[Euro] How to remove intake resonator and where is it anyway?

[BiLL|z0r]

A popular and cheap mod for a good intake sound and maybe an extra pony or 2 is to remove the air intake res. My query where is it in the Euro and how to remove it? When I follow the intake pipe back from the air box it disappears to the right of the engine bay. I can't see what in there cause the underneath of the car and wheel arch is blocked by plastic panels. I assume it's down there somewhere. So I don't start ripping random panels off what's the easiest way to find it and then remove it. Do I have to remove the front bumper?
Pics would help if you have them.

[chunsa]

hi, i removed the front bumper to remove the resonator i only have one pic to show u where the resonator is and hope it might give some more insight into the matter

removing the bumper should be easy (i used the service manual bought from ebay)

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/2041/dsc01047i5rk.th.jpg (http://img240.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc01047i5rk.jpg)

the resonator is located towards the bottom right below the headlight (see that gap, that was where the resonator was) it is held by 2 bolts (10mm socket should do it)

i used this site to help me remove the resonator http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19933

[BusterSonic12]

i removed my last week, and replaced with a comptech air intake kit :D good stuff... for me the 06 euros are such a pain, i had to remove front bumper off, to reach the bolts. Thanks to Aaron helping me on the job :P

anyway, what i did was. remove right wheel off, undo front bumper, and undo the clips for the inner fenders. once you removed the fender you will see the resonator. it's quite big.... also if you wait, i will do a DIY on my comptech intake in a couple of days, then u can see with photos :D

[BiLL|z0r]

That would be great BusterSonic. Post here or pm me when your diy is done. I really wanna hear my VTEC.

[EuroDude]

BusterSonic, you mean remove the left wheel, not the right wheel yeah?

[Ferrarista]

Sounds like a good idea, has someone done it and not replaced it with a OM intake?

[BusterSonic12]

right wheel??? umm... when you look at it from the front...
to make this clear... the passenger's side.
It was like a 2hour job, since i had to remove the bumper. If you just remove resonator and leave it as it is. There's a kinda of buzzing sound around 2500-3000rpm when u full throttle, but you can hear vtec. but then after a week i install the icebox which fixed the buzzing noise.

ANYWAY, the comptech icebox's superb~!! so smooth acceleration, hear vtec. :D

should have my DIY done by Wednesday :D also got before and after sound clips :P

[EuroAccord13]

Has your's got foglights? If there are no foglights, you do not need to remove the front bumper to take out the resonator, just the wheel...

[yfin]

Sounds like a good idea, has someone done it and not replaced it with a OM intake?

what is a OM intake?

[Ferrarista]

what is a OM intake?
Other Manufacturer ie Injen/Ice box etc

[EuroDude]

@Ferr I think the word you are looking for is AfterMarket.

OM or OEM means Original Equipment Manufacturer :thumbsup:


There are a few ppl in the US who just removed the resonator, and they mention that a bit of low rpm torque is lost but WOT and VTEC power is gained. A CAI would muffle the excess vibration/noise heard at around 2500rpm-3000rpm, and I think someone said the CAI recovered some of the lost 1000rpm torque.

http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19933

[Pumped]

I removed mine and installed an INJEN Cai without needing to take the front bar off :)

[BiLL|z0r]

How pumped?

I have a Std model with no foggies so assume that makes it a little easier?

[EuroDude]

Yeah but even so, you need a short socket wrench to remove the bolt, which is apparently harder to remove on the 06 models according to the TSX forum.

In all honesty, it may be much easier/quicker to remove the right side of the bumper.
The bumper isnt hard to remove anyway.

[Pumped]

Theres one bolt thats a Bitch to get at, i probably should have removed the front bumper but i did get it done by just removing the front left wheel.

[mugen88]

If you have foglight holes and no fog lights such as the Euro STD model you can reach in through that opening and undo the hardest to reach bolt to remove resonator on the pre face lifted Euro model. I have a 06 lux and it took me an hour to loosen that one bolt without removing the front bumper.

Check this link out it has a whole write with pics on removing the resonator, hope it helps.

http://www.pryor-place.com/honda/TSXInjenCAI_DIY.htm

[EuroDude]

Nice find Mugen, those pics help alot :thumbsup:

[Unkie]

I read around about removing the resonator yesterday, and decided to remove it today.

It took me just over an hour, with some help from the AZ-TSX forum. I wont go into the tech details, it's very well covered elsewhere. My hand is red and abraised thanks to having to reach through the sharp-edged fog light hole (im sure honda thinks sharp edges are good for aero).
I've got the lux, so had to remove the fog light, which was easily done by removing one screw medially through the lower air vent.

