For those that do not know, this tube exists because Subaru/Toyota thought it would improve the experience of the driver/passengers to funnel intake sound into the cabin to give it more of a sports car tone. Some may prefer to keep it but if you want to quiet down your cabin, clean up your engine bay, and possibly improve the intake flow (unconfirmed), you can remove it.
This thread will show you how to remove your sound generator tube for approx $4 in Home Depot/Lowes plumbing parts. This only takes about 5 minutes and is completely reversible.
Parts needed:
- 1.5" Flexible\rubber Pipe Cap (Picture 5 below)
- PEX 3/4" plug (Picture 6 below)
Tools needed:
- Flathead screw driver (or 8mm wrench)
- 10mm socket\wrench
1. Loosen hose clamp on sound tube (lower green box in 1st picture) that is connecting it to the intake tube. Pull out the sound tube from intake tube, it will take little wiggling to make it come loose.
2. Remove 2 10mm bolts that secure the sound tube to the car (2 upper green boxes in 1st picture). There are also 2 zip tie style plugs securing the tube that need to be disconnected.
3. At the firewall where the tube ends, just pull the tube out, there is nothing securing it at this location besides a plastic fitting. You can then remove the entire sound tube. The unit should look as pictured below in the 4th picture.
4. Place cap (5th picture) on intake tube where the sound tube was connected (red box in 2nd picture) and tighten. Be careful not to over tighten this since there is no metal ring in place like there was in the sound tube--you are securing the cap around plastic only. Just tighten it snugly so it feels secure.
5. Go into passenger side of car and pull back carpet to find the a hole in the firewall leading to the engine bay (3rd picture), put plug (6th picture) in it. You can also probably plug this from the engine bay side, I haven't tried but it probably works just the same.
Picture 1
Engine bay before:
Picture 2
Engine bay after:
Picture 3
Behind passenger side carpet, on firewall:
Picture 4
Sound tube removed:
Picture 5
Cap for intake tube, $2.50, bought at Lowes because Home Depot didn't have it in stock:
Picture 6
Plug for interior firewall hole, $1.75, bought at Home Depot:
