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What's this Plastic Box?

3K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  dieseldogtom 
#1 ·
Hello Gentlemen....
Today I started to do some degreasing as part of getting ready to do a fuel filter change. Unfortunately, I also discovered a mouse nest in the "V" of my 7.3 and what an oily mess it was/is. While looking at what parts and clamps and air intake hoses I would need to remove to do the fuel filter change out, I noticed there was this Plastic Box connected by a short length of hose to the Main intake air hose out of the filter area. It is about 10"x 12"x maybe 1.5" or so tall. It's held up in a high position by at least two brackets that attach on the other end to a couple of valve cover nuts. It's on the right side of engine.
What the heck is this thing!?? At first glance I was thinking it was going to be electronic in nature. But I finally saw the short and small diameter (maybe 3") hose protruding out and T'ing in with the Main intake air line. Now I am no Diesel Mechanic (at least by trade) OR Engineer, But I just can't imagine what this this is or whats inside it and why it's needed on what I guess I will call the FORWARD section of the intake air part of the system. And in all the threads I have read on this board I can't say I have ever read (knowingly) about this thing!
No fellas, It's not the air filter housing box. LOL
Neither , I might mention is this thing (IN LINE) like the rest of the whole system is. IE: All the intake air through the filter housing and onto the turbo fan and then a "Y" to split it to either side of the engine. This is as I mentioned, (Tee'ed) not to far back after the air exits the filters.
Well, I am wasting my time now describing it because YOU all know what I am talking about and are probably already posting the answer!
I just know I'm gonna feel real stupid when you tell me.....:frown2: :surprise: :surprise: :surprise: Thank you all....Tom
 
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#2 ·
DDTom, LOL, that's what I thought about it! It is a "resonator" that factory put in to supposedly reduce sound. What it really is, is another obstacle in the engine compartment. A-lot of us have completely removed it and filled the hole going into the rubber intake hose with a 2" black ABS plastic pipe cap. Others have used a plastic spray paint cap to seal off hole. Some guys use an 18" 2x4 and a mallet to smash it and remove the pieces. I was able to remove mine whole by twisting it through the passenger side of the doghouse. If you are going to work on your 7.3 more in the future, get rid of it! Cheers!
 
#7 ·
Plastic housing


Yes it is a noise reducer that is supposed to lower engine noise. But I can't tell any difference. Engineers work in the perfect world of a stock engine so what may reduce engine noise at wide open throttle does nothing to quite a engine that has been modified and makes more noise on purpose.
 
#3 ·
I removed mine 10 years ago....
 
#4 ·
Thank you so VERY much Jason.
And it's extra good news to hear that as you say, it can/should be removed. Anything to gain more working room in these damn vans is good to know about. I would be interested to know of any noticeable noise increase heard after someone removing it. I'm not to worried though since I appear to be going deaf anyway! I have already removed my muffler for a straight pipe. All that accomplished was a louder van and a weight reduction of I will guess 15 lbs.
Any information on what makes them so hard to remove or were you just kidding around?
I saw the two brackets extending up from an attachment point of two valve cover nuts. I imagine the hose attachment (T fitting into the Main air hose) is providing some of the support for the top of the thing. Is there some other hard to get at or (permanent type) of attachment that I have not seen yet that requires the 2x4
Anyway....I can't wait to rip the damn thing out of there!!!!!!!
It's irritating enough just how much you have to disconnect and push aside just to do a damn fuel filter change. Not designing it to be located on the lower frame rail somewhere was one big bonehead idea by (somebody). If there were a mechanic in my area I could trust even half way I would be looking into one of those aftermarket kits with the spin on cartridges. I just don't think I want to (or maybe just can't do) that job myself.
I bought the 11mm (IIRC) size drain plug and was going to also do the AIH delete but like everything else with these things, I find myself trying to figure out if it is worth the aggravation to try to get that thing out/disconnected. It's a long reach from the dog house. Maybe with all the intake air box removed under the hood it will be more visible/accessible from that side. Also hoping that (hot) wire to it doesn't disappear into a wire loom. Wish I had a better idea how easy or hard the relay it connects to will be to access . I see in your description above that you have made a LOT of improvements. I once had big plans to do many of those things you have listed there but now feel like while the engine may go forever when you do all that stuff. The body of the vehicle is just never going to last that long. At least not mine. So now I am sticking with the basics (keeping it mostly stock), and just doing some of the smaller and less expensive upgrades that may not do much for helping bullet proof it but like you said, Make it easier to work on and such. I did spring for one of those fugimoto oil drain valves to replace the drain plug. So far I feel that was well worth the money. An empty 4 quart oil jug fits perfectly under the thing. Valve on - 4 quarts drained - valve off. No more oil to oil catch pan and then having to pour 15 Quarts back into the empty jugs from that big pan. May not be a big deal to some people but I got sick of spilling oil or having it (burp) back out of the funnel because I was pouring it in to fast. I don't usually (promote) products but this one (to me) was really worth it.
Thanks again for the quick reply and advice. Guess I am off to find a 2" ABS cap. Tom
 
