I am a newbie, bear with me: Ok guys, I have a problem. I long suspected that my ram air was not working properly, and I was right. I just went outside to check it out. My flaps do not close or open, in fact they are always open. I am not sure if this is bad, but I think it is. I have often thought that I was not getting the performance everyone else out there was talking about when the ram air kicks in. Is there a possible fix for this? Would I be better off to switch to a regular air cleaner? On another note, when and how are the wecondary air valves supposed to open up (butterflies?)? My car runs pretty good, I am just pretty sure that nothing is adjusted properly on my q-jet Thanks everyone!
You know, those fleshy things I sit on............... I think I screwed up my air cleaner when I sent it out to be chrome plated. They dipped the whole thing. I wasn't thinking at the time. I should have just left it black.
So you dipped your fleshy things and and had them chromed along with the snokels and cleaner? Tell me the location of what you call flaps.
right at the end of the snorkel. They are supposed to open when you jump on the gas, and I guess they stay closed when you fiirst start the car up. They are attached to two vaccums, which are attached to the carb.
While running at low speed from where does the engine get air while these flaps are closed? Have you ever actually seen a "flap" attached to a "vacuum" on a Buick ram air cleaner? Also, out of over 9000 members on this Board you may be the first to ever chrome either his "snorkel" or his "fleshy things" so you will need to bear with us a bit while we sort through this problem. However, my first reaction is that your fleshy things may be a too stiff now for the job but you snorkel may be OK.
Well, the flaps on the snorkle are always open, so the engine is always sucking cold air. It really isn't a problem, I just want my air cleaner to work correctly. I do not drive it in cold weather so I do not need the warm air off the engine for a cold start. I do not know if it is a vaccum that opens/shuts the vents (maybe that is a better word than flaps?) I really have no idea how it works, thats why I am here asking questions. Thanks for the help guys. My flaps are a little stiff now.... ou:
snorkel I think he is talking about a door that swings shut to direct hot air from the heat stove to the intake snorkel. I aint touching the "fleshy things" that is Jims department!!!!!!!! :Brow: :Brow: :Brow: :Brow: :Brow: :Brow: :Brow:
72.. What your looking at, as doc correctly describes, are the vacuum operated flaps which are part of the heated air intake system. These doors, orginally operated by a temp switch in the air cleaner, are closed to direct warm air off the exhaust manifold stove on the LH side of the motor to the intake, to prevent carb iceing, in cold damp weather. Once the air cleaner temp sensor reach a pre-set temp, the doors open, and allow the air from the snorkels and scoops to enter the engine. This is a system that is either disabled, or inoperative on most of these cars now, and unless they are driven under the right conditions for carb iceing, then this is not an issue. Also, the system improves drivablity in cold weather startup and drive away situations.. and by cold, I mean below 35* or so. They do not open an close in relation to engine vacuum/throttle opening. JW
Jim, Thanks for the response, it makes more sense to me now. As long as they are stuck open I am in good shape.
I see what you must have now. It's a non ram air cleaner with two short snorkels ( maybe 3-4 inches). The circular valves are on top on the snorkels themselves. Correct?
:grin: I'm in on this late! Jim- His name is "72GSdroptop", so I would hazard to guess he has a 1972 GS :TU: The "fleshy things" are probably the foam seals ---------------------------------------------- as for how the carb's secondaries open, well that depends. Is it a stock carb? Then it's vacuum operated- but as Jim W has pointed out, this vacuum source isn't the same as the one in the air cleaner. With a correctly functioning choke, I've never needed the heat stove, even when I drove my car in the Boston winters with temps below 0* F
I do have a ram air cleaner, and I am cool with the valves being stuck open. The carb as far as I know is a stock Q Jet. Thanks for all the help guys!!
