This is my first post, and i just joined, First off i want to say that i LOVE my Montero! Its downright awesome!

Alright, so after reading this whole thread i wasn't quite sure about how to go about this whole intake thing. Do i take out the bottom half of the intake with the butterflies and cut them out? Does the new piece your talking about not have the butterflies in them?
And as with the sound that it makes would it sound like a rattling sound coming from the engine while it is under load? Because i can hear a rattling sound, i just can't seem to find anything loose underneath the motor or in the engine bay.
I have RS with a WRX swap and in the intake manifold there are these TGV's (tumble Generator Valves) And the restrict air flow so many people cut them out or have the put the JDM version in since those motors don't have them. Basically for cold starts and emissions. I am wondering if thats kinda the same situation going on here?

Sorry for being such a newb, but this is my first truck/Suv. I am basically a subaru guy!

You would have to remove the entire intake manifold, then take it apart to get at the lower intake part. To remove the valves, you have to remove 12 Phillips head screws (2 each) from the butterfly valves, remove them and slide the shaft out of the casting, then seal up the hole where the shaft entered the casting.

I haven't heard what a failing one sounds like, but from all indications, it would make a rattling sound.

The new piece is identical in every regard to the original piece, but it has better bushings that supposedly won't fall apart/into the engine.

I used to live at Wyoming and Candelaria in ABQ. Loved that town.

John B.

Sweet. Yeah, ABQ aint a bad spot. I like it. Not many people have Monteros here. And if they do they don't seem to do anything with them except just Daily Drive em.

First thing i did when i bought the Montero i had to do the Head Gaskets, not a fun job! But I bought the Montero for $700. And did all the work myself. Did the Spark plugs and had to replace 2 coil packs, did the timing belt and idler pullies, also water pump, t Stat. new AC Fan, and all gaskets along the way. When i took the intake plume off i didn't notice anything wrong, but i wasn't looking for anything at the time since i had just bought the montero and had know idea what i was getting into.

But if i do go and take off the plume, and take out the butterfly valves, what gains will i see? Is it bad if i take them out? or am i better off getting a new piece?
I am not sure if this has anything to do with it, but My montero doesn't like going up hills, it seems to be really laggy and slow going up them.

-Benny

You lose torque below 3000rpms with it disco'ed, for the reasons noted above, mainly it defaults to the short fat high rpm runners instead of the long skinny low speed runners. I've seen believable claims that the correct length tube is worth 2psi at the valve. Think about what a turbo motor does with an additional 2psi of boost, and that's what you are giving up on the bottom end by discoing the vac actuator. WOT power above 3000 will be the same either way.

In order of best>worst,
install a new lower plenum - not terribly hard, just tedious.

repair the old lower plenum bushings and replace the shaft butterfly screws. Cheap and tedious.

Disable the actuator by discoing the vac line and wire the arm into the short runner position (against return spring pressure...)

Do nothing until the motor eats metal instead of air and fuel, and does the big clanky mucho$$$$$ thing.

but on a turbo motor that 2psi at lower rpm does you no good at all ...... you dont even know its there

I'm interested to hear what FastEddy has to say in response to that last comment by Mx. Really.

I would think, in theory, that if the longer runners did act as though there were ~2 psi in there, it would at least help with in-cylinder swirl and possibly improved cylinder scavenging. In theory.

As I posted in the other thread about this topic, my brother took my spare lower plenum and is going to run it in to a machine shop he's used to see what they feel about machining and installing new bushings into the casting.

I'll let you know what develops.

John B.

Well, Eddy has it right here, I tried a run with the vac hose attached and the butterflies working, then the same run with the vac hose removed and the end plugged. Not a huge difference on the flat when gradually accelerating but you can definitely feel it coming off idle. Going up a hill, its very noticeable coming off the start and clear up to 55 or so. I'm not talking about lead footing it, talking about just a normal startup and ease in to traffic kind of thing.

Seer

i saw no loss in low end power i have 2 trucks with and 2 without the butterflys

that's very strange. What elevation are you at?

Seer

900 ft above sea level here and up to 12,000 feet in mexico