#5 ·
Tom, you're welcome. As you said, it is a diesel van with a straight pipe! If you can hear at all, you won't notice any difference. Just disconnect the resonator, plug the hole, and try to remove it by twisting it and turning to see which way it has to go to fit through the right rear of doghouse opening. That's when you'll know why some guys just smash it in place and pull it out of there! It CAN be removed whole though like mine. Also, put the flat side of the 2" ABS cap facing IN on the intake. Obviously that will leave air as unrestricted as possible going to your turbo compressor wheel. Then put a hose clamp around it. Cheers!
 
#6 ·
O.K. .... I look forward to attempting to get it out in one piece.
My thought at your previous post was that I would never consider to use a paint
can cap as you suggested some folks do. That just seems to be way to flimsy and I
wouldn't want to find out what happens if it gets sucked into the air stream.
Also will be interested to see what the heck is in the box. (the one in my Van). LOL
DD Tom
 
#8 ·
Yep, that muffler/resonator contraption really gets in the way.
However, I took mine out, drove the van a bit, and put the thing back in!!

Resonant droning appeared at certain speeds was really loud & annoying to me.
I put the resonator back in, all quiet again.
 
#9 ·
I guess I won't know till I try it for myself. Today I mustered up the energy/confidence to pry off those squeeze clamps that hold the CCV hose on. Then I got real brave and went for removing the whole intake air hose system. Much easier to do once the CCV hose is free from the small dog house on the valve cover. I pulled the thing out through the hood. Once out I was able to get the clamp off the ontake side. After some thought and looking through what I had laying around I decided the best way to do the CCV Delete was to cut the OEM hose just after a 90 degree bend & just long enough that a steel threaded plumbing plug could be shoved in the hose & clamped. For the other side (CCV) I reversed the small dog house and put back what was left of the remaining length of OEM hose and just (for now) stuck a 45 degree copper elbow in and clamped that (aiming downward of course). Unfortunatly I could find NOTHING to fill the resonator hole. So I had to leave it for now. But measured hole size & went to HDepot to get a proper plug. Must have got all mixed up looking at all those numbers in the plumbing isle and came home with two options in a 2 inch size (WRONG SIZE stupid me!). Seems it was 2 1/2 " that I need but I forgot . So another trip to the HD tomorrow for the correct size.
I immediately noticed how much easier it was to feed the big air intake assembly back into position without the whole length of that hose sticking out. And NOT having to reconnect it is the real bonus!
One other thing I would like to ask about.....Any suggestions of what to replace those CCV dog house o-rings with???? I was thinking some type of old school cork gasket material???
Those tapered sided o-rings seem like a poor fit for the application. Or maybe it's just that they get deformed and can't be expected to fit back in place properly. Mine sure didn't!
I also ask again for any opinions about completely removing that bracket that holds the rear section of the air intake tubing.?? I think it was/is the coupling that the small nipple sticks out for the CCV hose to connect to. I also figured that if I can just get a piece of muffler tube the right size it can eliminate the need for the hose and plug that I had to make up. If your eliminating the CCV inlet you don't need that OEM coupling with the nipple and you also don't need the OEM coupling if your eliminating the bracket/brace. The assembly will slide in & out even easier if the small stub of hose & plug & clamp are not sticking out the side of it. That's why I am asking for opinions about the need of that bracket? It would leave only 2 connection points . The clamp on the turbo and the clamp on the air filter housing. It's like that right now & feels pretty solid.(well the resonator connection is there) but even when that ws disconnected it felt pretty solid......Any thoughts...... No one is chiming in on that one???????? Sorry for long post......... DDT
 
