HOWTO: Remove Your Snorkus

[twohlix]

If you have a turbocharged Impreza(WRX/STI) with the stock intake, I imagine you cannot hear the the CBV very well. If you would like to, all you have to do is remove the Helmholtz Resonator that is in your car, aka the Snorkus.
If you have a Naturally Aspirated Subaru, Don't do this, see a thread about MAF sensor issues without the Snorkus: http://www.dirtyimpreza.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4570

Difficulty: Easy
Time: ~15 Minutes

Things you will need:
Jack
Jack Stands
Lugnut Wrench (19mm)
Small Flat-Blade Screw Driver
10mm Socket w/ Ratchet
Foam Tape (1/4")Step #1: Remove the Ram Air Intake
Removing the ram air intake requires a 10mm socket/wrench. There are only two bolts holding it on and they're right on the front of the engine bay.
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk271/twohlix/how%20to%20remove%20your%20snorkus/snorkus_removal63.jpg

Step #2: Remove the Front Right Wheel
Loosen the lugnuts on your front right wheel and then jack up the front of the car. Put both the front left and right side up in the air using jackstands. Then take the front right wheel completely off so you can easily access the fender and wheel liner.

Step #3: Peel the Wheel Liner Back
In order to get at the Snorkus, you have to peel the front right wheel liner back. In order to do that, you have to remove the pins holding the wheel liner to the fender. There are three of them and just use your flat blade screw driver to pop em out (dont break them, you need them). Once all three pins are out just push the wheel liner toward the back of the car and peel it away from the fender. You should now see a giant white bulbous thingy: that is the Snorkus.
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk271/twohlix/how%20to%20remove%20your%20snorkus/snorkus_removal09.jpghttp://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk271/twohlix/how%20to%20remove%20your%20snorkus/snorkus_removal21.jpg

Step #4: Remove the Snorkus
The Snorkus is held in by two bolts and one of them is a pain in the ass to remove. They both require a 10mm Socket/Wrench to get out. One is on the front side of the Snorkus inside the fender and that's the pain in the ass one (remove this one first). The second one is on the inside of the engine bay, by the hole the ram air dumps air in to. Remove the easy one second so the Snorkus doesn't fall onto your face. Once you've removed the bolts from the Snorkus pull it out through the wheel well.
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk271/twohlix/how%20to%20remove%20your%20snorkus/snorkus_removal25.jpghttp://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk271/twohlix/how%20to%20remove%20your%20snorkus/snorkus_removal12.jpg
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk271/twohlix/how%20to%20remove%20your%20snorkus/snorkus_removal33.jpg

Step #5: Reassemble
At this point reattach the wheel liner with the 3 pins (pulling the center back in the pins helps with reinsertion). Put your wheel back on and tighten it up a bit. Take your car off the jack stands and fully tighten the wheel (star pattern on the lug nuts).

At this point you can choose to either leave the ram air intake off or put it back on. However, if you want to put it back on, it will rattle against the ABS lines if you leave it as is. So what I did was put some 1/4" foam tape on the end of the ram air and reinstalled it. That solved the rattling issue, and now the fender will get air from the ram air instead of the engine bay (colder is better M I RITE?).
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk271/twohlix/how%20to%20remove%20your%20snorkus/snorkus_removal60.jpghttp://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk271/twohlix/how%20to%20remove%20your%20snorkus/snorkus_removal53.jpghttp://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk271/twohlix/how%20to%20remove%20your%20snorkus/snorkus_removal56.jpg

Step #6: Test Drive
Go out and test your car out. You should hear the CBV very clearly now. The air should be less restricted in your intake (always a good thing on a turbocharged car). It should save about a pound in weight too:roll:.

[RS-ti_Andy]

nice how to thread!

[JacksonRally]

Make sure you don't chew up your fender liner cause then you get all kinds of crap in your air box and they get right thru the air filter....cost me a motor!! Get the aftermarket elbow!!...forget what the name is.

