Fitting a Fujita Cold Air Intake to an Automatic Honda Fit (Not Recommended)
Introduction
This guide covers mounting the Fujita CA-1924 cold air intake on a first-generation Honda Fit Sport (GD) equipped with an automatic transmission. The catch is that this kit is engineered for the manual-transmission Fit: on an automatic the transmission cooler line bracket sits in the intake's path, so the tube must be forced around it and the front bumper structure has to be trimmed for clearance. The result works and gives a noticeable induction gain, but it is a fight to install and the finished tube tends to sit close to the transaxle and the radiator cap. Read the whole procedure and the cautions before starting, because owners who followed it reported a scratched tube and a radiator cap that rubbed loose and let coolant escape. If your car is an automatic and you have not yet bought a kit, the purpose-built Injen SP1511 fits an automatic Fit without cutting or fabrication and is the better choice. Attempting this may void your factory warranty. Adapted from a community writeup by gettinafit on FitFreak (https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/fit-diy-repair-maintenance/5990-install-fujita-m-t-cai-t-not-recommended.html), including corrections from the follow-up discussion.
Reference
Tools Required
- 10mm socket and ratchet
- Flat-blade screwdriver
- Coolant hose pinch-off clamps or pliers
- Floor jack
- Jack stands
- Wheel chocks
- Rotary tool, snips or sharp utility knife for trimming plastic
Parts Required
-
Fujita cold air intake kit, part CA-1924 (intended for manual-transmission Fit)
-
Replacement throttle-body coolant hose (supplied in kit)
-
Aluminum mounting bracket (supplied in kit)
-
Assorted washers for shimming the bracket
Safety Warnings
- ⚠ Support the car on jack stands before working underneath; a jack alone is not safe.
- ⚠ On the automatic the tube can rub the radiator cap and work it loose, which allowed coolant loss on at least one car. Confirm cap clearance before driving.
- ⚠ Constant engine and transaxle movement can eventually wear a hole through a tube left in contact with the transmission.
- ⚠ This modification may void the factory warranty and is undertaken at your own risk.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1 Remove the factory airbox assembly
Unclip the air filter cover and lift it off. Release the retaining clip at the radiator support and pull off the rubber fresh-air duct that feeds the fender. Loosen the two 10mm bolts securing the airbox, then slacken the clamp where the intake meets the throttle body. Unplug any attached hoses and pull the IAT sensor straight out of its rubber grommet. Lift the complete factory box out of the engine bay.
2 Reroute the throttle-body coolant lines
Pinch off both the throttle-body feed hose and the manifold-side coolant hose with line clamps so coolant does not drain when you open them. Detach the lines from the throttle body and from the valve-cover nipple. Fit the shorter replacement hose that ships in the kit onto the throttle-body nipple, following the same hose it replaces if you need to trace the routing.
3 Raise and secure the vehicle
Chock the rear wheels, set the parking brake, and jack up the left front of the car. Lower it onto a jack stand before going underneath. Never rely on the jack alone for support while you work under the car.
4 Clear the transmission cooler bracket (automatic only)
Remove the 10mm bolt holding the transmission cooler line bracket and bend the bracket downward out of the tube's path. This bracket is present only on the automatic and is the specific obstruction the manual-transmission kit was not designed around, which is why the fit is so tight.
5 Free the lower mounting point
From underneath, near the fog-light and fenderwell area on the lower-left corner, remove the exposed retaining screw. This opens up the space the intake tube needs to drop into the front corner of the bay.
6 Fit the tube and cut bumper clearance
Bolt the intake to the throttle body and feed the tube down toward the wheel well and the opening you just cleared. Looking in from the fenderwell beside the fog light, cut an L-shaped section of plastic out of the bumper structure so the pipe can pass into the front-most corner. There is no photo of this cut in the original writeup; the kit's printed instructions include a reference picture. The piece to remove is obvious once you sight the tube against it.
7 Reconnect the sensor and secure the tube
Press the IAT sensor into its port on the new intake tube. Bolt the tube down at its mounting points and reconnect the coolant hoses you rerouted earlier, confirming each is fully seated.
8 Fit and shim the support bracket
Mount the aluminum support arm from the kit into a stock bolt hole. Because the arm does not line up cleanly on an automatic, raise it with washers to set its height and pull the tube away from surrounding components as much as possible.
9 Install the filter and close up
Slide the cone filter onto the end of the tube and secure it. Tighten the two bolts that hold the intake from underneath the car, then tuck the fenderwell liner back into place.
10 Check clearance before driving
Before lowering the car and driving, inspect the gap between the tube and both the transaxle and the radiator cap. On the automatic the tube tends to rest against the transaxle and sit near the radiator cap. Verify the cap has clearance and cannot be worked loose, and plan to recheck the tube periodically for rub-through, since ongoing engine and transmission movement can wear a contact point over time.
Pro Tips
- 💡 The CA-1924 kit is built for the manual Fit. On an automatic, the Injen SP1511 is purpose-made and reportedly fits with no cutting or bracket fabrication.
- 💡 Clamp the coolant hoses shut before disconnecting them to avoid draining coolant across the engine bay.
- 💡 The polished tube scratches easily while being forced into the tight bay; protect its finish during the install.
- 💡 Fujita's customer service was reported to be helpful, supplying a short-ram replacement to an owner who had trouble with the CAI on an automatic.
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