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How to Install a 2013 Honda Civic Si Cold Air Intake

John Huh

Today we’ll be installing a AEM Cold Air Intake ( CAI ) on a 2013 Honda Civic (21-716C) and walking you through the install steps and process on this new generation of Honda Civic. This 9th generation Civic is a sedan and comes equipped with the K24Z7, a stout 2.4L I-VTEC engine that has loads of potential and range with torque peaking  @4400RPM.

To compensate for the stroked gains in displacement however the redline has been lowered to 7000RPM, but a more rigid body and a lighter curb weight coupled with a silky smooth six speed make this vehicle a very desirable sport compact.

Tools needed :

Here is our obligatory statement informing you that  if you are not comfortable working on your vehicle we suggest taking your car to an experienced ASE mechanic that you trust. Although this job is fairly simple and straightforward, misinstallation can lead to damage to your engine, your car or possibly yourself.

This AEM Cold Air Intake is a very good early version of the intake system, and is sure to improve some of the small issues we had with this kit. We are looking forward to some of the changes that AEM may be taking with the direction and design of this intake.

Open up your engine bay and let the engine and bay cool if it’s still warm to the touch, raise the driver side of the vehicle up in the air and secure on a flat surface with a jackstand.

FIrst unplug your MAF and unclip the upper half of your air intake box by unclipping the metal straps that hold the top onto the bottom.

Next undo the clamp that holds the intake tract onto the throttle body, and then pull off the intake snorkel and upper portion of your intake box along with your MAF housing.

Remove your air filter and undo the 2 10mm bolts that secure the air intake box in front and pull up, the rear is mounted on pegs molded onto the frame of the car.

Here is what you should be looking at now with the air intake box removed, the air snorkel and maf housing, you will now need to remove your driver side wheel.

Now remove the 2 lower push pins that retain the lower bumper and the wheel well cover in place, and remove the 10mm screw that secures the top of the wheel well cover itself.

 

 

Here’s a peek at the entire intake assembly behind the front fascia and under the frame support, as you can see theres quite a bit of bulk under that front bumper that Honda included. We’ll be removing all of it including the tubes that run up under your front driver side fender.

Remove the 10mm bolt that secures this Y shaped plastic intake from the bottom portion of the battery tray.

Undo all the push pin clips that run under your fender and pull away the intake tubing from the lower part of the intake

 

Next undo the 10mm bolt that’s hiding out on the opposite side of this metal bracket, and pull the bolt out of the plastics that are holding it in.

You should now be able to remove the entire lower airbox assembly, as well as the annoying tube that runs up above your wheel well and under your front fender.

Next undo the chassis ground located behind where the lower airbox assembly originally sat.

 

Take the AEM supplied rubber grommet and replace the 10mm bolt with the grommet provided.

This J pipe will mount to the grommet you just installed and will run above into the engine bay, adjacent to the battery box.

Take this time now to install the rubber stopper that AEM provided and is meant to mount onto your battery tray to prevent rubbing or damage.

This is one of the things we wish AEM had addressed before release, but we are sure they will take the proper steps to tighten the radius in the upper pipe.

 

Now go back to your factory MAF housing and remove the Mass Air Flow Meter (MAF) from the housing by unscrewing the 2 bolts that hold it into place.

Remove the MAF and inspect for any damage or debris before installing into your new AEM intake.

Now install the couplers provided onto the throttle body and the lower J pipe that runs along your battery tray. Find the 2 coolant passage ports that AEM wants you to eliminate and replace with the coolant rated hose that AEM provides to you.

You are going to be taking off this side of the line and replacing the entire hard line with the coolant hose provided to you by AEM

Slide out the metal hose from your bypass hose and eliminate the hard line altogether as you will also replace your PCV hose before you finalize your intake install.

Take your AEM Dryflow filter and mount it to the small pipe with the AEM logo on it, this part will complete the lower half of the install as you will be tightening the couplers that join it to the J pipe.

Put the couplers on this small piece along with the DryFlow filter and tighten onto the end of the intake tube. Make sure everything is still hand tight down here as you need to complete the install by joining the J pipe and the throttle body, which may require some fiddling or repositioning of lower components.

A look at the intake properly installed and mounted to the lower part of the bumper and mount, and securely tightened to the filter.

Use the final tube and tighten it into place using the clamps and couplers that AEM provided, you will also be replacing your PCV tube with the large hose from AEM.

Now tighten everything in the engine bay and make sure the connection from the PCV/MAF tube is tight and secure to the lower J pipe. The coupler AEM provided us with on this particular kit seemed a tad too short for comfort.

Put back all the push pin couplers and line up the lower splashguard, as AEM will want you to trim this lower portion to make room for the wheel and tire.

 

We did not elect to trim our splashguard given how new this vehicle was, but here’s a rough sketch of how much material you may or may not be removing to make enough clearance, should you choose to.

 

You have now completed the install of your AEM Cold Air Intake! Congratulations!

Happy Driving!

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