booost
Senior Member
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2020
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- Location
- Palm Beach, FL
- Vehicle(s)
- 2021 Honda Civic Type R
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- #1
Not sure if this is worthy of a thread and I'm sure there's a ton of write ups on this topic. I don't want to debate if it's a good idea or not to replace your stock BOV but I do feel compelled to share my experience installing a Boomba Racing BOV in my 2020 Si....
What I thought would be an easy 5 or 6 step install as Boomba advertises (it very well be to someone more mechanically inclined than I am) actually was almost a nightmare for me... So I hope this can help someone because I wish I did more research before I went ahead and attempted this
Before you even start, make sure you have the correct tools:
Boomba says you'll need the following:
- Long needle nose pliers
- 8mm Socket wrench with a small extension (will most likely need a powered one)
I needed to have these on hand too which isn't mentioned by Boomba... I'll explain below:
- High strength magnets (magentic retreiver tools of different lengths)
- Various philips head and flat head screwdrivers (will explain below)
- Extra set of BOV screws (highly suggest this)
Prior to install:
This is where Boomba could have given a tad more guidance in my opinion:
- Remove your skid plate (will explain below)
- Remove your under bumper rubber splash protection guards
- No doubt will have to remove some of the hoses in the way of the stock BOV otherwise you'll run into my issue that I will explain below.
- Remove the wiring harness to the wastegate
Install:
1. I followed the directions that Boomba has which is about 5 or 6 steps... But I quickly noticed that although the Stock BOV is easily seen under the hood and appears to be easily accessible, it's in a super tight area that I could barely fit my wrench or hand. Getting the bolts off was actually kind of hard for me but I was able to do it.
2. Once I removed he stock vacuum hose and stock BOV, I set the Boomba BOV up. At this point I realized how much bigger the Boomba BOV was than the stock one making it even harder for me to place my hands, wrench, etc...
3. I got the top bolt onto the Boomba BOV and was trying to snake my hands to get the furthest bottom bolt in. At this point my wife entered the garage and it startled me (I was in deep concentration, lol) and i dropped the small BOV screw that i was having no luck trying to screw into place... **Que extreme headache**
4. At this point I was extremely frustrated knowing I do not have a replacement screw but I also have a spare screw rattling around in my skid plate. I figured, if I can at least get the 2nd screw in than i will be in a better place than just having 1 screw in but of course, the area was so tight that I dropped the 2nd screw...
5. Now that I had 2 screws floating around in my skid plate and 1 screw holding the Boomba BOV in place I was even more frustrated. I don't have a lift or ramps in my house so taking off the skid plate below the vehicle wasn't that possible for me and my mechanical knowledge although I did attempt it.
6. The next morning I had to call my friend who's a mobile mechanic (luckily I know one) who brought ramps and had to remove my skidplate. Wallah! One of the screws dropped out, the other was still caught by my front fender behind where the fog lights are. Thankfully he had magnets and a long magnetic retriever to get the other screw out. Now both the screws are out...
7. After that, he went ahead and had a hard time getting the area cleared to have enough room to even install the bolts. He ended up having to take off 1 or 2 hoses that run over the BOV to get his hands/tools into the area. The new vacuum line was extremely difficult for me to get on and for my buddy too. We did end up getting it on but it wasn't an easy task.
8. After all of this we were now ready to put the skid plate back on which I wish I removed it to begin with because it wasn't a great night of sleep knowing my new vehicle was somewhat in operable and I have to get to work in the morning.
So... In short. Just make sure you have the right tools, your preparation is on-point and you do your research. I highly recommend removing your skid plate first just in case and have magnetic tools at the very least. I'm not the most mechanically inclined and I'm sure there's others out there with the same skill level that I have so I only want to help, not scare and let you know the challenges that I encountered and how I solved them.
What I thought would be an easy 5 or 6 step install as Boomba advertises (it very well be to someone more mechanically inclined than I am) actually was almost a nightmare for me... So I hope this can help someone because I wish I did more research before I went ahead and attempted this
Before you even start, make sure you have the correct tools:
Boomba says you'll need the following:
- Long needle nose pliers
- 8mm Socket wrench with a small extension (will most likely need a powered one)
I needed to have these on hand too which isn't mentioned by Boomba... I'll explain below:
- High strength magnets (magentic retreiver tools of different lengths)
- Various philips head and flat head screwdrivers (will explain below)
- Extra set of BOV screws (highly suggest this)
Prior to install:
This is where Boomba could have given a tad more guidance in my opinion:
- Remove your skid plate (will explain below)
- Remove your under bumper rubber splash protection guards
- No doubt will have to remove some of the hoses in the way of the stock BOV otherwise you'll run into my issue that I will explain below.
- Remove the wiring harness to the wastegate
Install:
1. I followed the directions that Boomba has which is about 5 or 6 steps... But I quickly noticed that although the Stock BOV is easily seen under the hood and appears to be easily accessible, it's in a super tight area that I could barely fit my wrench or hand. Getting the bolts off was actually kind of hard for me but I was able to do it.
2. Once I removed he stock vacuum hose and stock BOV, I set the Boomba BOV up. At this point I realized how much bigger the Boomba BOV was than the stock one making it even harder for me to place my hands, wrench, etc...
3. I got the top bolt onto the Boomba BOV and was trying to snake my hands to get the furthest bottom bolt in. At this point my wife entered the garage and it startled me (I was in deep concentration, lol) and i dropped the small BOV screw that i was having no luck trying to screw into place... **Que extreme headache**
4. At this point I was extremely frustrated knowing I do not have a replacement screw but I also have a spare screw rattling around in my skid plate. I figured, if I can at least get the 2nd screw in than i will be in a better place than just having 1 screw in but of course, the area was so tight that I dropped the 2nd screw...
5. Now that I had 2 screws floating around in my skid plate and 1 screw holding the Boomba BOV in place I was even more frustrated. I don't have a lift or ramps in my house so taking off the skid plate below the vehicle wasn't that possible for me and my mechanical knowledge although I did attempt it.
6. The next morning I had to call my friend who's a mobile mechanic (luckily I know one) who brought ramps and had to remove my skidplate. Wallah! One of the screws dropped out, the other was still caught by my front fender behind where the fog lights are. Thankfully he had magnets and a long magnetic retriever to get the other screw out. Now both the screws are out...
7. After that, he went ahead and had a hard time getting the area cleared to have enough room to even install the bolts. He ended up having to take off 1 or 2 hoses that run over the BOV to get his hands/tools into the area. The new vacuum line was extremely difficult for me to get on and for my buddy too. We did end up getting it on but it wasn't an easy task.
8. After all of this we were now ready to put the skid plate back on which I wish I removed it to begin with because it wasn't a great night of sleep knowing my new vehicle was somewhat in operable and I have to get to work in the morning.
So... In short. Just make sure you have the right tools, your preparation is on-point and you do your research. I highly recommend removing your skid plate first just in case and have magnetic tools at the very least. I'm not the most mechanically inclined and I'm sure there's others out there with the same skill level that I have so I only want to help, not scare and let you know the challenges that I encountered and how I solved them.
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