[MConte05]

Or slice up the resonator and patch it for an el-cheapo elbow.

[williaty]

Thanks for including the bit about not doing this to an NA.

[kevinblahh]

Thanks for including the bit about not doing this to an NA.


woops..

[Draco-REX]

You forgot the final steps:

Place Snorkus on dresser.

Empty change nightly into large Snorkus hole.

When full, empty Snorkus and buy a new mod with change.

:D

Seriously though, if you have an 06/07 without foglights, you can get a foglight bezel from SubaruGenuineParts.com and snap it into your bumper. Instant cold-air intake. When you do that, it's also a good idea to get hte snap-in plate from SGP also to block the large hole in the engine bay.

[twohlix]

Thanks for including the bit about not doing this to an NA.
No problem, I noticed the thread on it and didn't want to get blamed/flamed for it.

Make sure you don't chew up your fender liner cause then you get all kinds of crap in your air box and they get right thru the air filter....cost me a motor!! Get the aftermarket elbow!!...forget what the name is.
I would rather make the elbow than pay $60 for it like MConte suggested.
What did you get that went through the filter? Would a better filter help? Perhaps a metal mesh over the air box entrance would prevent larger/higher momentum objects from entering the air box and keeping the 180 degree bend out of the air system. Maybe I'll do that this week, thanks for the heads up.

Seriously though, if you have an 06/07 without foglights, you can get a foglight bezel from SubaruGenuineParts.com and snap it into your bumper. Instant cold-air intake. When you do that, it's also a good idea to get hte snap-in plate from SGP also to block the large hole in the engine bay.
I have foglights, but good call on the idea. Thanks.

[JacksonRally]

Dirt, dirt and more dirt got past my filter. Whole engine had dirt in it....everywhere.

[RS-ti_Andy]

washing machine hose... and lots of putty or filler.. or even plastic.. fixes things

[twohlix]

This is just temporary anyhoo. Trying my hand at composites in a month or so to maybe make myself an intake for funsies. We'll see how that goes.

[Subie Gal]

I 100% DO NOT RECOMMEND DOING THIS if you are going to play in the dirt.

You either need to block off that hole, or install the elbow

you will really regret this "mod" (which does nothing for performance) if you play in the dirt and don't block off that hole.

Jamie http://www.subiegal.com/subiegal-smilie.png (http://www.subiegal.com/)

[twohlix]

I 100% DO NOT RECOMMEND DOING THIS if you are going to play in the dirt.

You either need to block off that hole, or install the elbow
Dirt, dirt and more dirt got past my filter. Whole engine had dirt in it....everywhere.
Thanks for the heads up both of you. I think I'll make the elbow out of the Snorkus like suggested. Once again, thanks.

[T-Heineken]

I found the GP Motorsports elbow on ebay for $10....so check your local NASIOC chapter and ebay before you try and make something.

[Savenfiddy]

so am i understanding that taking the snokus off gains no hp? Just sound?:shootsself:

[409industries]

The delete is a great mod, i would suggest the GP Moto elbow as well, you can find them cheap. I got one used on NASIOC for like $20, but T-Heineken says you can find them on ebay for even less!

http://www.subarureview.com/images/1257.jpg

[williaty]

so am i understanding that taking the snokus off gains no hp? Just sound?:shootsself:
Yup. Exactly. On turbo, you just get more wooshie noises. On an NA, you get some limited growl and a whole host of other problems.

[573]

To draw from the stock intake without blowing money on the elbow, I just cut up the snorkus and used jb weld to seal it off with a piece of abs plastic. I drilled a small hole in the bottom so any ingested water can drain. Not sure how necessary the hole is, but the snorkus had it so I figured I'd do it as well.

http://www.cgbagne.com/wrx/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/img_2464.jpg

I wouldn't really recommend this mod. The difference in sound is negligable when you draw from a safe point, so it's not worth the time IMO.