This kit was installed on a 2002 Civic 1.7 belonging to Jenny B
Getting the box from K&N got me excited again. I remember installing a K&N short ram kit on many of my old cars. I think I even adapted one to fit my 88 Caravan. This box was different though. In this one was a K&N cold air intake, designed for the 2002 Honda Civic owned by Jenny B instead. It boasts adding an extra 4.9 HP on an otherwise stock engine. The intake arrived well packaged and without a scratch on it. I couldn’t wait to take it down to the garage and install it.
So the first step as illustrated in the well documented instructions was to remove the factory air cleaner, and associated noise and performance deterrents that take up a surprising amount of space under the hood of the Civic. A few 10mm bolts, a sensor plug, and 2 clamps later, I had an open space to work with.
Enter the K&N cold air intake kit (FIPK). Looks pretty simple as I open the box, and that is a good thing. No extra bends or parts to hinder air induction. The second major step was to add the rubber trim on to the cold air box. A good tip for the DIY installer is to lubricate the rubber trim with some soapy water. Mainly dish soap and some water will do as an effective lubricant, with easy clean up later. You may have to trim the rubber seal once you finish working it around the perimeter of the box. Side cutters work just fine to trim the material.
Next was to install the brackets that stabilize the air box which isolates the air filter from the ambient air temperatures under the hood of the car. The kit came with all bolts and brackets which were already bent to spec. There was a nice detailed picture of the installation points in the instructions to make them easy to identify. Stock air box bolt points were used to mount the brackets. Pretty easy so far. Once the brackets were installed, the box set right into place. The side vent on the passenger fenderwell appears to feed almost directly into the K&N box.
After the box was in, the next step was to install the size adapter to the air intake pipe on the side that attaches to the box. Again, lubricating the inside rim of the coupling and the pipe itself is key to make this step a lot easier. Once it is in the groove tightly, I then transferred the sensor from the old air box to the pre-drilled hole in the intake pipe (on the throttle body side). Lubricating the rim of the sensor in this step helps as well.
Before going any further, I would recommend that anybody who is doing this spray some throttle body cleaner into the throttle body to clean up the TB itself. Since it is already right in front of you, it is a great idea to clean it out. A flexible pipe and clamps are provided with the kit, which are used in the next step. After attaching the flexible pipe and clamping it onto the throttle body, you can put the top clamp over the pipe. Don’t forget to do this, or you may stick the pipe in without the clamp and have to backtrack.
I was now ready to set the intake pipe in place next. After lubricating the outer rim of the size adapter, I slid it into the air box side first, and then rotated it to join and slide into the flexible pipe that I installed on the throttle body. After tightening the clamp on the TB side and connecting the sensor wire, I cleaned up the areas on the kit that I over lubricated and dried the whole thing down again with a rag. Last step! Time to install the pre-oiled filter element, which is also a part of the kit.
Once tightened in, the kit looks very slick. I installed the provided STOP warning decal and the sticker that makes this kit even better. It is the sticker that tells anyone who opens the hood that the performance intake meets emissions standards. In some states, this silver metallic sticker could save you a ticket down the road when a cop or a transportation officer decides it’s time to pop the hood.
Time to start her up! After the regular chugging which is caused by the throttle body cleaner I sprayed in, it fired right up as usual and idled perfectly. Stomping on the gas a few times made me feel the difference immediately. The sound was a nicer throatier one and the throttle response was definitely crisper. On the first test drive, under load and revving high, the intake sound was enough to rival any performance car out there. The great thing, was that under normal acceleration, it didn’t seem much louder than stock. Only stepping into it hard unleashed the fun, attention grabbing growl from the bone stock Civic. We are amused.
Overall, the kit was very well designed and quite easy to install. A weekend DIY enthusiast would have no problem with kit and you can manage it using a few common hand tools and some soapy water. It fits in very nicely, mounting to stock points, and visually blends in as if it was meant to be there. The sound and performance is excellent as well. With no modifications, the kit worked perfectly. Hats off to the guys at K&N who spend all their time making these kits fit so well, and perform even better. Jenny B sends you her regards as well. She is overly happy with the intake and very excited to drive around in her little growling Civic.
Nadeem
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