I used compressed air to blow out the MREV2 to make sure there was no dust or debri in it. It sets down on the manifold pretty easily using the two pins, front and rear, to align it. Replace the Intake Manifold Collector Cover (the metal piece that runs down the middle of the lower plenum) and you are ready to bolt it down following MDs instructions.
Motordynes instructions are very clear about how to torque down the bolts in an even way. They give the torque values in inch-lbs. My torque wrench is calibrated in foot-lbs. To convert from inch-lbs to foot-lbs, simply divide by 12. 12 inch-lbs are 1 foot-lbs. Here are the conversions from the specified inch-lbs to ft-lbs and Neuton Meters.
40 inch-lbs = 3.3 ft-lbs = 4.5 N-m
80 inch-lbs = 6.6 ft-lbs = 9.0 N-m
100 inch-lbs = 8.3 ft-lbs = 11.3 N-m
Since my torque wrench is only calibrated down to 5 ft-lbs, I used a nut driver with a 10mm socket to initially tighten the bolts. I tightened them only moderately with the nut driver then retorqued at 5 ft-lbs with my torque wrench, then again at 6.5 ft-lbs, and finally at 8.5 ft-lbs. MD instructions suggest that unless you are used to using your torque wrench that you should practice on something else first. I also strongly suggest this as I made that mistake on a prior car and ended up stripping threads. I now own a tap and die set.
Here is the MREV2 bolted in place, bracket and hose reattached, and the 5/16 spacer sitting in place.
Now it was time to install the Copper TB heater. I chose this over MDs regular Iso Thermal kit so I wouldn't have to worry about opening and closing the plenum coolant with changes in weather. With the Copper Throttle Body heater, engine coolant is used to keep the TB warm in cold weather but is isolated from the intake plenum to reduce heat soak. I wanted something I could install and forget about.
I didn't get any pictures of this process because it was really straightforward and MDs instructions are good. I would mention a couple of things that I ran into due to my own stupidity. The TB is connected to the plenum using bolts with a 5mm Allen head. MD warns that they are very tight and to use a good quality Allen wrench. I thought I would be clever and use my Allen head adapters for my socket wrench. However, because of the tight space, my Allen head wasn't perfectly lined up and I almost ruined one bolt. I then used an Allen wrench but had to use a hammer to tap the end of the Allen wrench deep enough into the bolt to get it to grab. In the end I was able to get all four bolts out.
The second issue was that I initially attempted to reuse the TB bolts after installing the copper TB heater. I failed to realize that MD does provide 4 new, longer bolts to use with this kit. I had the TB reassembled before I began to wonder. These bolts are not listed in MDs parts list and are not mentioned in the instructions. However, they are there and should be used.
Finally, MD gives torque specs for reattaching the TB. I have no idea how to come up with a specific torque value on an Allen wrench so I guessed.
With the TB reattached to the upper plenum, it was time to reinstall it. MD instructions are clear. I did run into one problem however. MD has plastic spacers for the interior of the upper plenum. One one side these have a cup-like configuration that the internal posts of the plenum are supposed to sit in.
On two of the posts on my plenum, the posts were too wide to fit inside that cup. This would have caused the plastic spacer to sit too high, or be too large, for the plenum to seat properly. It may be hard to tell but this picture shows that the width of the post is just a bit too wide to allow the cap to seat on it.
Tony from Motordyne engineering (
Hydrazine on the forum) had sent me a PM telling me to call him if I had any questions. It was Saturday afternoon, but I called anyway. Tony answered the phone and I explained my problem. He explained that there are some manufacturing variations that occasionally happen with the stock cast plenums. He suggested I remove the lip of the cap so that the spacer would sit down on the end of the post. I really appreciated this example of customer service on the part of Motordyne Engineering.
Anyway, a few minutes with a Dremel and the two spacers now looked like this. (it is actually smoother than it looks in the photo.
Here is the plenum with spacers in place and Locktite on the ends of the bolts. Notice the Copper TB heater on the back of the plenum. You can see where the coolant lines will be attached to the TB heater and not to the plenum.
Now I was ready to put the upper plenum back on. One of the things that I noticed when I placed the 5/16 spacer on the lower plenum, was that the rubber flange around the oil fill cap kept getting in the way. I didn't want to pinch it betwenn the spacer and the upper plenum so I used a bit of duct tape to fold the flange out of the way. Doing this job by myself, this made it a lot easier to get the plenum placed.
Putting the upper plenum back on was a pain in the backside. I didn't want to waste time since the Locktite was on the bolts. However, the nipple for the TB heater that is underneath the plenum has to be reattached. You can do it with the upper plenum sitting on the lower plenum and it is hard to put the hose on the nipple (the copper ones are a bit larger than the stock nipples) with one hand while holding the plenum up with the other. Here is where a helper would be a really good idea. Here is a poor pic of of the nose on the new nipple with the original plenum nipple to the right. Sorry about the blur but I was juggling at the time.
After that hose is on you can set the plenum down and start to bolt it on following MD instructions. After it is bolted down, then put the other coolant line on the other TB heater nipple. Again, this is tough due to the tight space and the larger nipple.
Next, replace the hoses and brackets that you removed before you took off the plenum. Don't forget to reconnect the electrical connection to the TB.
Replace your Air Intake tube and then reconnect the ground to the battery. Start the car and listen for any air leaks and look to make sure that there aren't any coolant leaks from the TB heater connections. If everything looks good, then replace the engine cover.
You will need to use the spacers that MD provided so that your strut bar clears your engine. Simply follow MD instructions and don't forget to tighten down the locking nuts on the strut bar after you have adjusted it.
After I had removed the upper and lower plenum, I took advantage of the extra space and replaced my spark plugs. Even with everything removed, that was still more of a pain than everything else combined.
I'm going to have a dyno done to compare with one I had done before installing the lower plenum and spacer. I'll post the results when I have them.
Dyno results are in. You can find them in this
thread
DIY - 5/16 Motordyne Copper Iso Thermo & MREV2 for Dummies