In any case, it's a cheap (free) mod as the poor-man's CAI. The intake now sucks air exactly from where the CAI would, and there is a nice addition of intake roar from 3k rpm upwards (although not as noticable in my car coz of the exhaust). You can hear it pulse and suck, and the engine has a much meatier tone to it.

I went for a zip around a nearby industrial estate. It will not be noticed plodding around town, and passengers who do not take notice of how ur engine sounds normally would be hard pressed to know the difference ("there! did u hear that? it was a little bit louder and beefier..." "uhh... no?"). (But hey, who does these mods for their passensers sake??).

It does add to the NVH of the car, that can both be heard and felt as vibrations, and things like the rear view mirror vibrating under load.

I would be very reluctant to say that there is a difference in power, but there may well be some placebo effect in feeling that there is more power up top, and that may just be worth it =) Seriously, i very much doubt i'd be able to feel an extra 1-2kw if it was to be gained.
As for any loss of low down torque, nothing discernable to me. I'm sure you'd lose more just by having your air-con on!

Again, if you take your car as a hobby, and want an extra something to play with, or get a feel for the intake sound without having to commit to a CAI, then this is a good easy mod to do. It is well worth it for that extra bit of aural pleasure to yourself.

[Unkie]

Oh btw, if anyone does removes their any time soon, try shouting into one end of the tubing, and see if your voice comes out muffled or quieter at the other end (i.e. how much of an effect the resonator has).
Just for the fun of it :p

[BusterSonic12]

Yeah but even so, you need a short socket wrench to remove the bolt, which is apparently harder to remove on the 06 models according to the TSX forum.

In all honesty, it may be much easier/quicker to remove the right side of the bumper.
The bumper isnt hard to remove anyway.

yepyep... not hard at all... easilier with 2 people.
no way of doing it on 06 without remove.. i reckon... i try so hard...
ended up, removing bumper... easiler than i thought

[aaronng]

If you have an 03-05, you can do it without removing the bumper. If you have fog lights, then the cover should be bolted on and you have no choice but to take the bumper off.

Use a 1/4" drive ratchet. The bolt is 10mm and you can easily reach it from the fog light cover. Loosening it is another matter as you will be crouched at the front of your car while you feel the ratchet move a tiny little bit before running out of room. I almost wanted to buy one of those Sidchrome 1/4" rotator ratchets! LOL

If you have an 06, then you're SOL and have to take the front bumper off. It's not too difficult with 2 people though.

[BiLL|z0r]

Sorry to bring up an old topic but I finally got time to remove the resonator today. Took longer than expected but I was trying to do it with a 2yr jumping on me and without removing the tyre. Long story short, my son went inside and I removed the tyre.
I took it for a test drive and OMG I nearly cremed myself :)
Cruising around at 2k rpm it's just normal but give it some stick & w0000000000t. I agree with some of the other comments with the vibration at 3k-3.5k rpm but you get used to it and the noice of the intake makes the vibration seem like nothing. The vibration is just a resonating vibration and sound so I guess that's why it's called a resonator :)

Power wise it's definately more responsive. Some say you may loose some low down torque but I didn't notice this and don't mind anyway as it might stop me from wheel spinning from a standing start ;). It climbs from 3k to 6k quicker. Not sure if it makes any top power increase but driving experience is definately more fun.

Anyway, for any1 who is thinking about this cheap mod ($0) I say GET OFF YOUR CHAIR AND DO IT RIGHT NOW!
Next job is to run a short pipe from the front bumper up to the air box.

Let the modding begin.

[yfin]

Sorry to bring up an old topic but I finally got time to remove the resonator today. Took longer than expected but I was trying to do it with a 2yr jumping on me and without removing the tyre. Long story short, my son went inside and I removed the tyre.
I took it for a test drive and OMG I nearly cremed myself :)
Cruising around at 2k rpm it's just normal but give it some stick & w0000000000t. I agree with some of the other comments with the vibration at 3k-3.5k rpm but you get used to it and the noice of the intake makes the vibration seem like nothing. The vibration is just a resonating vibration and sound so I guess that's why it's called a resonator :)

Power wise it's definately more responsive. Some say you may loose some low down torque but I didn't notice this and don't mind anyway as it might stop me from wheel spinning from a standing start ;). It climbs from 3k to 6k quicker. Not sure if it makes any top power increase but driving experience is definately more fun.

Anyway, for any1 who is thinking about this cheap mod ($0) I say GET OFF YOUR CHAIR AND DO IT RIGHT NOW!
Next job is to run a short pipe from the front bumper up to the air box.

Let the modding begin.

Great post :thumbsup: Why do you want to stuff around with piping to the air box though? Just get the Icebox for $250 and you will be happy. You can also keep that K&N panel filter. Or if you want more aggressive tone get a full CAI but I wouldn't recommend it with your auto.

[EuroDude]

^Why not with an Auto? does it sound different? Or is it because the Auto generally keeps the revs higher causing excessive NVH?

[yfin]

^Why not with an Auto? does it sound different? Or is it because the Auto generally keeps the revs higher causing excessive NVH?

Well the theory is - unless you get a reflash or ECU tune you are going to notice the torque loss down low due to the long gear ratios in the auto. Or at least it will be more noticeable than the 6MT where the revs can rise faster. Further, a full CAI really shines in the upper range where the auto again spends less time (well at street legal speeds anyway - the auto does not hit 2nd gear 6000rpm VTEC until over 100kph). Something like the icebox preserves the low range and also gains mid range which also suits the auto IMO. Others may disagree.

[BusterSonic12]

not sure about injen or k&N intake.
but with my "auto" euro with the comptech box, u can surely feel the gain also just sound so much nicer when vtec kicks in

[EuroDude]

So I guess u need to use the Auto box in Manual Mode to get the most out of a CAI, or have a 6AT ftw

[yfin]

So I guess u need to use the Auto box in Manual Mode to get the most out of a CAI, or have a 6AT ftw

Prob is you have the same ratios - honda made the 1st and 2nd gear too long in the auto. We don't need top end speed in Oz anyway.

[sodaz]

Prob is you have the same ratios - honda made the 1st and 2nd gear too long in the auto. We don't need top end speed in Oz anyway.

Whether it's AT or MT i think airbox setups are better than CAI for daily driving because of throttle responsiveness in low revs. Usable power is most important for everyday applications.

[dsp26]

guys i helped a mate do this today...

you don't need to take the bumper/wheel/RESONATOR off...

i just removed the pipe the connects the airbox to the resonator. took 15mins....

[aaronng]

Didn't you remove the resonator box too? If you don't take it out, there won't be enough space to put the filter for the CAI in the bumper cavity.

[BiLL|z0r]

I took everything out simply because no point having it there if not used and gave more air flow from the front to the air box.

[dsp26]

Didn't you remove the resonator box too? If you don't take it out, there won't be enough space to put the filter for the CAI in the bumper cavity.

it was a pain in the arse to try and remove the bumper, we removed as many of the palstic clips and bolts we could but for some reason bumper was stuck on the side still. and yes i read the howto guide that was linked in an earlier post... didn't have net access there so couldn't go back to it for re-reading...

it's pretty much running stock airbox as per owners request to be "undefectable" and will put a replacement panel.

you know that pipe i was talking about, the intake part of it that goes back into the engine bay from the bottom? it left a gap there in the inner guard so we're going to try some flexible metal duct pipe from bunnings and feed it from the box through there to the gap in front bumper or connect it to the intake tract in front of the batter... it's in a pretty good place anyway

i must say though it sounds a lot meatier.

[E-Gene]

Actually, removing the bumper was super easy.

2 screws at the wheels arches. 4 bolts and many clips later, all you need to do is just to pull the bumper towards you and *tadahh* you're done. I'm suprised that it was that easy.

[Entity]

slightly off topic but how much should i look at to have something like this professionally done?

or more specifically, a CAI installation?

[aaronng]

slightly off topic but how much should i look at to have something like this professionally done?

or more specifically, a CAI installation?

Only if you have money to waste.

[E-Gene]

I'm sure that there are many helpful members out there that are more then willing to give you a hand with the installation.

If you were in Melbourne, I'll give you a hand with it.

[Entity]

lol damn i'm in sydney.. better not take this too far off topic

i guess i'll start my own "seeking help thread" and see if theres anyone who's done this in sydney that can help me for a slab of beer or something :P

[BusterSonic12]

slightly off topic but how much should i look at to have something like this professionally done?

or more specifically, a CAI installation?

i m a totally noob to cars. red p. 3months i got the car. i did it. just follow the step that came with your CAI.

[ginganggooly]

Anyone strapped it to a dyno for some before and after resonator runs?