This crusty old CAI was in the car when I bought it. None of the parts have a part number or label. It is completely nameless. Does anybody recognize it? This is from a 2005 z51.

Thanks!

 

Does the bottom
part go down through the lower plastic like Vararam?

 

Yes, the bottom part curves under the nose and goes right to the screen. It definitely looks just like the one you're showing.

 

Could be that one…. What are ya gonna do with it?

 

Since I bought the car it has been giving a bad scream from 2000 - 3000 rpms. GM dealer thought the scream was due to the CAI. Just a few moments ago I finally got around to taking it apart. What I noticed was the foam seal was all jacked up. It looks like a repair was attempted on it some time ago. But I either need to repair this CAI with a new foam seal and some clean up on the edges, or replace it with something else. If it is a decent CAI I will clean it up. But i will need to replace that foam seal and get a new filter. Otherwise replacing it is an option too. What do you think?

 

I did start the car after taking it apart and revved it some and the scream wasn't reproducing. So I'm assuming that was indeed what was causing that mega-annoying scream. Now I need to deal with it.

 

Look for some stick on dense foam for windows, drafts at the hardware store and the filter should clean up, they’re reusable.

 

That's what I was thinking about doing. Just going and grabbing some 1/4" adhesive foam and cleaning up the thing. Thanks, labhound!

 

No problem. I’ll be getting a cai soon.

 

What you have (Vararam) is generally regarded as the best CAI available (in terms of performance) for the 05-07 LS2 Corvette. Unfortunately, as you've discovered, the quality of the unit leaves a bit to be desired, especially as it relates to the seals and the plastic supporting structure for the seals. If you can get the unit sealed up properly, that would likely be your best bet.

 

Ahh, that is good to know. Yeah, the seal is not a good one and all jacked up. I'm getting a better foam adhesive and probably do a mild, soapy type seal on the top part that fits against the filter. Thanks, PCMusicGuy!

 

I had the original Vararam on my 2006 coupe, and the fit around the filter was suspect at best. I did the suggestions above with window air conditioner foam, and that sealed it to my satisfaction. My son owns a speed shop, and is a parts supplier, so he gifted me with a new version of the Vararam. The fit and quality of the new model is superior to the older model with an improved coupler that replaces the accordion for the intake.
I had no issues with the older one, and did sell it to a C6 owner, and he loves it.
I have many spare decals for the Vararam unit if you want one for yours.
send me a PM, and I'll send you one for free.
A pic of the old unit.

 

I put some good, fresh foam adhesive around the lower unit filter frame yesterday and took it for a drive. The scream is definitely much more subdued, but is still there a bit. Now I'm assuming the noise is coming from the connection at the filter area and not the throttle body spacer. That was the only area I focused on as there doesn't seem to be much that could cause it at the spacer. In the next couple of days I'm going to remove the filter and look at the new foam and make sure it is solid. I may also wrap the filter area on the outside of the duct and the spacer with sticky wrap to seal it all the way up to see what it sounds like then. Won't be attractive, but it is only for a quick test. It's possible I need to tighten up and secure the filter area connection some more too. The good news is that it is much less annoying now than what it was. I found some kid on youtube talking about his Vararam on his c6 and giving a demo and speaking about it. And at 3k RPM he had the faint scream my car is having. But he didn't address it whatsoever. I'm like, how can that not drive you nuts? It sounds like a belt slipping and is not desirable at all. Thanks for the reply and sticker offer! But I purchased a c6 logo sticker for it.

 

Check the sealing material where the two halves of the CAI meet. Mine was not centered. On your picture above, yours sems to be missing, so that could be your issue.
Also check to make sure it is tighly sealed at the mass air flow section. My original was bent so I added some sealant to assure there was no air flow imbalance. I removed the original gasket where the two sections meet, and replaced it with sponge tape. It is available 1/4" thick and various widths at Home Depot.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/M-D-Buil...6577/100665794
The original CAI was not perfect, to be sure. Works great though after the fixes.
my gasket looked like this before I replaced it.

 

The condition of your gasket is pretty much on par with the one I had and threw out. It was all mangled, which I believe turned out to be most of the ugly noise. You don't see the gasket in the pic because I tossed it out. You can tell in the pic that it appears there were attempts to reseal it in the years before. I took my rotary tool and cleaned up the surface of the lower unit's gasket surface. I then recreated the gasket with 3/8" foam adhesive, and then treated the other side of the foam with a mild soapy solution similar to what is used to seal the bead on a tire, hoping to give the filter and that foam some stick. I let it sit for a bit and took it for a drive.

I'll check the mass air flow sensor. I've read in other threads that the mass air flow sensor has been known to make a noise too. I tried not to over tighten the O-clamps when I put it all back together and think that seal is good. But I'll take a harder look at the sensor area.

 

Personally, I'd trash the vararam. It blocks too much needed air to the radiator. I'd go with a halltech.

 

The brown truck delivered mine today..!

 

I've got 80k miles with my Vararam, and never had any enginee heating issues. Mske sure you keep the radiator fins clean.

 

I've never had any heating up issues with it on my car either. Yesterday I had to run to the store and that damn noise was back again. So again I tore it apart to look at the homemade foam gasket and it was fine. It was frustrating to see it in good shape yet and still the noise returned on the 2nd drive. So I ended up making another gasket to put on the upper piece. The upper piece still had a decent gasket glued in, so I added another layer to it with the 3/8" foam adhesive. I also verified the MAF sensor was tightened down. It was actually fairly tight, but gave it an extra turn or two with the screwdriver. Putting the Vararam back together I did notice that it was tighter clamping the two pieces back together, which I was expecting giving the extra layer of foam adhesive. I took it for a drive and again, it seemed to be annoyance free. After work I then took the car out to get some pickup food. And to my displeasure, the noise seemed to have came back midway through the drive. Not happy whatsoever. I'll take the car out again this morning to check on it. If it is fine, I'll be patient, but if the damn noise is back I think it will be time to replace the vararam. I don't track this car, don't race it, I just drive it and really don't need a CAI. So if my road test is bad this morning, I'll probably sell this vararam and replace it with something that won't give me these continued headaches. It really degrades the fun of driving this car around when under acceleration it always sounds like the motor is going to blow up.

 

On a street car, probably wouldn't notice it. A track car, in traffic, bumper to bumper racing, you will see an increase in coolant temps.