Celica Forums Install Guides and Technical Articles Engine and Transmission Guides Intake Butterfly - How To Remove

Intake Butterfly Removal
By John Unnever

Step 1. Undo the 3 clips to the top of the airbox.


Step 2. Undo the 2 hoses connected to the top half of the airbox.


Step 3. Undo the main hose coming from the throttle body. Now pull the top of the airbox off. You will have to kind of push back towards the motor to get it out of its groove


Step 4. Unplug the hose connected to the butterfly and remove the filter. Now you can lift the butterfly valve up


Step 5. Cap off the hose that was connected to the butterfly. I used a screw but you can use anything you think will work. Now put everything back together and you're done!


Source...
http://www.celica.net/techarticle1.asp

I'm really new to the celica world, having just bought my 02 celica GT, and fairly new to the inner workings of cars in general. My question is, why would you want to take the intake butterfly off, is this to do further work on the car, or does taking it off itself do some sort of improvement. Thanks.

its just a simple modification you can do to add a slightly deeper sound to your cars air intake box. There is no Real noticable changes in HP though.

i heard it dampens the noise coming from the stock intake box

The "butterfly is a plastic part located inside the air box that is recognizable by the small white flap in the middle. This is a very minor modification which has not shown any significant power gains but results in a deeper sound when accelerating it was placed there by Toyota to help MPG by reducing the amount of air that enters the engine & to keep the car a little quieter at RPMs below 3500.

Positives: Deeper Sound, Little Bit Better Acceleration
Negatives: Possible Harder To Start Car

Some Dyno Runs... [newcelica.org]

I was told that removing the Butterfly Valve is not really good, as you will get less power down low, like most CAIs. The butterfly valve was put there to have better low end power. Is this true???

I just took out the butterfly. Under 3000 rpm I didn't notice any change, but at 3000 an up, the intake sound is much nore deeper. Is that the "normal reaction" or did I something wrong.

I took the Intake Butterfly Valve out of my Celica and a few weeks later the Check Engine light came on. I put the Butterfly Valve back in and took it to the shop. They said that according to the computer, a hose had been disconnected. Am I correct in assuming that the computer tested the hose that was capped off and recognized that there was no valve at the end of it?

[ 12-02-2002, 09:10 AM: Message edited by: Jason Boyd ]

If you put a k&n air filter, you take this whole box out anyways right?

K&N air filter is just a replacement for your stock air filter.

In the picture below, the white thing is the the air filter.

TRD and K&N air filters are the exact same thing except with a high quality filter and mesh, not paper.

This is the stock Toyota Air Filter, installed in your stock air box:




This is the TRD Performance Air Filter:
https://celicahobby.com/reviews/performance/p124-trd-high-flow-air-filter.html

Just took out the valve. Great sound! (not as good as a cai, but nice). My shift from 2nd -> 3rd gives a nice deep sound.

Thanks. These instructions were great

Hey guys I did everything you guys told me to do
and after I plug the hose up my friend told me to take out the whole fricken butterfly part out just that small portion though,and now lots of more space for more air to come in it's awesome deeper sound and runs better.
One question though is it bad if i take the whole small portion of the butterfly part out?

alright i am new to engine work and all of that.. i attempted to remove the butterfly valve from my 03 celica GT and im not sure that i did it right. I removed the air filter then i capped off the valve connected to the butterfly but then i wasnt sure what i was to do next? Your pictures didnt really get into enough detail as to what exactly you meant by "removing the butterfly valve". Like i said i am new to engine work and if i have made a mistake could you please tell me what exactly to do? Also, by doing what i did, plugging the valve, and not removing the butter fly, is it safe to drive? Please help!

Directions to the butterfly...

alright i got back under my hood and i removed not only the white thing, but the whole housing for the white thing
is that wrong or bad? Should i have left the housing in and removed the white thing? AHHH HELP AGAIN lol i am a newbie

yes in step 4 it tells you to remove the whole housing which is the whole point of the mod. to get more air through..
i removed my fly this morning, took me about 20mins. the sound is awesome! i love how my celi sounds now. i also noticed when i start the car, the needless jump like crazy from 0 to 60 or so! but fell then right after. i dono if this is normal. well it was a cold day today and after a good run around the block, i noticed after turning of the car that how air came out of the front of the grille where the toyo badget is! wow looked awesome..

So will this 'mod' make my CEL come on?

Thanks for the guide and the photos. It took me just a few minutes.

Am I correct to think that the butterfly stays in place?

None of the steps seem to instruct on how to actually remove the butterly from the air intake and when I looked at it - it seemed rather firmly mounted in there.

By the way - for sealing the end of the hose I found a 4mm "repair plug" for garden sprinkler hoses fitted just perfect.

hey, i am tryin to decide whether to take out this air box thing and i was wonderin b4 i do it, how much does it hurt the mileage, cause i dont feel like payin any more 4 premium

and by the way, wat is the mass air flow sensor for ne way and wat do those hoses lead to and wat is their purpose

I did this mod in mid Feb. the sound is awesome - its more louder than most of my friend's CAIs (injen and aem). I've felt it gave a better acceleration to the Celica because there is more room for air to be sucked in.

great guide.


also, i havent received any CELs and never had a hard time starting her up

I have removed this whole piece. Is it correct?.
I circulate with my car without this piece because I have eliminated it and I have not placed it again.Is it correct?.
Am I able to have some problem?

^^^yes, that is the correct piece to remove. did you remember to plug up the hose that was connected to it?

Do you refer to the wire or tube?.
I will cover the exit of the tube with a screw or something similar.
Is it correct all?.

the tube. yes, a screw is all you need GL and have fun.

Ok, thank!!.
Yesterday, I have gone to toyota and they have told me that there is a valve that if you eliminate it it provides more hp. This valve castrates the car to control the contamination but I dont know which it is.
Does somebody know which this valve is?

I got my rims and felt a difference in my speed,then after removing the butterfly my celi sounds deeper and rides better.

yeah i just did this mod whoa hoo!

i'm still a noob!

Honestly I wasn't so amazed. The sound change was barely noticeable to me and there were no gains in power. But it was fun to take out and it was easy to put back in so why NOT try it?