Silicone Air Box Snorkel Boot?

I just got the missing Air Box rubber snorkel, end cover gaskets, and bolt spacer. There were the remains from silicone someone had put betwee the snorkel and the air box. Is this necessary at all? Seems like it makes a good seal without it. I'd have to scrap the old stuff off too. Didn't seem to help since mine was missing when I got it.

Don't use silicone RTV, it won't hold. What you need is automotive weatherstrip adhesive...along with meticulous prep and correct application. Yes, you can "get by" without it. However, the boot will get pulled off every time it's R&Rd which will instantly become annoying.

What constitutes meticulous prep? Removing the paint? I have one that is perfectly painted and am loath to wreck the, now fully cured, paint.

I'm so glad you brought up this subject. I've been looking at my tube of 3M super yellow weatherstrip adhesive for a few weeks now and just haven't formulated the best plan of attack. I'm assuming the parts were painted first because the old glue was visible on top. What I don't know is whether to apply it in the rubber groove or to the painted surface before inserting the rubber. Do tell...

I've noticed on a few aircleaners that the factory was a little sloppy with that stuff.lol.

Instructions on the tube say to apply to both surfaces and wait until tacky. It's basically contact cement like you'd use on laminate counter tops. I use it for bike and motorcycle grips. When I use it that way, I slide them on wet and let sit overnight. It's lacquer thinner based, but that would eat paint if not careful. Sometimes I use alcohol to clean up the grips. Not really the right solvent but safer on paint.

I'll be curious what you guys suggest for both the technique and solvent. My guess is that you want to avoid excessive use so there's no clean up needed. Seems like the originals always had a bit of glue showing all around, as if assembled wet.

racerx said:

Don't use silicone RTV, it won't hold. What you need is automotive weatherstrip adhesive...along with meticulous prep and correct application. Yes, you can "get by" without it. However, the boot will get pulled off every time it's R&Rd which will instantly become annoying.

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What is the correct process for prep and application of the weatherstrip adhesive and snorkel? Apply only to the groove, the steel housing, or both? Allow glue to set up partially or assemble wet? Preferred solvent for cleanup or avoid? Inquiring minds want to know.

Interesting timing on this as I'm about to re install front and rear boots on a freshly painted air box. I plan to lightly scuff the painted surface of the air box at the mating point where it will attach to the boot. I also plan to apply a fine bead of weatherstrip adhesive to both the groove and housing. I assume some will squeeze out and surround the perimeter of the boot similar to the original assembly. Provided it's not sloppy, that should be good enough to resemble the original look and create a lasting seal.

Z50nut said:

Interesting timing on this as I'm about to re install front and rear boots on a freshly painted air box. I plan to lightly scuff the painted surface of the air box at the mating point where it will attach to the boot. I also plan to apply a fine bead of weatherstrip adhesive to both the groove and housing. I assume some will squeeze out and surround the perimeter of the boot similar to the original assembly. Provided it's not sloppy, that should be good enough to resemble the original look and create a lasting seal.

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My guess is that you don't need to scuff, as I can't see them doing that in the factory. I would just degrease with isopropyl alcohol. The rest sounds like what I was thinking too. I still want to hear from racerx.

I have little to no experience with this job, but I have a lot of experience with glueing stuff. I'll bet the adhesive will stick to pretty much anything without the need to scuff the surface. Contact cement would stick to your eyeball. I would dry fit the boot and somehow mark a reference point...Clocked correctly...One that is out of the glue zone. Then fill the groove only, of the boot with glue, clean wipe off any excess and mess with solvent or whatever. Then install the boot asap...Glue wet. Put the less likely to be seen part of the boot into the box first...Into the glue in the groove. Then carefully push the rest of the boot into place. Make sure the air box is in the groove of the boot ALL the way around. Then twist the boot very slightly left, right, and stop right on your reference mark. Then stop. Let it dry...Completely. If you made a mess, I'd pull the boot and start over. I don't think you could wipe the glue off of shiny paint without making a bigger mess of things. You'd have to clean it all off and start over with the paint.


But, if your paint is not rattle can paint. If it's good auto paint with the hardener in it...Whatever that's called, you most likely COULD clean up excess glue, with solvent etc.

When you're dry fitting, pretend there is glue in there, for practice, think about where and when you might make a mess...Then try not to do that.

One more thing. lol
I use Ziploc bags as glue applicators all the time. Put glue in the corner of a heavy duty type bag. Squeeze out the air and zip the bag. Then cut a tiny corner off the bag with scissors etc. Then that tip of the bag will put glue right where you need it.

...This is assuming that the glue your using doesn't dissolve Ziploc bags.

Great idea kirrbby. The bag trick works great for ketchup and mustard in my lunch box! :hungry:
And you could just bite the corner off like I do.:4:

Is it possible to seal it from the inside of the aircleaner, so the glue doesn't show on the outside?

ez50 said:

Great idea kirrbby. The bag trick works great for ketchup and mustard in my lunch box! :hungry:
And you could just bite the corner off like I do.:4:

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We do that with sour cream on taco night also...Neat and tidy.
When I mix epoxy, sometimes I put both parts in the bag, zip it, then just knead the bag to mix it, cut the corner, and away I go.

Sorry for being a tad late to this party, the last storm blew-out interweb access for a day and a half.

You're virtually stuck (no pun intended) with the wet glue method & some visible overlap. Ideally, weatherstrip adhesive would be applied like any other contact cement...allowed to set-up, then the parts assembled. That'd give OEM-like results, i.e. a strong bond and instantly at that. But, you'd have to get the boot in correctly in one shot and that's not likely. If Honda assembled them this way, they had dedicated machinery, which is beyond impractical for anyone else; and they left visible excess glue. That excess adds some strength & durability.

It's not necessary, or desirable, to scuff the visible side. It just needs to be clean & oil-free. If you want to be really perfectionist about this, use a hybrid wet/dry application and mask the painted surface. Start by masking the airbox, leaving a tiny margin around the circumference of the boot. A second layer of masking can be cut from aluminum foil which is guaranteed to withstand the solvents in the adhesive, then peeled-off hours, or day, later. Give the airbox opening a light coating of adhesive, inside & out, as well as the inner lip of the rubber boot. Let them dry, then apply a second layer of adhesive and assemble quickly, while it's still wet enough to allow some wiggle room...literally. Give it a day, or two, to fully set. If you decide to use the dual-layer masking method, the foil can be removed as soon as you've wiped-away most of the excess, using solvent (carefully), to clean the rubber boot. Leave the tape for the next day, that way, there's no chance of any wet glue ending up on the paint. You may have to use a single-edge blade to cleanly break the bond from the tape...hopefully not.

FYI, weatherstrip adhesive will develop good bond strength, even when applied wet. Ever see how tightly the cap will eventually bond to the tube? The key is time...applied wet, it takes far longer.

I've noticed that on my factory air box, the excess glue was thick in spots, exactly as if they put it on wet and the excess squeezed out. If they had put it on both surfaces and let set up, they would be thinner and not a built up ridge of glue. Not sure of other brands but the 3M glue has a nice small nozzle.

It's about 5/32" OD and 3/32" ID. I use it fully wet on bike grips and give it at least 24 hours to dry. Not how I usually use contact cement, which normally should be dry to the touch before assembly, but it seems to work great. The 3M stuff is awesome. It also smells great if you want to forget all your troubles for a while.

One tube lasts a long time; I always end up buying a new tube when the old one dries-out into a deformed hockey puck. There's not much to glue on these bikes. Thus, the label on yours is different from what I'm using. That said, I'm sure it's the same stuff, practically speaking, and will do the job as well as previous flavors did.:16: