p2r throttle body spacer/gaskets install

xjohnkdoex · 03-10-2008, 01:43 PM

so i took some time yesterday to install the p2r throttle body spacer/gaskets into my tsx. here's a pretty crude diy. forgive me if there are any errors with sizing or whatnot with the hardware used. i try to make note of everything. apologies ahead of time for the pic quality. i'm still waiting on my new canon point/shoot camera in the mail so these were taken with my phone.

what's in the bundle:
-aluminum spacer (1)
-throttle body heat gaskets (2)
-bolts (4)
-washers (4)
-1/8” NPT plug (1)

tools:
-socket wrench (12mm, 13mm, 10mm and 7/32" optional) with various extensions
-box end wrench (12mm)
-razor blade
-teflon tape (optional)
-philips screw driver
-about an hour or less

i pretty much chose the evasive approach to installing this aka uninstalling/removing the least amount of tubing, wiring, etc...to get this done. but if you choose to remove all the various tubes and hook-ups in the area, the whole thing would probably go a lot faster (maybe).

here's a diagram of the TB and its various parts which i'll try to refer to.

-disconnect whatever intake piping you may have to the throttle body (I have the stock tube since my intake is the comptech icebox, so you'll need to loosen the screw that holds the clamp down there--you can either use a screw driver or a 7/32" socket...i chose the socket b/c i didn't have a screwdriver small enough and didn't want to burr the head)

-for more leverage or slack, you may want to remove any accompanying sensors or brackets. if you look at the pic above, you'll see a braket holding the TB and tube together (figure # 8 and #5 in the diagram). you can take that off with a 10mm socket. this will help you move the TB to the side and get the bolts and studs.

-remove the two 12mm bolts (#9 in diagram)
-remove the two 12mm nuts (#7 in diagram, they're on the studs with the blue tips in the pic)

-use the two nuts to remove the remaining studs in the intake manifold by screwing them in bottom end-to-bottom end like so, then using the 12 mm box end wrench to remove (twist the bottom nut). note: after removing the first stud, if the nuts are locked, just use the box end and socket wrenches on each nut simultaneously and loosen.

also, try, TRY, not to lose these nuts. i actually dropped one into my engine bay (stupid). i actually thought it fell into the intake manifold b/c i couldn't find it, but after sending my magnet probe into the IM, nothing stuck onto it. and the drop sounded pretty long, so i'm really hoping it's lodged somewhere below. still, i never found it. worse comes to worse, you can find another 12mm nut, say, by the fuel rail and use it in it's place. just put it back from where you got it from.

aforementioned studs:

removal of studs with nut/box end wrench technique:

it takes a long-ass time to get these out b/c there isn't much room to turn your wrench.

-carefully remove throttle body…be sure not to get anything into the intake manifold

-use razor blade to remove stock gasket and any residual adhesive on opening…again, avoid letting anything get into the intake manifold. there will probably be dried gasket material on the corners where the bolts go through on the TB. it's tough to scrape all off b/c the metal surface is so fine and smooth, and the layer of the gasket stuck on is quite thin. i just left whatever was left since it'll be touching the gasket anyways and there is so little left on there.

stock gasket:

at this point, prepare your TB spacer kit. for about $1.29, you can get a roll of teflon tape at home depot for the included 1/8" plug. or you, can spend a little more (i think $2-3 bucks) on a 1/8" brass NPT plug which home depot also sells. i figure if i just get the teflon, i'm saving my self the extra trouble of installing the brass one and still possibly dealing with the whistling noise of a bad seal.

spacer with plug/teflon:

-line up spacer and gaskets together, then add the throttle body on top

-use new bolts/washers and tighten down with 13mm socket wrench.

-re-attach sensors, intake piping, and whatever other hardware removed earlier

-take it for a spin to make sure there isn't any whistling or issues.

some random notes:

-with the added spacer and gaskets, the little slack that i had with the stock tubing is pretty much gone. that rubber is really tough to bend, and i think it was starting to crimp a little at the airbox end.

