The Brute Force intake is such a great deal because it comes with a throttle body spacer and an oiling kit in addition to the intake and filter. Most companies charge extra for these items. The kits offered by AEM are available with aluminum tubes that are either polished or powder coated in silver. Follow along as a powder coated AEM Brute Force Intake is installed on a 6 cylinder 2003 Freedom Edition TJ Wrangler.
The first part of the project is to remove the stock intake. To accomplish this the EGR hose must be disconnected, the clamp securing the tube must be loosened and the stock air box must be removed from the fender. The kit came with detailed instructions on this procedure.
The next step is to install the shield that keeps dirt, water and mud away from the new open intake. This shield uses one of the existing radiator bolt locations, an existing hole in the inner fender and the strut rod that runs from the grille to the firewall to secure it. Note the rubber weather striping type material that is used to keep the top edge of the shield from cutting anything. Once the shield is in place the throttle body spacer must be installed. This is a simple procedure that involves removing the four stock bolts, lifting the throttle body, sliding the spacer and the new gasket in-between the throttle body and the intake and then bolting it back down with the supplied bolts. There is also a spacer used to space up the bracket that holds the throttle cable and cruise control cable to account for the added height of the throttle body.
Once the throttle bodyand shield are in place the tube is the next item on the list to install. The first step is to use the rubber coupler to attach the tube to the throttle body. The coupler is secured with two large hose clamps that actually say AEM on them. After the coupler is in place the other end of the tube is secured to an existing hole in the inner fender with a rubber spacer and supplied hardware. A new hose is provided to run from the tube to the EGR valve. After the tube is in place and the hose is installed the air filter is attached with another hose clamp. Once the filter is attached the installation is complete.
Here is a look at the completed install. There was a noticeable increase in power once the kit was in place. Fuel economy has increased to some extent as well but by no more than one additional mile per gallon. Although if a whole mile per gallon is gained with today's gas prices it will only take roughly 300 gallons of gas to pay for the intake meaning if one tank of gas is used per week it would take roughly 16 weeks to pay for the intake. By the time this article is published there will be a new filter like the one shown below available from AEM that will replace the red oiled filters that are currently supplied in the kit. The new filter is still reusable and can be washed just like the red filters but does not need to have oil applied to it before it is reinstalled. This added convenience makes it easier to clean the filter. The filter should be cleaned when ever it appears dirty which would be once every year depending on personal use.
To purchase an AEM intake click on the correct application below.
AEM Brute Force Air Intake System, Liberty, 2002-03 with 3.7L V6
AEM Brute Force Intake System, TJ, 1997-03 with 4.0L 6 cyl.
AEM Brute Force Intake System, TJ, 1997-02 with 2.5L 4 cyl.
AEM Brute Force Air Intake System, Grand Cherokee, 1993-98 with 5.2L or 5.9L V8
For more information or a list of applications you can visit AEM online by clicking their logo below:
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