#10 ·
You can get replacement orings for the ccv. Diesel orings, RiffRaff, etc.


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
 
#11 ·
Tom, O-Rings swell a-lot over time and are not really meant to be re-used. Here you go:
4 Viton O-rings to reseal the Crank Case Vent cover
The CCV delete mod is probably one of the most common mods that guys quickly reverse back to stock because it stinks! Literally. Ask me how I know!! Here's what I came up with and it works great for me:
http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/f14/my-van-specific-air-intake-mods-2003-7-3l-psd-564713/
At first I also couldn't understand letting that much oil into the intake, so I deleted it. Next thing you know, oil was leaking out the port hole where the dip stick enters the oil pan! Once I researched it thoroughly over on the 1999-2003 engine and drivetrain section of this site, the answers came! Deleting your CCV causes a negative pressure condition that CAUSES oil to leak from places it did not before! That's when I came up with my solution in the link above! Previosly you had also asked about removing the turbo heat shield and bracket. First you need to know that the turbo is probably the hottest part of your whole engine. The answer is yes, you can remove it. I did, but I added a Thermal Zero turbo blanket instead. The other bracket holding the hard plastic section of the intake doesn't get in the way of anything much. I guess you could remove it but you definitely don't want any loose parts rubbing wires or hoses and causing more damage. I would leave that bracket alone. I use a deep 8mm socket on a tiny 1/4" ratchet to reach in and loosen the clamp on the flexible intake snorkel. After that, you can access pretty much anything you need to. Cheers!
 
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#12 · (Edited)
Jason: Thanks very much for getting back to me with your information.
On the CCV thing. I'm not sure what to believe anymore until I do it myself.
I have heard (as you mention) , Or maybe I am thinking of reading your post in the past, About "creating Negative pressure" and then (other) oil leaks from other places. I have a hard time buying that. I do however get the smell problem and oil that will likely drip. But I cannot see how having an completely open,short outlet hose directed down just a few inches creates "negative pressure". My understanding that the International 444's (maybe used for off road purposes) have exactly that....A short vent hose directed towards the ground & vented to atmosphere. I CAN however understand some of the people that had problems doing long hoses to the rear of the vehicle & then making up improperly designed catch cans or having the hose run in an upward angle at some point in the run causing oil build up and blockage...
For me, I really don't want ANY of that oil residue being fed back into my clean air intake system. And removing it makes access so much easier . So I will either find out the hard way that it creates (other) leaks or that I cannot take the smell OR I will be glad I did it every time I dig in to do service or further modifications.
Having said all that, I appreciate the input on the heat shield for the turbo. I think I am just going to go with installing back on BUT only securing it with the rear (easy to get at) nut. On the bracket issue I guess that's just one more thing I will need to see how it goes. Yeah, it's only 2 small bolts but it's just another thing that takes time to remove and clogs up the very limited space there is in the engine bay. I am learning quite a bit the more times in a row I pull this intake apart. LOL But seriously, Thank you for responding. I appreciate hearing all the things to consider when doing this stuff. Once I get that resonator box out I will be golden! DDT
 
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