-i only really drove around the block after i installed this to make sure the npt plug wasn't whistling, and to confirm the nut i dropped wasn't in the IM (no rattling, engine didn't breakdown). as such, i can't really say definatively that there was more low-end torque or anything, especially since the ecu needs to adjust. i didn't unplug/reconnect my battery, but i might do that this week.

-i made a post about this in the problems/fixes section, but say if the nut did fall into my IM, my engine would get f'ed up, right? i really probed the interior the best i could with my magnet about 5 different times and nothing stuck to it. so i'm pretty sure it wasn't in there or else it would've gotten picked up. i really think it just fell into the engine bay b/c it dinged around a few times before it stoped.

ATX-TX Speed · 03-10-2008, 02:44 PM

nice write up; look forward to hearing if you see any gains from this mod

jrhonda · 03-10-2008, 04:16 PM

so how thick is this spacer?

also, did you have to purchase a stock gasket for 1) to put between the intake manifold and spacer. 2) put another stock gasket between the spacer and throttle body.???? did you have to did something like this?

I have an Injen CAI so I am really concerned with having to buy a modified rubber elbow that connects the throttle body to the CAI. Any information to share about this or is it even an issue?

another thing, what exactly does the spacer do as far as mechanically or performance wise??

thank you

jrhonda

xjohnkdoex · 03-10-2008, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrhonda

so how thick is this spacer?

also, did you have to purchase a stock gasket for 1) to put between the intake manifold and spacer. 2) put another stock gasket between the spacer and throttle body.???? did you have to did something like this?

I have an Injen CAI so I am really concerned with having to buy a modified rubber elbow that connects the throttle body to the CAI. Any information to share about this or is it even an issue?

thank you

jrhonda

according to p2r, the spacer itself is 3/4" thick. i do have thermal throttle body gaskets with the spacer. if you look at the last pic, you'll see the IM, white thermal TB gasket, the black spacer, another white thermal TB gasket, then the throttle body (going left to right). without the gaskets, it wouldn't really make sense to add the spacer. any gain in airflow would be negated by heat.

i'm not sure what injen owners can do. form what i recall, that plastic elbow looks pretty thick. you may want to see if you can get some rubber sleeve, maybe like the one k&n has for its CAI, so you can cut it/shorten it so there won't be fitment issues. i know that's what some TL owners have done if they have an SRI with those rubber connecting sleeves.

to further reduce heat, there is a TB coolant bypass mod you can do, but i haven't done it yet. not sure if i will. that'll decrease the temp of the TB even more and help the temp of the air. the flipside is if you live in a really cold area, you may not want to do the bypass since it helps heat up the TB and keeps the inside form sticking.

chuson · 03-10-2008, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrhonda

so how thick is this spacer?

also, did you have to purchase a stock gasket for 1) to put between the intake manifold and spacer. 2) put another stock gasket between the spacer and throttle body.???? did you have to did something like this?

I have an Injen CAI so I am really concerned with having to buy a modified rubber elbow that connects the throttle body to the CAI. Any information to share about this or is it even an issue?

thank you

jrhonda

Spacer is 3/4" thick, as listed on any website product info.

Yes, xjohnkdoex has 2 Throttle Body gasket,. He sandwiched it on to the throttle body spacer, and isolated all possible heat.

Why would you need a modified ruble elbow for CAI? The Injen CAI goes right into the throttle body...

xjohnkdoex · 03-10-2008, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuson

Spacer is 3/4" thick, as listed on any website product info.

Yes, xjohnkdoex has 2 Throttle Body gasket,. He sandwiched it on to the throttle body spacer, and isolated all possible heat.

Why would you need a modified ruble elbow for CAI? The Injen CAI goes right into the throttle body...

true, but you also have the bracket afterwards that has that vibration mount.

if you're adding 3/4"+ to that whole area, you're basically pushing the CAI to the right that same amount of distance. i'm assuming then the bracket won't be lined up to where it should be bolted down.

jrhonda · 03-10-2008, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuson

Spacer is 3/4" thick, as listed on any website product info.

Yes, xjohnkdoex has 2 Throttle Body gasket,. He sandwiched it on to the throttle body spacer, and isolated all possible heat.

