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Old 05-02-2017, 11:37 AM   #1
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e-450 air intake mods ideas...

As the title suggests, I'm looking for ideas and opinions on mods for the air intake system for e-450s, specifically ones with the 7.3L powerstroke.

I've posted about the problem before, but to recap: the plastic cap for my assembly broke in the back. I have to replace it before using the bus again, and I'm getting very antsy.

The part I need is about $5 worth of plastic...

But the ONLY places that seem to have it will only sell the whole assembly, and the final cost would be ~$600!!!

I've called every salvage yard I can find a number for and scoured the internet. Nothing.

There isn't a lot of room to work with inside, but I do have the space originally designed for a battery (both are along the side on ours). Here are my ideas:

1. Get a 6637 filter kit from riffraff diesel and make it fit. Pros: $87, easy Cons: Drawing air from engine compartment, therefore starting warmer

2. Do some sort of mod involving a hood scoop. Pros: cooler air Cons: Unknown final expense

3. Do some sort of mod with a snorkel Pros: ??? Cons: ???

We're really stuck on this one.

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Old 05-02-2017, 11:43 AM   #2
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Originally Posted by PigPen View Post
As the title suggests, I'm looking for ideas and opinions on mods for the air intake system for e-450s, specifically ones with the 7.3L powerstroke.

I've posted about the problem before, but to recap: the plastic cap for my assembly broke in the back. I have to replace it before using the bus again, and I'm getting very antsy.

The part I need is about $5 worth of plastic...

But the ONLY places that seem to have it will only sell the whole assembly, and the final cost would be ~$600!!!

I've called every salvage yard I can find a number for and scoured the internet. Nothing.

There isn't a lot of room to work with inside, but I do have the space originally designed for a battery (both are along the side on ours). Here are my ideas:

1. Get a 6637 filter kit from riffraff diesel and make it fit. Pros: $87, easy Cons: Drawing air from engine compartment, therefore starting warmer

2. Do some sort of mod involving a hood scoop. Pros: cooler air Cons: Unknown final expense

3. Do some sort of mod with a snorkel Pros: ??? Cons: ???

We're really stuck on this one.
An aftermarket filter. You could scavenge an intake tube off another vehicle and route it to someplace it could breathe. Even if it turned out to be a snorkel. I have seen some Jeep's run 3" pvc as a snorkel. You wouldn't need it to reach too high, just above the hood line.

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Old 05-02-2017, 12:35 PM   #3
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Right. The snorkel would literally just be to get fresh air, not to avoid water, which is usually the point of them.

Is there anything more to a snorkel than a pipe coming from outside the compartment to an air filter then connected from there like usual?
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Old 05-02-2017, 01:01 PM   #4
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Found a 99 e450 for sale for 1500 a couple hours away. claims the engine and tranny are good, but the turbo needs replaced and the top corner is crushed. I'd buy this before paying $600 for a piece of plastic.
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Old 05-02-2017, 02:24 PM   #5
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Do another search, I find them for $ 345
#3C2Z-9600-A



I agree that is still way to much. seems $45 would be reasonable.
Are you able to put large hose clamps around the both halves and keep it clamped together. If you need something in a hurry you are going to pay.



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Old 05-02-2017, 02:55 PM   #6
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Thanks, that's getting more palatable.

I fell down a rabbit hole of phone calls and found a place "in the boonies" of Ohio that has one for $5... but there is a crack! No gaps or holes though. So the current options are:

1. Pay $5 for a cracked one for temporary use until I find somebody parting out an e450. Seal the crack.

2. Pay ~$375 after shipping for the one mentioned above.

3. Do a mod and cut through one of the fenders and build a custom air intake.

Decisions, decisions...
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Old 05-02-2017, 04:30 PM   #7
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Need pictures of the part or area...i'm pretty good at rigging up stuff...appalachian engineering

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Old 05-02-2017, 04:40 PM   #8
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basically its all just plastic pipes to get the air filtered and into the turbo.. since theres no Pics I cant get an idea.. however I do know a guy that used yard blower attachment piping to fashion up some for a car he was doing.. it was like 4 inch plastic pipe and was sold in various lengths..

is it the box itself that cracked?
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Old 05-02-2017, 04:42 PM   #9
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Here are some pics...

The piece that needs replaced:



Where it sits:



The whole compartment:



The only place I see space for a non stock filter:

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Old 05-02-2017, 04:44 PM   #10
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Christopher, it's nor just a crack. There's a chunk missing that leaves a half inch gap above the filters.
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Old 05-02-2017, 04:48 PM   #11
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I get it now.. so it is basically allowing unfiltered air to get to the turbo.. I was thinking it was the part in front of the filter ..

