I think I can safely say that you guys know me and that I don't make too many snap decisions when it comes to performance mods to the car, right?
I had been reading and reading... shopping around for a CAI keeping in mind that when I decided which one was the best for my driving style/habits that I would get serious about buying one. I finally settled on an AEM or the Mazdaspeed equivalent.

I found a Mazdaspeed CAI and bought it a week ago. Just what I wanted.Only comes in polished aluminum, which is what I wanted anyway. Has the right sized tubing for the MAF sensor. Factory sanctioned. Built by AEM for Mazda under Mazda supervision and, according to dyno charts I've seen, best for low-mid range power. I figured it was the smartest, safest choice to avoid problems and have the extra power where I wanted it.

I install it on Saturday, took it out for a ride and was mildly impressed, but pretty much what I expected.

Monday, I started the car to go to work and noticed she started so much easier and settled into a nice idle quickly and in a civilized way. OK. So now I'm happy with my choice! More than I expected. (YES!!)

And after a little rain shower Monday morning, I was breaking the tires loose pulling away normally from a dead stop!! WOW!! COOL!!! I haven't done that since the Good Years went bye-bye! More power in the low end too.

Driving home I had the A/C on and w/the AWR mount, the steering wheel usually vibrated pretty badly @ a stop light/idle and was an annoyance to me. Now, the vibe settled down and the idle was fairly smooth. YES!!! Another unexpected advantage. I'm ecstatic now!!!!

Here's the other shoe: Two days agoI started the car to come home from work. She settled into a nice idle (no A/C on this time) and after 30-45 seconds I took off like I always do. I had only driven a short distance when the CEL light came on. The reset tripometer (from the time of theinstall)read 55 miles. So now what?

I checked all the connections ASAP, and everything it tight. I got on the Mazda site, something I should've done before I bought it from this guy, and verified that it was the correct part number for an '04.
According to part #'s it is the correct MS CAI for my car.
I made sure the MAF was correctly seated and tight, but not overly tight when I installed that too.

The car is running better than ever now and smoother than I ever remember it running.

Any ideas, suggestions, etc?

 

the mazdaspeed intake doesn't (shouldn't) cause CEL... mayb, just mayb the car is getting used to the sudden change of the new intake. i read that somewhere in this forum that that's a possibility.

 

i was getting frustrating having to look at that damned CEL light every time I drove the car. So last night with the battery still connected, I unplugged the MAF and in a few moments, plugged it back in again.
This morning when I started the car, the light went out when the car started.
Since I only drove a total of 34+ miles, I'm not out of the woods yet, but I hopeit's the last time I have to look at that light.

 

annnnnnnnnd this is why im not modifying my car.... for a while anyway lol. cant afford any of this aggravation... plus i need my car to get me to wherever i need to go and i know that if i put some mods onto my car something will happen. btw richard is your car the mazdaspeed3 or just the 3 sport... cuz that may make a difference i dont know.

 

Well, as SPeeDy says, the MS CAI should not cause a CEL that's one reason I chose it. 'Don't know what wasthe problem, or if there still is one that will resurface but I really like the way the car feels now, exhaust and intake, so I'll get it straightened out somehow.
Mostly, you have to be careful buying the "eBay" variety intake. Any with a name brand (i.e. Injen, AEM, MS, K&N, etc...) should be good right out of the box.
The only things I can think of is either, 1. somehow my exhaust (NOT MS branded) w/free-flow cat affected the install somehow, or 2. we did have a little rain shower the first time I put any real mileage on the car and moisture may have been allowed to accumulate on the MAF @ that time (a suggestion from the Mz3 forums.)
In any case, we'll see.

 

how much did the mazdaspeed intake run you? 250-300?

 

I bought it from a guy that somehow ended up w/twoCAI's andhe decided to install the Fuji instead. He paid $250 for it.I paid him $200. Not too bad, I think.

 

I just put on a sweet Cobb Tuning ram air. As long as you just disconnected the housing of the MAF from the stock inlet hold the wiring back while you pop in the new one, and replace it in the new intake you should have NO problems with CEL's. easy and it can be quickly removed. didn't dyno yet but cobb said 6 hp and 11 ftlbs. can def feel it whatever it is.

 

I've had the MS CAI on my MS3 for 19k miles, and it's never tripped a CEL. Just a thought.....dont over react on this....you mentioned that it had rained...there is a chance that a little water made it through and hit the MAF and tripped the light. I washed my filter, and didnt want to wait the 6 days for it to air dry, so I threw it on a little earlier then I should, ran some boost (only 10 lbs... and sure enough...CEL. Ran it through the DashHawk (good investment imo) and it was the MAF...a little water had hit it....reset, away I go...and everything is peachy. Just a thought. I dont want to start a rant on how cars hydrolock....Like I said 19k miles, and no probs with the MS CAI.....no wter sock either...those are lame.

 

is there realy that much of a noticeable difference with the intake in the car? 5 hp doenst seem like all that much for the price