Article on: Intake Silencer Removal

 Great Free Mod, very easy, less than 20 minutes start to finish. This mod allows you to actually hear the turbo, BOV and actually allows
the turbo to spool up a few hundred RMP's quicker.

TOOLS:

(1) Jack
(1) Philips Head Screwdriver
(10mm) Ratchet
(Pliers)
(Hacksaw) (Optional for additional intake modding)



This mod is easier with two people. If you are doing this solo it may be easier to remove the fender liner. My method requires you to only jack up the front passenger side of the car. You don't have to remove the tire and you only remove one screw from the fender liner.

Open hood and remove the "ram-air" scoop if you haven't already. Just use your pliers or ratchet and undo the two screws and pull the scoop out of the fender hole. Use the ratchet and remove the gold bolt that is in the fender. This bolt is right in between the hole you just uncovered by removing the scoop and the airbox. This is (1) of (2) bolts that holds on the silencer.

Next, jack up the front passenger side of the car. With the screwdriver remove the pop rivet for the fender liner. This is the bottom most screw on the right side of the tire if you were to be looking right at the "SUBARU" emblem in the center of the wheel. A few inches higher, following the inner fender liner upwards, you will see a black clip holding the fender liner. Pull the liner off of this clip.

Now get under the car. You will see a somewhat rectangular piece of plastic with (6) screw/rivets in it. Take this flap off . Now you will see (2) thumb screws with rectangular heads. The look like " [] ". Once these are removed the fender liner can be pulled off towards the tire. Looking up into the engine bay you can see the silencer. Ain't it cute the bolt is hard to get at but you can overcome!!! just remove this 10mm bolt and pull the silencer down down down.

You've done it, you are silencer free.


*******OPTIONAL*********

You will notice once the silencer is out that the airbox doesn't quite sit up agains the hole in the fender. You can either put duct tape around it, get some weather stripping, buy some pipe ala Ganzflow or you could just hack the stock silencer. You can cut the pipe that originally attached to the airbox. Just pop this small piece back onto the airbox and into the hole into the fender. Voila!

Also the hold left by the removal of the scoop and silencer can be plugged with the factory plug supplied to 2.5RS owners. I know that MY00-01 plugs also fit perfectly. IMHO this finishes the job nicely and looks very professional. Part costs less than $5 at the dealer I believe.

Pop the fender liner back in, redo the clip, put in the fender screw, put the thumb screws back in. Reattach the rectangular splash plate back up. Lower the car slowly to the ground.Just my take on the silencer removal mod, addendum to above, just to answer some questons I get on the mod from time to time:

Remove the silencer and everything in front of it completely as per above directions (this includes what's under the hood), plug the hole in the fender. It looks stock and keeps the hot side hot and cool side cool.

Look here:

http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=179

The pic that is the third from the bottom will have the fender plug part number. It's OEM Subaru and fits perfectly. Plus there are some pics of the thing that lives in the fender.

Do this:

http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=167

And this:

http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=187

There is no point in cutting up anything really. Plus if you do, you'll never be able to put it back together if you have to for some reason. The coolest air you can get will be from the fender. If you leave the part under the hood into the fender, you will still get some warm air from under the hood. From backwash off of the radiator and heat soak of the part.

The fender has plenty cool air, it's by no means restrictive under there. The intake hole in the fender is high enough and shielded by the fender liner from water ingestion concerns.

Note: if you do this mod w/ a NA Legacy or Impreza, there will be a harmonic drone or humming noise at idle. Pitch and volume varies with humidity. It's not all that bad but some find it annoying. I put a mandrel bent elbow (as per one of my links) in my system and it no longer does that.

(The ISDC cannot be held responsible for any modifications that adversely effect the warranty of your car.)