Why would you need a modified ruble elbow for CAI? The Injen CAI goes right into the throttle body...

Oh ok I see, I'm at work and the pictures wouldn't show up. Where do you get these gaskets?? From a local Acura Dealer I assume.

My Injen CAI has a rubber elbow connecting the CAI to the throttle body. The only thing im worried about is the elbow having to bend in a weird way not creating a tight seal because of the extra 3/4" added.

xjohnkdoex · 03-10-2008, 04:32 PM

as an example, here is a pic of //typ-s//'s engine bay with the injen.

elbow goes onto the throttle body. you see the bracket/mount.

add the 3/4"+ from the TB spacer/gaskets, that means that bracket goes to the right the same distance and it'll be off.

jrhonda · 03-10-2008, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xjohnkdoex

true, but you also have the bracket afterwards that has that vibration mount.

if you're adding 3/4"+ to that whole area, you're basically pushing the CAI to the right that same amount of distance. i'm assuming then the bracket won't be lined up to where it should be bolted down.

when I was doing work on the car this weekend i broke the vibration mount for the CAI, do you have any idea if I could get a similar one at an automotive store or am I going to have to go to Injen for one of those? I looked at a parts store but they had nothing. But then again it was one on a military base, so I'm not too sure if they have a good stock of parts.

xjohnkdoex · 03-10-2008, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrhonda

Oh ok I see, I'm at work and the pictures wouldn't show up. Where do you get these gaskets?? From a local Acura Dealer I assume.

My Injen CAI has a rubber elbow connecting the CAI to the throttle body. The only thing im worried about is the elbow having to bend in a weird way not creating a tight seal because of the extra 3/4" added.

you can buy the accompanying gaskets from p2r also. they just finished making them so distributors should have them.

xjohnkdoex · 03-10-2008, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrhonda

when I was doing work on the car this weekend i broke the vibration mount for the CAI, do you have any idea if I could get a similar one at an automotive store or am I going to have to go to Injen for one of those? I looked at a parts store but they had nothing. But then again it was one on a military base, so I'm not too sure if they have a good stock of parts.

not sure about your vibramount. you may want to just take it to some autoparts shops and see if they sell something similar to replace it.

chuson · 03-10-2008, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrhonda

Oh ok I see, I'm at work and the pictures wouldn't show up. Where do you get these gaskets?? From a local Acura Dealer I assume.

My Injen CAI has a rubber elbow connecting the CAI to the throttle body. The only thing im worried about is the elbow having to bend in a weird way not creating a tight seal because of the extra 3/4" added.

What xjohnkdoex said...

I mean the whole thing will shift to the right due to the new additional thickness from the gasket + spacer, but your rubber hose will not need to modify.

jrhonda · 03-10-2008, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuson

What xjohnkdoex said...

I mean the whole thing will shift to the right due to the new additional thickness from the gasket + spacer, but your rubber hose will not need to modify.

well, I know what xjohnkdoex is saying about the whole vibramount thingy...I could avoid that by getting a modified rubber elbom so the CAI can still sit in the same place.

xjohnkdoex · 03-10-2008, 05:53 PM

right. the only place you can shorten it is at the elbow, so you can still bolt down the bracket on the vibramount.

not sure where you can get a sleeve like that. it would have to be some sort of rubber that you can cut to shorten i guess. then get some braces to hold it down over the injen and TB ends.

jrhonda · 03-10-2008, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xjohnkdoex

right. the only place you can shorten it is at the elbow, so you can still bolt down the bracket on the vibramount.

not sure where you can get a sleeve like that. it would have to be some sort of rubber that you can cut to shorten i guess. then get some braces to hold it down over the injen and TB ends.

Maybe I can just try and turn the elbow to help the difference in length. The elbow could go further up the injen about 3/4" anyways. So maybe that could work. Maybe I could just use some flexy hose??? So everything fit right even with the stock intake??

also, I just installed a hondata intake gasket and now my intake manifold is a lot cooler. From what I understand, the spacer is to help cool down the TB for cooler air to pass through, so im beginning to think that a TB spacer would be unnecessary for me now. Unless, the spacer does something else. is this safe to assume???