Baffled
OK, here's a question for the engine experts. On my 327 ('67 base eng.), there is a baffled metal can under the intake manifold inside the engine that is connected to the fresh air source coming from the bottom of the air cleaner. I can't figure out what purpose that can serves in this engine. On older cars which had the draft tube I can see that the oil mist from the air within the engine would condense on the inner baffles of the can, and the air, now cleaned of most of the oil, was sucked out of the draft tube under the car. Now on my engine the air flow is reversed, that is clean air is directed into the engine instead of out of it. So what purpose does this can provide for incoming fresh air? My thinking is that GM would not add the expense of these parts without some good reason, but I can't think of what it could be.
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Re: Baffled
Chris, thanks for the input. A few years after I bought the car I had to pull the intake manifold & found that the breather can was missing, but could also find no ill effects from running the engine that way.Comment
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Re: Baffled
GM calls it a "ventilator", and it actually functions as a liquid vapor separator. It seems to work well on engines with "normal" crankcase ventilation flow - back of engine to valve to carburetor. It's probably not necessary on engines with "reverse" flow - oil tube to valve to carburetor, but GM left it there. I believe it was on all small blocks from '55-'67, but was eliminated along with the rear crankcase opening next to the distributor when the PCV system was redesigned to go from valve cover to opposite valve cover in '68.
DukeComment
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