Ok I replaced my starter yesterday. half of the solinod plastic cover was broken. Explains why it was a fifty / fifty chance that it would or wouldn't start. Found that the lower exhuast manifold bolt for the #5 cylinder is busted. Explains why that one runs realy lean all of the time.

While replacing the starter I noticed a funny hard line coming off the trans and up by the distrutor, but low enough that you can barley see it from the top. It runs from the top of the trans near the rear to this spot. On the end it has a wierd cap. it flaps around kinda like the top of a presure cooker. Does any one know what this is? Is it some sort of presure relief valve? I can't find a reference to it any of my books.

 

nothing exactly liek that in the service manua, except a vent on that side.

 

....that's the strangest thing I've ever heard of! I have NO idea man.... So the cap on it opens and closes??

 

Yep; pressure vent. Although my '86 has no end to the tube; it's a yellowish (probably clear at one time) tube that hangs off the top of the bellhousing and points down. Yet another reason to be wary of a car that's been in a flood.

There's also a vent tube on the rear axle... so if you ever take your car swimming, change the rear fluid.

 

Cool. Just had me wondering what the hell is this thing. I didn't know that manual trans needed a presure relief valve.

 

There is no pressure inside a manual trans. It's just a vent.