By: Rob Perin of Wahington TTORA
The theory behind this modification is to make is easier for your engine to take in air. Back in the good old days, racers would remove the air filter and it's cover when at the track. This made the intake system less restrictive and when the engine breathes easier, which turns out more power. However, it is very unwise to offroad without an airfilter. Since the stock Tacoma intake system is fairly restrictive, this mod gets you the best of both worlds - relatively unrestricted intake with full filtration. Plus, it enhances the sound.
One word of caution: this mod is not recommended for supercharged Tacomas unless you have performed some serious fuel system upgrades. The engine breathes quite well with the stock intake system and opening the airbox contributes to "pinging" with the supercharger.
A deckplate is a simple device originally used for creating an access hole through the bottom of an aluminum boat. It is basically a circular frame with a removable center.A deckplate can be purchased at nearly any local boat parts supplier.
This mod can also be done with the 4 cylinder air box, it just takes a bit of work to fit a deckplate larger than 3" onto the flat side of the box. The procedure is the same.
Parts/Materials Needed:
- Stock Airbox
- 3" or 4" or 5" Deckplate
- 3/4" Stainless, Pan-head screws
- 1 Tube "Sensor Safe" Silicon Sealant
Tools Needed:
- Metric Socket Set
- Screwdrivers
- Drill and Bits
- Dremmel or similar tool suitable for cutting 1/4" plastic
- Towels
- Sharpie Marking Pen
Estimated Time: less than 1 Hour
Procedure:
First, you'll need to remove the factory air box. There are 3 12mm bolts holding the air box in place. Additionally, you'll need to remove any vacuum hoses that are attached to the air box.
Once you have the airbox out, place the deckplate against the front side of the box and trace around the hole with a Sharpie marking pen. I used a 4", black deckplate, purchased from a boat parts counter. I offset the deckplate slightly to the passenger side to better clear the washer fluid neck for ease of removal/install.
Once you have the deckplate traced on the box, you need to remove enough material to pop the deckplate in. I drilled a starter hole, then used the Dremmel to cut the opening.
You may need to trim a bit of material away to enlarge the hole before fitting the deckplate. You want the hole to be a snug fit, but a bit of irregularity in your cutting will be covered by the flange on the deckplate itself.
Once the hole is suitable, mark the screw holes with the sharpy and remove the deckplate. Drill pilot holes for the stainless-steel screws. Before you reinsert the deckplate, place a continuous bead of \"sensor-safe\", black, silicon around the inside of the flange, align the screw holes and fit the deckplate to the airbox. If the silicon is not \"sensor-safe,\" you will need to leave your airbox out of the truck for at least 24 hours or you will get a \"Check Engine\" light from the fumes coming off the sealant messing with the MAF sensor.
Insert the screws and tighten them down.
All that is left is reinstalling the airbox into the truck. Go slow and take your time so that you don't miss anything.
Operation is simple: Plate out for street and dry off-road; plate in for puddles, small lakes and wet off-road. The first time you drive it with the plate out, you will hear the difference - the engine sounds stronger. There seems to be a slight horsepower increase, but there are't any dyno results confirming this. Some folks have also reported an increase in mileage of a few MPG, others have reported a loss of a few MPG. The beauty of this mod is that if you are not content with having a hole in your airbox, you can simply leave the deckplate installed, which functions as a stock unit.
