The ICM has a small heat sink and needs airflow to keep it cool. It is mounted on the airbox so it can take advantage of the airflow.
Personally I zip tied mine up near the firewall and had no issues for about 6 years. Then one day I got stuck in traffic for hours and it died. It was not fun at all. When it goes it can cause other problems, like stuffed spark plugs, oxygen sensors or even catalytic convertor due to excessive unburned fuel.
So if you move it you should be addressing the cooling problem. Maybe a huge heat sink would help, a big piece of aluminium ?
I thought about a PC CPU heat sink, maybe with a fan.
There is not a lot of slack on the wiring so you can't move it far, it would be great down near the radiator fans.
You could cut a hole in your new airbox and mount it that way.
I've put my stock air box back in for the time being.
MK4 GTI - Sold
MK5 Jetta Turbo - Sold
MK5 Jetta 2.Slow - Until it dies.
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