ZR Intake=Junk

fastsc92

Registered User
I just got my intake kit from ZR and i must say, it was the worst piece of workmanship i've ever seen. First off, the install started good. I put the lower section on and headed to the couplers. The 3.5" couplers fit good, nice and smooth. The 3" couple barely fit over the MAF side with much stuggling for about an hour. Then the TB coupler would not go on at all. Its a 75mm TB and i thought that was the problem, so i dug out the stocker and it fit the same. The coupler would NOT go onto the TB. After i modified the crap out of the thermo coupler...i kinda got it on. Then when i went to install the tube, nothing lined up. Turns out that the plate the bolts to the car (must just be for looks, cause i dont see any function...) was way off. The car has an oval in the body for the stock system, and the new kit has a similar design. The pipe wouldn't line up at all because the oval wasn't even close to being big enough so the bottom section was hitting and bound up even before the tube was in place. Now i dont know if the plate was right and the tube wasn't bent enough, or the tube was fine and the plate was wrong. Who knows. Just saying that for $200....you should get a kit that fits and not spend a whole night redesigning the product. Now i have to find a way to make this POS come together. Take it that i'm not some newbie SC owner....I know this car and how it goes together as i do every mod myself. Something is just not right with this kit. Maybe i got a bad apple or they are all like this. Basically i wasted $200 for a piece of crap. I'm so pissed that its just going in the trash. Anyone else have this trouble?
 
Ummmm

Why wouldnt you just talk to the person you bought it from rather then right off the bat bashing a product on here?

Something to think about
 
Sorry i just vented like that. It was 3am and I've been working with this thing for hours. Rather than get mad and damage the car/tools/parts....i had to come on here and blow off some steam. I just wanted to know if anyone else has had problems such as mine or i got a bad kit. The mounting plate looks correct, is has a smaller opening than the stock hole, but when the kit goes together....i cant angle the tubes right without it hitting the mounting hole.
 
Because i was wrestling the coupler onto the TB....now the TB is cracked/bent/deformed at the end. Now i'm gunna need a new TB. Wonderful.................. :mad: Please just shoot me....i'm ready to smash this kit into pieces. :eek:
 
So long as the TB blade opens and doesnt stick dont worry abut that..Those couplers also need to be pliable to go over a larger TB...Was it cold out?..Good luck though..I havnt heard many complain about the ZR intake.
 
yeah it's a pain in the ***, this is how i got it on. I shaved a little off the inside right at the start. then covered the TB and the inside of the coupler with vaseline, and heated it with a blow dryer, it still didn't want to go on but it eventually did. I love it, it looks sooo good, and fitting mine in wasn't that much of a hassle. Just have some patience, it does work.
 
Another tip: Microwave some water in a bowl for 1-2 minutes. Place the coupler in the water for 20 seconds and it should slide on the TB or pipe easier.
 
cougarsc said:
Another tip: Microwave some water in a bowl for 1-2 minutes. Place the coupler in the water for 20 seconds and it should slide on the TB or pipe easier.

I wonder if I could use that trick with condoms.
 
why would you want to stick your wang in hot water?

No, seriously, I fought it also. I don't think it fits well with an aftermaket maf and tb. It must throw off the length. I could get it over my BBK 75tb fine, but I had to remove the plate and also trimmed the pipe up.
good luck
 
If it is a close fit and the aftermarrket mass air and TB are slightly different it can potentially cause problems..I havnt had a cold air kit fit perfect for my mustang yet..And I tried them all
 
I finally got it done. I took a grinder to the inside of the TB coupler and took out a lot of material. Once that was done...i was ok. Then the rest of the system was still tight, but it came together. It was rubbing a lot on the mounting plate, so i went out and got some door edge gaurd for car doors...and used that to line the inside of the hole so that no rubbing would occur. It does look good, i was just upset that it took that much time to complete everything. Anyways its done and i'll get some pics up of the complete motor tommorrow. Oh by the way...those couplers aren't like a normal CAI. Most systems just have some blue silicone connectors, but the ZR kit uses thermo couplers...which are silicon reinforced with nylon thread and then wrapped in a blue material, so they dont give as much as the cheapy couplers. These connections are made for 1500* temps...so i dont think heating would do a thing. All and all....its done and i'm happy. I took it for a spin and it had some major hesitation when i got on it. I checked everything 3 or 4 times....then finally it just went away after i kept driving it. Didn't know what was wrong, so i checked the codes and said i had a MAF reading below min value. I cleared the codes and all is good. Must have just got a bad reading or had some oil from the K&N on the MAF wires. The set-up performs the same as my old kit, i just like this clean style better. Any buyers for the old kit?....$30 takes it.
 
What is your old intake....I need something decent looking and atleast something bigger than the stock tube...
 
Mine was a pain in the A$$ too...

I have the intake as well and it was a pita to get it all on. I had to heat the couplers, and then slid them on with a flat blade screwdriver...was really tight... But I finally got it on. At least its tight and does not leak. Took some patience though. The MAC cold air kit is nice as well, but has a bend before the MAF, some say its bad others don't. I know people that run them and all is well, just a thought. Glad that you got it on finally!!!

Drew
 
It's times like these that I think of my 82 year old mother's saying "getting older is not for wimps" and, I always like to reply "owning an SC isn't either Mom" ("Mum" to those in Canada, Australia & the UK).
 
I have felt your pain. I installed the ZR on my 92 last year and it was tight. With a little heat and a lot of swearing I got it on. I can't think of a cold air system I would rather have on my SC.
 
yes i'm happy with it now, i was just frustrated....here's a pic of everything installed.

433758_35_full.jpg

433758_39_full.jpg

433758_38_full.jpg
 
Is that tube bent at all? It looks straight. I have a straight tube, 3" diam., and it does not line up between the tb and elbow going into the filter in the fender.

Your engine looks great- both after and before! :cool:
 
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