CosmosC4S

When I was working on the car yesterday cleaning the throttle body,
I noticed some worn parts and I have some questions that hopefully some of you have the answers to.

1. What is that foam piece in the air filter box? Is that piece replaceable, and what is it called?
I pushed my finger in it and Oops! It felt like it was already disintegrating, left an indentation.
At first I thought it's some kinda moisture-absorbing foam? But someone on Renntech said it's a sound-dampening foam.




2. I noticed this hose here right behind the coolant tank, that is all cracked-up, looks like it will crumble soon and will affect something.
What part is this, and what does it do? It sure looks like a pain to replace though, from what I can see.
It runs all the way behind the engine...and I am wondering how to replace that piece of hose without removing a bunch of stuff!?
I am thinking if it is indeed a pain to replace, and if it is not under any pressure,
is it all right to just temporarily reinforce it with some electrical tape or duct tape, around the part of the hose that's breaking down?




Thanks in Advance!

TheSpeedDemon

Not sure what either one is, but I have a suggestion for the hose:

Buy some new hose, not much, and one of those plastic fittings you use for putting 2 or more hoses together (I forget the name of that piece). Then you can cut off the bad part and connect it to the new piece using the fitting and put it back on the piece it goes too on the engine.

GL with finding out what the other stuff is.

CosmosC4S

That's a good idea Speed, Thanks!

Someone on Renntech suggested cutting the bad part off and reconnecting.
I also have thought of that at first sight, but I felt the hose and it is HARD.
I'm not sure if it's supposed to be hard, or if it's hard coz it's old and brittle.
So I'm concerned if I cut off an inch, the new part of the hose might not be fresh and flexible.
And when I force it in (judging from the bulge in the fitting in the pic) to fit the other connector,
the hose might crack and break again!

And since the hose is hard, it might not be possible to bend and re-route it to the position to fit the other connecting hose.
The problem is I'm afraid to try anything yet right now before I get some information on what it is for.
Leaving it as it is now would be a wise thing to do, coz' I don't know if it will start disintegrating if I start messing with it.

rcronin

What I have gotten into the habit of doing is to go to the local p-store and get more information and pricing on something then go home and call up the p-store in Oregon (http://www.sunsetimports.com) at cost +15%. Nearly half our local cost.
Replace it.

himself

Cosmos,

This may not solve your problem now, but I've found it helpful for random parts in my car (it's a repost I found in a different thread a few months ago):

http://www.pelicanparts.com/PartsLoo...SA_KATALOG.htm

Click on a link and it will provided a GUI with P-car parts. It shows location and prices as well.

Cheers,

-td

Loren

That may be part of the fuel return line - hard to tell from the pic. If so I think that is just insulation so I would worry if there is tubing inside.

CosmosC4S

rcronin, I'm not concerned about the price of the hose at all.
If you read my post, I mentioned that it looks like a real pain to replace it.

td, Thanks for the link, I searched but couldn't find anything on it.

Loren, I hope you are right, like I said, the hose felt hard and stiff.
So maybe it's a solid tubing inside and the outside is just insulation.
You actually can't miss that hose, it's the only one sitting right behind the coolant tank
that makes a U-turn towards the rear and runs all the way behind the engine towards the right.

michael.s.under

BTW where is that foam piece located? Something I would like to monitor periodically....

PTEC

That is definitely the fuel line. As of 2002 they switched to a return-less fuel system so there is no return line anymore. I've never replaced that line before but I would guess the engine has to come out to do it. Might be worth the peace of mind to replace it. Fuel leaking on hot engine = no bueno.

CosmosC4S

That foam piece is as you see it in the pic.
It's inside the air-intake box, on the bottom half, under the air filter.

CosmosC4S

Ok, if that is definitely a fuel line, then as Loren said, it must be a hard tubing inside, and the rubber is only insulation.
Then no worries...

I might drop by my mechanic's place and ask him just to be sure.