What is this? Why would it be messed up?

criticman

Member
Sep 7, 2003
723
1
16
Rome, GA
Okay...so long story short:

In the photo you will see a part that I have no idea what it is. It is a rubber tube running along left side of the block with some sort of valve (maybe?) that HAD a sensor on it connecting to a tube cluster up as high as throttle body, but near the fender. This same tube has a metal piece on the end that looks like it is supposed to meet up with another tube evenly, but it fails to do so.

PHOTO:
problem.jpg


I am hearing a gurggling sound right at this connector. So, what the hell is this piece? :shrug: And what is wrong? How do I fix the sensor tube piece? Does this need to meet up flush with the other tube?

If this thing has NOTHING to do with the gurggling noise (in your opinion), what else would produce such a noise in this area of the engine bay?
 
Thats part of your smog system.... I have that little canister capped off. I think the end were it hooks up should be capped off too, but some don't do it. I don't think that is the girgling sound. Can you give some more detail to what you are hearing.
 
It's a sensor or something that hooks up to the smog system. I said the same thing when I took it off. Right now it is on the curb in my garage.

The gurgling sound could be a blown header gasket. Or a poor seal. It's near the tube and you may just be mistaking the sound origin. It could be something else, but I would look at the gasket.
 
That is one of the two air diverter valves. Not to sure from that picture but it looks like the diverter that allows the air pump to send air into the system (But I can't really be sure). Any way the connector that you took off that was broken is a vaccum line, so you want to get that hooked back up or you will have a vaccum leak. To fix the vaccum line, pull the broken tube out of the L connector and slide the rest of the white line in the connector.

If the air tubes (black lines that look like heater hose) were to leak, it would sound like an exhaust leak, becasue that is what runs in those tubes.

Mario
 
If you take that off your car, what do you do with the vacuum lines. I remember there being two valves, each with a vaccum line. They go to a larger connection that also has a vacuum line running to the EGR. I don't want to just leave those lines.
 
Well it depends what you remove. First off I do not recommend removing your EGR system w/o getting a chip. However you can remove the smog lines and not worry about it. When I remove the smog lines, I plug the vacuum lines with something. If I am doing it really fast I just use a sheet metal screw and put it in the line and tuck the line away.

On my car, I removed the vacuum lines from the solenoids (behind the passenger shock tower, below the EGR solenoid) and plugged them there. Then I ditched the vacuum line cluster, and ran two new vacuum lines, one from the EGR solenoid to the EGR valve, and one from the manifold to the vacuum tree behind the shock tower.

Mario
 
I removed the two tubes in the picture. I plug both tubes with 3/8's vacuum plugs. I know it would look better if I took the whole bottom tube out and plugged the x pipe, then put a screw in the back of the head, but I did this before work one morning and never went back to finish it. I don't want to remove the EGR, too many problems there. Right now those two thin vaccum lines are connected to the solenoid near the shock tower, but they are just taped to the intake tube because I didn't know if I could take them out. If I remember, the only other vacuum line hooked up to that solenoid goes to the EGR.
 
No problem, it looks alot nicer in the engine bay with the smog lines and pump removed. If you pug the heads you will need two 5/8" x 11 thread bolts, 1" in length. As for the X-pipe you can use a heater hose bypass cap, or if you can't find them you can use a 3/4" heater hose with a bolt in the end of it.

Mario
 
Take them off the solenoids. You can then either plug the solenoids or you can remove the vacuum source from the solenoids, plug the source and remove the solenoids. Just remember when you do this you will get engine codes when you scan your computer.

Mario
 
Its possible, but I don't think you would hear that over the motor when it is running. After looking at the first picture again, you can see the there is a leak where the metal line hooks in rubber line, from the visable black sut on the metal conector.

Mario
 
Original owner (I'm the 3rd) put Hedman Headers on in '93 or '94. Pretty sure it is a gasket or they are rusted thru in parts. I know the CATs are WAY gone. I am redoing exhaust from rear to front (Magnaflow catback presently), so I'll see if the noise remains after I replace the H-Pipe and Headers (along with gaskets).

Also, where the heck would I get the vacuum hose mentioned earlier on? Having a leak in the vacuum system sounds bad...so I want to fix this ASAP. I am working on the car more tomorrow (oil change tonight, transmission fluid change tomorrow) so while I'm in maintenance mode, I might as well get some other things fixed as well.
 
The vacuum hose you should be able to get from any parts store, i think it's 5/32nd's (don't quote me on that).

Chances are the gurgling noise is that one way check valve off the metal AIR tube coming from the back of the heads.

There are two.. (see your left picture) 1 bolts to the AIR tube to the heads the other is right below it on the tube going to the catalytic converters.

Judging by the amount of carbon on that valve I'd say the top one is done & that is your gurgling noise.