How to Ensure your Air box to Intake Boot Seal is Sealed

I have to assume you found this page by looking for info on sealing your air box, either that or you were servicing your air filter and when you shined the flashlight into the air box at the intake tract as I recommended on the page about servicing your air filter there was dirt, water or other foreign particles in the intake boot which you knew couldn't be good.

If you Have seen dirt, water or foreign particles in your intake tract on the dirt bike, You're right... It's not good and hopefully you found this page in time to save your motor.

If you have seen dirt, water or foreign particles in the intake tract and you're pretty certain that it is coming from the air box to intake boot junction, I'm going to show you how to do something about this.

Who needs to know this?...

This article can also be followed during replacement of the intake boot due to damage such as a puncture, crack or tear in the boot allowing unfiltered air to be drawn in to the intake tract, or even as a preventative maintenance technique for someone who hasn't "Yet" seen dirt in their intake tract.

It's important to know that some dirt bikes do not need this procedure to be performed due to the advanced designs of the intake boot making it practically impossible for unfiltered air to be drawn in at this area. The best way to determine this is upon disassembly; If the intake boot has a lip that extends inside the air box as well as outside, then this procedure is not usually necessary, although performing this procedure can't hurt and will give you peace of mind that no unfiltered air carrying dirt, sand or other fine particles will ever enter the intake tract here, as well as knowing that water will not be able to enter the intake boot from this area either while washing the dirt bike, nor if you are on a wet track or are faced with an off-road water crossing.

Getting the Air box all apart and clean

This is likely going to require removal of the subframe and air box as an assembly but before getting started make sure that the area around the carburetor or fuel injection throttle body is clean before loosening the clamp on the boot where it seals to the carburetor or fuel injection throttle body, otherwise during disassembly, dirt or other particles could possibly find their way into places you don't want them such as the path towards the motor.

• Once the area is clean and the subframe / air box assembly has been removed from the dirt bike, remove the air box from the subframe for easier and better servicing abilities.
• Once you have just the box with the intake boot attached in your hands and you're wondering what to do next, go ahead and disassemble everything removing the fasteners and clamping pieces to enable removal of the intake boot from the air box.
• Once the air box is fully disassembled, clean any remaining sealant or other stuck on adhesives from the pieces then clean all the parts using a cleaner such as simple green which is available at most auto parts or home improvement stores along with a stiff brush followed by rinsing well with clean water.

Inspecting the Parts and Putting the Air Box back together

• Begin the reassembly procedure by using compressed air to dry all the parts you just cleaned, then lay everything out in a clean area to be ready for reassembly.
• Alright, Now that everything is clean & dry, be sure to take a good look at everything, looking for any cracking, holes or tears in the areas that are critical

What's Critical you're wondering? "Anywhere from the air filter towards the motor."

If anything looks damaged, do not try to repair it no matter how small or insignificant the damage appears. A damaged intake boot cannot be properly repaired and should only be replaced. This means put the duct tape down, and it doesn't matter what kind of JB Marine Tex Super Epoxy you had in mind either, it's not going to hold, and if you do try it's going to look ghetto. Your just going to have to order a new part.

Let me put it this way:
Anything you try to do to repair a damaged intake boot will not last due to the intense vibration that a dirt bike generates and mixed with the presence of fuel this will cause any sealant to work itself loose in a short time with the sealant you applied probably being drawn into the intake airflow, possibly resulting in fuel induction or motor problems along with another air leak which will allow unfiltered air along with all the other things you don't want going into your motor to be drawn in which is what you are working to prevent.

Clean, Inspected and "Good to go"?

There are gasket kits available designed to seal the area you are working on, but 3M weatherstrip adhesive that is available at most any auto parts store is what I use, and it works great for the following steps.

• Begin assembling the pieces back together with applying a bead of 3M weatherstrip adhesive to the areas where the intake boot contacts the air box, then installing the clamping pieces and tightening the fasteners evenly in a criss-cross manner while the sealant is still "Wet". There should be some sealant that has come in contact with the threads of the clamping apparatus (which is also the air filter sealing flange) creating a way of locking the threads preventing loosening of these fasteners in the future from vibration. You should be able to see the sealant being forced out of the areas where it is applied when everything is tightened together as this will let you know that enough of the weatherstrip adhesive has been applied to create an effective seal.
• Before re-installation of the air box to the subframe, be sure to allow the weatherstrip adhesive to fully dry, then carefully use a razor knife to trim away any excess sealant that has been forced out and is exposed to create a "Clean look".

Once you have reached this point, ensure that your air filter is clean and properly oiled then re-assemble everything, install the filter and get your riding gear on. Its time to ride "Again"

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