Can anyone confirm that these DIY instructions Click Here are accurate for a '99 TL? I ask because the guy shows that he broke a metal clip on the bumper.

The only step that's not clear to me is;

"Start with the left side and carefully, but firmly, pull slightly downwards and then lift up. That bumper should come down,"

Also, how hard is it for one person to do all this, particularly the re-install?

I will be installing a CT Icebox and I am wondering if it would be less hassle to do this without removing the bumper?

 

Some people will tell you that removing the bumper will be easier for the installation. Others will tell you that removing the bumper is unnecessary and a pain in the ass.

I'm with the latter. I installed my intake without removing the bumper. All I did was unscrew the splash guard underneath the car and pulled it back. Plenty of room to work with.

 

Any need to remove the wheel and use jack stands? BTW, my car is not lowered, if that makes a difference.

 

removing the front bumper is a 1 person job, and for installing the cai and removal of the resonator its much easier to remove the bumpar than mess with the confined spaces.

remove teh 2 screws in the wheel well (1 on each side) remove the clips under the grill(the ones you see when the hood is open) then remopve the 2 bolts on the bottom side of the bumper and the 4-5 clips or so and pull off (easiest if removed from 1 side at a time, and a blanket or something on the ground for saftey of scratches) al in all it takes about 2 -3 min to pull the front bumper off

 

If you don't have the body kit you won't have the metal clip under your car.

You can do the entire install yourself

If you have yet to remove the intake resinator, you will most likely have to take off the bumper.

To get the bumper off it takes a philips driver, and a socket wrench with a 8mm or a 10mm..
Once all the clips, plugs and bolts are out from under the car and in the wheel well. All you have to do is pull EACH side piece (fender piece) away from the car before you pull the bumper off.. There are four clips that will hold the bumper on even without any bolts or plugs. Two of those clips are on the side of the car about five inches from where the bumper meets the fender. The other two clips are on the front of the car, you'll have to pull the bumper off the side clips before the front clips..

Try and picture the bumper in the shape of a capital " U " . You have to pull the sides out " V " before you try to pull the bumper off (Pull directly straight off). You don't pull up or down at all... all the pulling is horizontal, pull out on each fender and then pull foward on the bumper (be careful the side pieces don't scratch the fender when you are pulling off)



Clear as Mud?

 

The directions from the other site were what was confusing me since one of the pictures mentioned pulling DOWN on the sides first which did not make sense.

 

You definitely pull out from the car, every time but never down... The first two times you pull the bumper (side part) out and typically it wants to rest on the fender once's it's out of the clip, but you can hold it so it doesn't scratch the fender.

 

I got the CompTech Icebox installed this morning (I took the bumper off), then installed the plastic valve cover and engine cover I had painted to match the car color. Looks good with the painted battery cover and the painted Icebox top.

It took a little over 3 hours to get the Icebox installed. The only problem I had was the half moon shaped hole in the front of the top was not big enough. I had to square off the lower, left hand corner of the 'half moon' so it fit around the back of the headlight. Of course, I figured this out after about 15 minutes of trying to get the front bolt tightened. I finally took the K & N filter and plastic elbow out and tried to get the cover on (I thought the filter might have been causing a problem). When it still wouldn't fit, I discovered the front of the base had to move more towards the fender to get the bolt holes to line up and it could not move without enlarging the hole.

BTW, does the Icebox make a noise when you turn the engine off? I hear a noise that sounds like it's coming from the Icebox intake horn right after the engine shuts off.

 

yep.... the sound is normal.. it sounds like you car is taking a quck breath before shutting off..

 

Agreed. It's normal. If I remember right, it's the noise from the vacuum (not the carpet vacuum ) as you shut off the engine.

Residual -- is your stereo system project finished? I'm looking forward to seeing and listening to it at the Toronto meet.

 

I've got a couch in my room here with me... it's covered with car electronics...lol.. two 15 inch concept subs.. one 12 inch concept sub .. one eight inch concept sub, an AudioControl Four.1 equalizer/line driver, a Sony 10 disk mp3 changer, a 2400watt Concept amp, a 1200 watt concept amp, a concept 800 watt 5 channel amp and a PPI 5440 5 channel amp!!!!

I'm going to be getting the box and trunk looking nice for the meet, probably covering it with thin mdf and painting it. The plan is to cover the box and whole trunk with brushed aluminum, to match the finish of the Concept amps.. But I'll have to sound proof the trunk and take my time with that final step..

I will have the system installed and running for the meet.. I have a few worries about rattleint simply because I'm cutting the trouble shooting time pretty close.

giovanni is getting me soem 0gauge wire for my car so I'm going to have to install that too..

I've made a comitment to you guys get this done for April 9th, I won't let ya down.. ..

now I gots to go to bed, I'm up at 4am tomorrow.. whoooo hoooo

 

 

sorry derrick.. my bad..

 

Actually Residual... technically wasn't your fault ... (cough, cough ... Pure Adrenaline ... cough) ... you just perpetuated it.

Going back on-topic ... it's very tough to take off your front bumper the first time. Once you 'work out' the stiffness from the locking points, then it gets a little easier. I was quite tentative to really give the bumper a tug to take it off the car.

 

There's a thermo valve in the line that went to the little radiator in the stock air cleaner on a '99. When I re-did the hoses for the Icebox install, I left that in the line, since there was no mention of the thermo valve in the instructions.

Should the thermo valve be left in the line, taken out or doesn't it matter?

 

^^Bump

 

easy job....hard the first time because same of the pins might be held on very tightly (dont break them)

dont be afraid:

 

I already installed the Icebox (took the bumper off).

I am asking about the thermo valve.

 

Dude thats nasty!