the blue one

if i put an open air element filer on my engine ( take out the air cleaner and snorkle,) will i need an oil beather cap, or what do i do with the oil breather? also, since that changes the engine to a hot air intake, will it actually decrease my performance? is this not the best mod?

Ron U.S.M.C.

Here's a few photos of the new valve cover breather (chrome piece and its just a filter without any hoses coming from it. that's all you need)along with the plugged off TBI nipple shown on the side shot photo. The one showing the top of the base plate shows were the air temperature sensor is placed.

Ron U.S.M.C.

As far as a performance increase,personally I felt and can hear a difference as soon as I did the Open element.I am able to use the filter top because of the cowl hood. There is allot of controversy concerning the open air intake so for the $30.00 and a little time you can find out for your self. Removing the cowl weather striping at the base of the hood carefully will help release allot of the hot air.

the blue one

i don't have a cowl hood...is it still possible for an open air element to fit

Schurkey

Easy enough to hear a difference, since the original air cleaner is designed to muffle the intake air noise. More noise doesn't make the engine more powerful.

Every person I know of who has tried the filter top on a dyno has LOST power, probably due to turbulence in the air stream. The difference would be that those folks were using carbs not TBI; so turbulence would affect the carburetor air bleeds.

True as stated, but the controversy goes away when the dyno comes out, or the vehicle is placed in competition. NOBODY who is serious about horsepower deliberately draws heated underhood air, and they haven't since the 1960s.

Since the cowl is a HIGH-PRESSURE AREA, the hot under-hood air does not vent there effectively. The cowl seals are intended to prevent pressurizing the engine compartment making the cooling fan less effective. Hot-air venting of the engine compartment is primarily DOWN between chassis and pavement, doubly-so when there's a front air-dam in place.

If the original poster had SEARCHED BEFORE POSTING, all of this information would have been found.

Ron U.S.M.C.

I'm not trying to create ANOTHER thread concerning this subject but it seams to have moved into it.
Every thing I mention here is concerning my car and the OPs both being TBIs.
The fact that my hood has hole that the filter top extends into and creates only a 1/8in.crack around it makes it basically a sealed top filter.The air is being "pulled" in through the top mixing with the hot air(engine temperature at 190* most of the time) creating a warm air stream and allot of it.The OP will not benefit from a filter top because he does not have that system with a stock hood,and the open air element provides more than enough air that IMO is despratly needed .As far as the OPs stock CAI is concerned buy the time the air actually makes it to the intake it has run the gauntlet of hot piping especially the with the steel filter housing.The only time the air is moving at a rate where that effect dose not play as much of a role is at WOT and even then it has to pull through the air that's all ready in the system. As far as the rear cowl seal on his hood is concerned the cowl effect only comes into play at around thirty five miles an hour so it allows allot of hot air to escape especially siting at idle .Just put your hand there after the engine is hot. Since it has the large openings in the front and hopefully a air dam under the car there is no shortage of cold air for the fan to "pull" through the radiator that is keeping the car at a temperature consistent with the fan switch and thermostat.With a stock system going to a open air element it is dealing with a small amount of HP but still enough for me to feel a difference off the line/throttle response. There are a few basic modifications IMO that compliment each other and this is one of them. I get to experience the small but significant change every 2 years when I have to smog (putting back the stock system)in order to pass.Its like strangling the car.
To the OP,the answer is yes but you may want to punch in "Open air element"and "CAI" in the search box and read,read,read.This way you will also be able to consider a CAI (cold air intake)that actually works (compared to stock)and will provide you with cold air.

Jake_92RS

How did you get your air filter to fit onto your TBI unit without it sitting on top of the ignition coil sensor wires? I bought a 14x3" open element with a 1.5" dropped base and it sits on the wires and doesnt sit flat on the air cleaner spacer flange.

nhgator

I can't imagine the factories would have invested in cold air inlet technology if hot under hood air was that much better.

A good flowing filter with a cooler outside air supply would make more sense.

ex-x-fire

You guys need to check out the salad bowl mod. It helps the air get around the injectors.

Schurkey

According to who?

