I believe you would feel the same if you went back to stock.

Your cheapest option is to clean the filter, second cheapest (and quickest) is to get a new cone filter. Doing either of those is gonna let your engine breath again, which is gonna be far better than holding off until you find a part out stock airbox and tube.

 

So do I only need the airbox and tube?

 

Unless you find a part out / donor truck to get all the little bits (tube, resonators, water traps), it could be a lot of effort to go back to stock for no reason. That intake isn't killing your truck. The filter itself might be, but just replace the filter and call it a day. "cold" air intakes catch a lot of crap, but there's millions of vehicles driving around with them just fine.