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Old 05-02-2017, 05:50 PM   #12
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Correct. I'm hoping there wasn't any damage done before I caught the problem, though I don't really know how to check. Regardless, I want/need to do something to fix the situation before I start it up again.
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Old 05-02-2017, 06:43 PM   #13
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I chased one down off an e350 being parted out less than an hour from me. No idea what the price will be yet, but I think I'll be buying it as long as he's reasonable. Best I can tell, all e350s and e450s from 96 to 03 had the same part if they had the 7.3.

Side note: I called the guy back with the cracked one. He checked ~7 buses and they all had the exact same problem as mine (edge broken / hole in back) that he never noticed before I described my problem.

The lesson here is to check the back of your air filter assembly if you have the 7.3 Powerstroke in a van!
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Old 05-02-2017, 07:32 PM   #14
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Thats a tough one. Glad you found one. I'd be making a patch from plastic and j.b. weld.

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Old 05-02-2017, 07:40 PM   #15
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They've had those plastic welding systems at HF for years. Perfect for sealing up a crack or even patching.
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Old 05-02-2017, 08:04 PM   #16
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I'm glad I found one as well. I was looking forward to doing a mod (and still may in the future), but my number one priority is getting this thing driving again ASAP. Especially because I have fluid flushes to get done.

If I end up with the cracked one, I'll be patching/sealing it some way. As described, the crack is still airtight & only 1/2 inch long. The guy was extremely helpful and knew a lot about buses, so I trust him.

I should have taken a picture of the broken part of mine. It can't be fixed. Imagine you grabbed the edge as hard as you could, and bent it until a piece snapped off. Not really a hole and not a crack, just a nice sized chunk of plastic missing the whole way along the edge where it's supposed to be sealed. Like I said, all but one of this guys short buses with the 7.3 (it's a small bus salvage yard in ohio) had the exact same problem according to the guy I talked to. I found others with that problem in my hunting as well. Crazy.
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Old 05-02-2017, 08:49 PM   #17
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Doesn't that mean the replacement parts are likely to fail in the same manner in the future? You've got to be curious about where those missing plastic pieces are going or why they're broken on nearly all the other 7.3s. That's what I'd worry about going through the turbo.

I vote for a snorkel and an air filter canister from another truck, you know for those river crossings.
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Old 05-02-2017, 09:07 PM   #18
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Car-part.com

If you go to Car-part.com, http://www.car-part.com it is a national website for junk/ Salvage yards, they have many listed, the average price is @ $100

Sample below:
2002 Air Cleaner Assembly
Ford E450 Van Super Duty 8-7.3TD,450SD-CUT A PAA032 $100 Jerry Browns Auto parts Ltd/Fenix Parts Inc. USA-NY(Queensbury) Request_Quote 1-800-543-8733/1-518-798-8141 Request_Insurance_Quote
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Old 05-02-2017, 11:26 PM   #19
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Originally Posted by bry899 View Post
If you go to Car-part.com, http://www.car-part.com it is a national website for junk/ Salvage yards, they have many listed, the average price is @ $100

Sample below:
2002 Air Cleaner Assembly
Ford E450 Van Super Duty 8-7.3TD,450SD-CUT A PAA032 $100 Jerry Browns Auto parts Ltd/Fenix Parts Inc. USA-NY(Queensbury) Request_Quote 1-800-543-8733/1-518-798-8141 Request_Insurance_Quote
AHHHHHHHHH. Thank you. I love car-part.com, but somehow NEVER remember it. It drives me crazy.

Robin... When my wife and I lived in Hawaii, we had to drive up a river (yes, up. not through.) for a while to get to the property. We were the last property in the most remote valley on the most remote island chain in the world. I miss that so much, it was the best place I've ever been.

But for now, no river crossings for me.
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Old 05-03-2017, 09:29 AM   #20
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That sounds pretty cool to drive up a river to get home. That's the only way I'd ever agree to live in Hawaii, if I was out in the boonies. Never been there in all my travels. I've never even had a stopover flight that landed in Hawaii.

I drive through a small creek every time I leave home. These buses sure weren't made for rough ground at all. The left side of my front bumper shows where it's been plowing gravel, and that's just my driveway. This is not the best place I've ever lived.

It seems you're trying to keep your air filter system stock. I suggest that replacement parts are going to continue breaking, and you already know how expensive plastic can be. I suggest a snorkel, not necessarily for fording rivers, but for getting air from a larger truck air filter externally mounted near the top of the cab area, considering there isn't room in the engine compartment.

I was remembering back when Mt St Helens blew up and all the police cars had large truck filters mounted externally to keep from sucking up ash from the volcano. You could mount a large canister air filter externally and feed the air to your engine using PVC or whatever works best.

It's still kind of cool and funny at the same time to think about you driving up a river. Who is going to build a nautical bus first?
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