The thing is aerodynamically horrible. We've known for decades how to build a good-flowing inlet; and it's shaped almost opposite to that "salad bowl".

Yes, the "salad bowl" provides clearance to the injector pods, but also promotes turbulence at the main body of the TBI. I want to see dyno results AND the protocol used, before I believe it improves power.

Ron U.S.M.C.

If you look at the third photo down you will see a plastic 1/2in. ring on top of the stock one.Thats what gives you the clearance you need. They sell the spacers in a kit that has different sizes for a few dollars at Oreillys auto parts or similar auto parts store. They also sell a stronger one made of aluminum at Summit Racing on line.
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...1897&ppt=C0388
and
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...1897&ppt=C0388

Ron U.S.M.C.

When Chevrolet designed the cowl induction system it was a sealed unit. When the hood was closed the filter assembly was sealed to the cowl oppening allowing it to pull cold air directly from the base of the windshild.
Thats what a true cowl system is. I never would say that a open element that was "not" sealed to a cowl hood was better than a properly made CAI ,one that actually was pulling cold air directly from the source not just placed open in the bay .I have a cowl hood so I am trying to use it to pull as much cold air as I can. My setup is not as good as a CAI described above but at least its warm air as opposed to hot. Its the volume of warm air that is available with a open air element that I am going for.
Even thought the conditions are extreme and have many differences than most all of NASCAR uses cowl induction.

Jake_92RS

If I lift up my air cleaner anymore then it already is it will touch the hood, not to mention the stud adapter that came with the kit so I can tighten it down doesn't quite fit the threads on the stud coming out of the throttle body restricting it form being able to tighten down correctly with the nifty bowtie wing nut. I'm caught between a rock and a hard place here. How does everyone figure this stuff out? Am I the only one that has these problems with the "Direct Fit" parts?

Ron U.S.M.C.

When I needed to find out exactly where the sides were hitting and how far my filter was from the hood I used play-doe.If you want to go with a taller “open air” element but are not sure it will fit, place a ball of Play-Doh or molding clay on top of the lid and some on the front and rear edge of the lid in case there is hood slope. Mold it in a way that you know it will hit the hood when closed. Close the lid slowly and when you think it has hit the doe. open the hood slowly.If It's obvious it will hit than use a two in.. filter. If not and its just hitting a small amount close the hood again a little further this time. Continue this process until the doe is flat with the filter.If the hood is not closed at this point than you will need a 2in. filter.Or you can start with a two in filter.
This is the only way I know of to find out were the hood is from the filter when closed.
Your local auto parts should have the correct stud to fit your application or if its not in stock they should be able order it .It either comes in a kit with many pieces or it will look like this.= http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...ier=710403_0_0_

If you have to cut one within the threaded area than thread on a nut or a wing nut first so if you damage the threads it will help straten them out when you back the nut off.

the blue one

i searched alot before posting. if you go ahead and search, you see exactly what is going on in this thread, alot of people say its owrht a shot and they thought it helped, and alot of people say it doesn't. both sides have legitamate arguements, i think if you use the origional sealed cowl induction system, it would be better than snorkles and possibly as good as ram air

SlickTrackGod

He got his wish.
https://jalopnik.com/how-sticking-a-...ore-1820402800

Schurkey

Not exactly. Interesting, though. I am surprised that the salad bowl didn't hurt power production.

1. No GM TBI is going to make 750 hp, and the gains/losses will be less on a lower-powered engine. By the time you get to the power level of a GM TBI system, things are largely moot.

2. A "no air cleaner" baseline for the test is deceptive. We've known for decades that the metal base of an air cleaner helps direct air into the carb/TBI. The REAL baseline is: that engine with a proper air cleaner bottom plate firmly attached to the carb air horn, with no filter, no lid. The "industry standard", if there is a standard, would be the Corvette L-88 air cleaner base (with the screen and mini-lid to hold the base in place...)






...but I'd accept any OEM air cleaner base as long as it is firmly attached using some method that doesn't overly interfere with airflow.

And I'd also like to draw your attention to
(my emphasis)

Please compare to: