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Afternoon fellow GL-ers
I just noticed the intake arm is torn (driver side), in sure this is affecting some performance. Not sure if this is a common issue but 2 other used GL450's (2013 and 2015) I previously saw also had the same tear.
Besides dealer replacements, are there any options for upgraded aftermarket "cold air" style intake at ducts?
It's called the raw air line. I just replaced one of mine, it affected the way my vehicle shifted gears once it tore.
Hey DC Benz, thanks for the info. Did you just go with a dealer OEM replacement option? Yea i figured it would have some affect on performance, cold air and engine are fond of one another
I went with OEM, I'm not really into that type of performance anymore, and besides what material would keep the ram air cooler than this cheap plastic covered in felt? Maybe a set of panel filters will get you 3whp vs a metal set of Raw air line tubes.
Originally Posted by andiego
Hey DC Benz, thanks for the info. Did you just go with a dealer OEM replacement option? Yea i figured it would have some affect on performance, cold air and engine are fond of one another
I discovered mine were torn too. Dealership replaced them under warranty. Started driving it again, and triggered the CEL. Not sure if its related but it exposed so many issues including a oil leak into the engine wire harness which leaked into the ECU, needed 8 new injectors, and a bunch of related items. I think it must've been over $10k in repairs under warranty.
Now if I can just find out about the charging system situation. Voltage ranges from 12.5-14.9 during operation. Dealership says its normal, but I've never seen a car that intermittently charges.
Last edited by Lawrence Lane; Aug 7, 2017 at 05:06 PM.
Reason: Inserting picture.
These tubes are really just horrible. Like an ACE bandage wrapped up to form a tube. Are they any diff on other M278 engine cars?? I don't care about "performance" in aftermarket parts more then I am longevity.
There was an owner who made their own out of off the shelf plastics auto tubing and couplers. I bought all the parts the too but haven’t done the swap. It looked like stock and easy to do. I will see what I can find and post back
**EDIT**
Found the info.
you will need 2 of these https://www.spectreperformance.com/s...aspx?prod=8741
Which you can find at any Autozone, O'riellys and Amazon. Only other thing I used was Zip ties. You can do that or clamps. I have now actually separated the factory Mesh breather tubes from the plastic and use the Plastic tubes (that attach to intake boxes). This makes it easier to take on and off. You will need to cut the tubes that you buy to fit. If you try using the factory plastic combined with the tubes you may only need one tube cut in half.
Last edited by black06c230; May 21, 2018 at 09:13 PM.
There was an owner who made their own out of off the shelf plastics auto tubing and couplers. I bought all the parts the too but haven’t done the swap. It looked like stock and easy to do. I will see what I can find and post back
**EDIT**
Found the info.
you will need 2 of these https://www.spectreperformance.com/s...aspx?prod=8741
Which you can find at any Autozone, O'riellys and Amazon. Only other thing I used was Zip ties. You can do that or clamps. I have now actually separated the factory Mesh breather tubes from the plastic and use the Plastic tubes (that attach to intake boxes). This makes it easier to take on and off. You will need to cut the tubes that you buy to fit. If you try using the factory plastic combined with the tubes you may only need one tube cut in half.
Thanks
Originally Posted by tachtevrenidis
why do mine look different? I don't see any 'fabric' parts here? (2015 GL450)
2015 and newer are V6 motors; not V8 like previous years thus different parts
There was an owner who made their own out of off the shelf plastics auto tubing and couplers. I bought all the parts the too but haven’t done the swap. It looked like stock and easy to do. I will see what I can find and post back
**EDIT**
Found the info.
you will need 2 of these https://www.spectreperformance.com/s...aspx?prod=8741
Which you can find at any Autozone, O'riellys and Amazon. Only other thing I used was Zip ties. You can do that or clamps. I have now actually separated the factory Mesh breather tubes from the plastic and use the Plastic tubes (that attach to intake boxes). This makes it easier to take on and off. You will need to cut the tubes that you buy to fit. If you try using the factory plastic combined with the tubes you may only need one tube cut in half.
These tubes are really just horrible. Like an ACE bandage wrapped up to form a tube. Are they any diff on other M278 engine cars?? I don't care about "performance" in aftermarket parts more then I am longevity.
They are the same on all M278 engines, going back to 2011. In fact, MB has been using these cloth intake tubes on almost all of their V8 cars going back to at least 2006. For a company with a reputation of "over-engineering" their cars, this seems like an obvious misstep.
Thanks guys for this amazing 'ghetto' air inlet tube mod.
Have you noticed any reduced airflow? I feel as though the tubes are slightly smaller in diameter?
How long have you guys been running the tubes for? I am with you guys, I absolutely do not want to replace the intakes with another material one that rubs on the top of the hood and fails.
I noticed the tubes on my MY 14 coming apart and used a shot of 3M spray fabric adhesive where it seperated - after a couple of months it's still holding - the reason I didn't go to the solid tube is because I believe the MB material is porous which may allow the engine to suck in additional air when needed - I figure if MB's been using this stuff since 2006 there must be a good reason.
I'm not sure if it is porous or not but if it is that means it's sucking in hotter air than from the "Ram" and if you sprayed adhesive you are limiting its porousness, right?
Originally Posted by happyeds
I noticed the tubes on my MY 14 coming apart and used a shot of 3M spray fabric adhesive where it seperated - after a couple of months it's still holding - the reason I didn't go to the solid tube is because I believe the MB material is porous which may allow the engine to suck in additional air when needed - I figure if MB's been using this stuff since 2006 there must be a good reason.
Basically the ones on my engine are in pretty good shape. The car has 50K, lived in Atlanta it's whole life and only serviced according to the book, they haven't been off and on more then half a dozen times. The material is porous because I could blow through it. The sprayed adhesive was about half an inch by one to two inches only on the material that came apart. Don't know about hotter air from the engine compartment. I doubt it has very little measurable effect on the overall performance.
Basically the ones on my engine are in pretty good shape. The car has 50K, lived in Atlanta it's whole life and only serviced according to the book, they haven't been off and on more then half a dozen times. The material is porous because I could blow through it. The sprayed adhesive was about half an inch by one to two inches only on the material that came apart. Don't know about hotter air from the engine compartment. I doubt it has very little measurable effect on the overall performance.
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