So I have an '04 with SAI. During my vacation this 2 weeks I had planned on a big project. Im replacing the radiator, adding a flowkooler water pump, new exhaust flanges gaskets and hardware, as well as doing a head gasket replacement. I've been making headway, intake, valve covers and exhaust manifolds removed. Now im working on getting the cylinder heads off. But thats where my problem starts. For the life of me i cannot figure out how to remove the SAI piping that goes into the heads! Turned the big nut with a wrench and the whole assembly turns with it almost creasing the congregated pipe along with it. Bought some crowsfeet trying to hold it in place and still nothing!!

If anyone can give me some pointers it would be greatly appreciated.

Also can i just delete the SAI completely?? I dont need it for emissions where i live, and if cut cutting it out makes this job simpler i just might do it.

thank you in advanced

 

In order to get the SAI fitting off you need to hold the tubes that actually screw into the heads with a open end wrench (IIRC 18mm). Then you can get the larger nuts off which attach the tubing.

 

You need a ton of penetrating oil against the block and around the big nut, then grab the smaller nut and upper nut, this is a 2 wrench job. Gently try to tighten and loosen the large nut, use more oil as required. Once it moves properly it will come out no problem, but yea they are a nightmare.

 

Fair warning, I had to replace one of those copper SAI pipes as one split open. I could not separate the pipe from the adapter that goes into the head using the two wrench method. I just cut the copper pipe off since it was split anyway and removed the adapter the head with the nut and bit of pipe left. Just to see, I put the adapter plus nut in my bench vise and it took at 4 foot pipe with crescent wrench and lots of WD40 before it finally broke free. The other connection came apart without too much effort.

 

Can I just delete the whole SAI assembly?

 

You need to remove the spark plugs to be able to get the open-end wrench on the fittings. You can delete the entire s a i but it will throw a code unless you either swap the epu with the non- s a i or have someone with a factory cuter programmer flash it with a non SA computer program. And then you will still have the problem of the city or the holes for the fitting in the heads

 

It was a complete pain, but I finally got them off. I did notice one of the pipes was split on the underside. I think I might go the deletion route, if I can't fix that pipe.

 

I delete all of mine and just live with the code. You can take the plugs that came out of the heads and just weld them shut, put them back in.

 

Plenty of threads on here about SAI and how to go about working with it/deleting it. If you delete it, you will get codes and a CEL -- meaning you won't be able to tell when you get a new code for something else unless you have an Ultragauge or something -- and the engine configuration won't match the VIN if you try to sell it later.

 

I have an ultra gauge, not too worried about the codes. And I'm never selling this thing🤣