Air cleaner hose

[MoparDan]

I'm not sure what this is called, it attaches to the air cleaner housing, I don't know how it got so bad, how important is this and what does it do exactly? If this is the wrong place to post this let know and I'll move it

 

[jasperjacko]

ducts cold air to the engine. It will run fine without it, or you can get a new one from rock auto.

 

[MoparDan]

Thanks a lot

 

[BudW]

The air hose mentioned brings cold air up from behind the front bumper and into the carburetor. Not using the hot underhood heat helps but the main thing is for fuel mileage. Have you ever stuck your hand out of car window at 60 MPH? If so, you know that air pressure is pushing your hand back, the faster = the more pressure. For a carburetored car, that is = to better fuel mileage at highway speeds. For fuel injected cars – the fuel mileage is a wash, except the fact you have the colder air (ie: not hot underhood heated air). For injected cars, you still have the increased power (pressurized air) at highway speeds but the better fuel mileage aspect is tossed out the window.

I'm a firm believer of having that hose hooked up if you plan on doing much highway driving. If car will never be on the highways, then can leave the hose off.

3½” diameter (90mm) – 15” long. The early ones use black paper. The later ones use a plastic/rubber like material.
I checked with Reilly and with RockAuto.com and didn't see that hose for sale anywhere.

I did find it on eBay at a few areas. This one, will need to reuse the existing plastic clamps: Flexible Ducting Hose Silicone Brake / Hot Or Cold Air Induction -Various Size | eBay or 3inch Diam Car High Flow Turbo Cold Air Intake Hose Black Flexible Pipe Fitting | eBay .
I'm sure you might find others that might work as well.
BudW

 

[80mirada]

cooler denser air from outside of the engine bay also helps reduce exhaust emissions while providing a small performance improvement.

 

[Mikes5thAve]

To get the fullest effect from highway you need to remove the blocker plate from the end. Otherwise its like putting your hand out the window immediately behind the mirror blocking most of the flow.
I never noticed a difference with or without the tube.

 

[Justwondering]

Blocker plate ... I will have to go look at that. Although, in the past year its sat in the driveway more than its been driven. lol
JW

 

[MoparDan]

To get the fullest effect from highway you need to remove the blocker plate from the end. Otherwise its like putting your hand out the window immediately behind the mirror blocking most of the flow.
I never noticed a difference with or without the tube.

What blocker plate?

 

[BudW]

This “tube” (not sure what you want to call it) connects the cold air hose (also connected to air cleaner) to a “cap fitting” (again, not sure one would call it) that sits just behind the front bumper. There is a black barrier panel to prevent “sprayed up” water from entering this entrance just above and below that entry cap fitting.

The fitting itself is molded from black plastic (as well) and has a a flat panel on front most edge that somewhat closes off the cap. I tried to get photos of this on both of my cars but it wasn't visible.

This is a picture from the parts manual:

I'm not sure how restrictive the "blocker plate" is but for stock (non-modified) cars, it is not a problem. For performance cars - I can see altering that plate for less restrictive air flow.
BudW

 

[MoparDan]

Oh, ok

 

[Mikes5thAve]

I don't think it would be restrictive enough to cause any performance issues. I was referring to highway that plate blocks direct airflow so it's not a huge increase in air pressure up the hose.

 

[MoparDan]

I wonder if its possible to take it off without breaking it and be able to put it back on, though I don't really do any highway driving anymore

 

[BudW]

If I recall correctly, it screws off (an eighth of a turn, or so) and holds the long tube in place. It might be easier to get a replacement and play with one, and keep the other.

No way to know (without testing) - but I wonder if making a air horn shape (or attaching a something resembling a air horn) might help air movement to replace that piece?
I also wonder if noise might also be a concern and reason for that design?
BudW

 

[Mikes5thAve]

I think it all twists together so you could probably take it apart and get it back together easily.
I'm guessing it was probably there to prevent water and road debris from being thrown into the hole altho I don't know much vacuum or velocity any of that gets to get too far up the tube. It's a bigger opening then what my gm has of the same era.