I got a 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse, and i have a AEM short ram installed, and i was just curious about when i should clean the air filter? and how do i do it? i installed it about 5 months ago and have not cleaned it. i haven‘t really gone on any long road trips though.Question 2: Whats the difference between the long cold air intake and the short ram? i have the short ram, would i notice any difference with the long one?i didn‘t get the long one because with the 99 eclipse it can suck water up on rainy days? is that true because it stays pretty close to the ground.10 POINTS TO WHOEVER ANSWER BOTH MY QUESTIONS THE BEST! :]
The longevity of the air filter solely depends on what you usually drive on. If you usually drive on pavement, every 6-8 months it should be cleaned, but checked regularly as well. For dustier conditions, check it more often and clean it as necessary, about once every three months. The short ram intake gives more torque than horsepower rather than a true cold air intake. A cold air intake gets a cooler charge of air seeing as it is closer to a cooler air charge rather than being in the engine bay. Both the short ram and the CAI do boost both horsepower and torque, but differently. The CAI does not use less air. The amount of air going into the engine is not dependent upon the intake piping itself rather than the amount the head of your engine can flow. Yes, there is the possibility that a true CAI can suck water into the intake piping and into the motor therefore hydrolocking it. If your vehicle is a daily driver then a short ram is most likely your best bet, but if you're looking to make your car a track-only vehicle, you might consider upgrading to a true CAI. AEM does make a coupler that helps alleviate the chances for sucking water into the engine.
Cleaning the air filter depends on the environmental condition you usually drive in everyday. If you live in a dusty, back road type of environment, then cleaning your filter every 4-5 months is necessary. If you live in the city with lesser dust for the filter to catch, then every 8 months will suffice. There are kits sold out there for cleaning reusable air filters like KN filters. The kit includes a spray cleaner and another spray, usually oil base, to finish the whole process. It's pretty easy. Of course, the kit has it's instructions. Just go over it. I usually clean mine once a year and I have the long arm CAI. With the short ram, the gains are usually in the low end torque. Not much to gain in normally aspirated engine since it takes in the hot air in the engine bay. Short rams in turbo charged cars are okay since the air that goes to the engine is cooled in the intercooler before engine entry. A lot more can be gained with a CAI in a normally aspirated engine. Horsepower and torque gain is better and usually found to kick in at mid-high rpms which is what you want in normal driving or for racing. There is a tendency for the long arm intake in the 95-99 Eclipse to suck up water mainly because it's too close to the ground. As long as you don't drive through a flood, you should be okay. Normal rainy conditions do not seem to affect my car and like I said, I have the long arm intake. I've had mine for about 9 years. I use KN filter and never ventured with anything else.
Question 1: To clean the filter your going to need time its not a quick job if you want to do it right, get the AEM solvent and oil, the simplest way i have found to do this is to get a 5 gallon water bucket full of warm water, spray the cone with the solvent (this acts like soap) and dip the cone in and out until debris falls off (make sure that there is no water going to the inside of the cone the inside should be somewhat clean and you don't want the dirty water flowing to the interior of the cone) spray the cone again dip again usually i get a second bucket of clean water and do it again with the clean water, do this at least 3 times with the solvent. If you have an air compressor air dry it as much as you can and let it sit until its completely dry. then spray with the oil and let it sit until its completely dry again, and make sure not to over apply the oil 1 thin coat all the way through let it sit til it dries then put a second light coat. I usually clean mine on the 3 oil change regardless of driving conditions. Question 2: the short ram bolts onto the air box space while the long ram you have to take off more plastic because it goes by the fender and the bumper, if you are worried about the water get the AEM Air bypass valve for your application while this is not the answer to the problem it is a precaution and remember the intake has to be submerged in the water not just from driving in the rain. the long ram would be to your advantage because it gets CLEAN COLD AIR and at the same time it gets a deeper sound and its been proven on the Dyno graph to be superior in horsepower. I wish you would have given more info on your motor and i would have given you exact differences. The long ram also has the area so that you can put the Air Bypass valve.
