General Intake bob orientation

[Prawny12009]

Will the intake air temp sensor reading be thrown off if I rotate the intake bob 180°?

Rotating the bob puts the sensor directly in the air flow rather that tucked away at the back.

 

[bugsymike]

In the past some makes of car allowed the air filter intake to be positioned over the exhaust manifold in Winter time to aid response in colder weather and away in the Summer.
Not sure if that would make much difference on your model with all the sensors measuring everything.

 

[Prawny12009]

Iat sensor is inside the injection/throttle body top.

As you can see from the picture with the intake turned 180 it is directly in the airflow.

Would it be wise to turn the lid back around or should I make a shroud for the sensor?

 

[bugsymike]

I honestly don't know in that case, maybe try it and see, if easy to revert back.
Unless any other on Forum can better advise?

 

[Prawny12009]

The original airbox did have a thermostat controlled diverter flap to duct exhaust heat into the airbox in winter but the intake in the throttle body doesn't have anything like that.

I don't have anything to data log with I was hoping maybe someone had tried it already.

 

[Prawny12009]

For anyone else wondering the same as me, the panda has the air bob the opposite way around as standard.

Still doesn't answer the question as to whether the sensor will run cooler but at least shows it is unlikely to get damaged being in direct airflow.

 

[bugsymike]

I would say the sensor being in a slightly colder flow of air, by that very action has to run colder, however the signal must then be interpreted by the ECU to give the correct amount of fuel etc. for those conditions.
So I suspect performance would be largely unchanged, whereas in the past a carburetor with fixed jets could only react to the higher oxygen content from the colder air, hence the perceived performance increase on a cold morning which we noticed in the past, possibly due to weakening the mixture slightly.
In general I would say all things being equal a cold air intake containing a higher oxygen content, away from the heat of the less dense air around the engine compartment has to be better.
These are my thoughts, perhaps other Forum members can throw more light on the subject.

 

[Prawny12009]

I guess it would take someone with logging set up in their car to check if their autocorrect numbers are different with the intake turned.

 

[RalphM]

Engines with carburettors had the warm air flaps to stop carburettor icing,
this does not happen with fuel injection so unless there is another reason injected
engines don't need the warm air flap.

 

[Prawny12009]

There was one on the seicento that I striped for this project though.

Its not the hot air flap that I was concerned with though as that is not being refitted.

The engine I'm fitting the management to is rwd and I have the throttle body turned so that the cable comes in from the UK drivers side, the air intake bob is facing towards the front of the vehicle (turned 180% in relation to the throttle body).

 

[RalphM]

I think that if anything it will run a tuch rich but doubt it will be noticable and it
may make a touch more power, the air filter should keep it clean, I would give it a go.

 

[bugsymike]

Engines with carburettors had the warm air flaps to stop carburettor icing,

Obviously warm air flaps will help prevent icing up of the carburetor, however I was taught as a motor engineering apprentice in the late 1960s that it's principle benefit was to aid the engine warming up to optimum temp. quickly so as to come off choke early for better economy and throttle response.
I have only seen one example of icing up on a car, it was a tuned up mini fitted with a "Reece Fish" carb. and as I recall the manufacturer supplied a heating element to overcome the problem.