Smaller air cleaner?

ArnieJr

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I'm currently considering getting an Edelbrock Pro-Flo model 1002 (the triangular shaped air element) for my 1969 Chrysler 300 (440 VIN - K). It currently has a single-snorkel air cleaner with a hose running from it to the oil breather cap. Can I safely replace that cap with a closed version?

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If that Edelbrock tri-angular air cleaner is the one I'm thinking of, with a foam filter under that chromed mesh cover, you'll probably gain in looks and "induction roar" but flow less air in the process (than the stock filter). Plus, one backfire and that filter's gone!

IF you're only wanting more flow, then get the base of the original Road Runner open element air cleaner and replace your existing base plate with that one. It'll leave a gap between the lower edge of your existing air cleaner's top and the outer edge of the RR base plate. Incognito open element air cleaner instantly! Or you can trim the current base to do the same thing.

Enjoy!
CBODY67
 
The crank case needs to be vented. If you put a solid non vented cap on it, it will cause pressure to build inside the engine and you will have oil leaks everywhere. The PCV valve can remove some of the pressure, but probably not all of it, that is why there is a line to the air cleaner. Some of those triangular air cleaners have a provision for a breather hose port on the bottom and you could hook the hose up there. The top flow triangular air cleaners usually do not flow any better and they have an annoying habit of sucking up the fiberglass liner inside the hood and getting blocked up to the point the engine will not run above an idle.

Dave
 
If you Google "oil breather cap" you'll get a gazillion of caps. They ensure ventilation without allowing the oil to get out.

But let me ask you this. What do you expect when changing the air cleaner to an aftermarket one? It won't give you extra power, you just take away stock appearance of your engine bay.
Carburetor engines are outdated for decades now but nevertheless engineers who designed those engines 50 years ago knew their business. Single snorkel cleaner gives your 440 enough air to work with.

Whenever I come across a car and it's not running right, it's a 99,9% chance that there's an aftermarket intake+carb+air cleaner set up on the engine that's either not correctly adjusted or simply not fitting..
 
The crankcase vent is on the opposite valve cover for a reason. It's the intake for the PCV system.
Air is drawn through the breather into the engine where it mixes with the blow by and other contaminants.
It is then drawn through the PCV valve into the carburetor or intake and re burnt in the combustion chamber.
Breathers with pipes drew in through the filter housing and are sealed to it. You would need an earlier breather (66 and earlier)to make the system work Other wise you will have issues.
Older cars used only breathers or multiples of(as seen on older race engines).
I would avoid the Edlebrock 1002 like the plague.
Having run them before, the foam element is too thin and lets too much dirt through. I tried cramming multiple elements under the screen and it really didn't help. The foam also doesn't survive backfires at all. Sucking the silencer pad off the hood would be the least of my worries unless it's that badly worn
For a street car, you're plenty good with stock unit and a quality paper or washable dry cotton filter.
If you need to dress up the motor, something using a paper or cotton filter would be better. many have tubes for the breather inlet hose, or can run an open breather. NOTE: You want to run a filter element at least as large as the OEM, or you will lose power!
 
The crank case needs to be vented. If you put a solid non vented cap on it, it will cause pressure to build inside the engine and you will have oil leaks everywhere. The PCV valve can remove some of the pressure, but probably not all of it, that is why there is a line to the air cleaner. Some of those triangular air cleaners have a provision for a breather hose port on the bottom and you could hook the hose up there. The top flow triangular air cleaners usually do not flow any better and they have an annoying habit of sucking up the fiberglass liner inside the hood and getting blocked up to the point the engine will not run above an idle.

Dave
I want to add I believe the vented cap was to introduce any fresh air into the crankcase should the engine not have enough blow-by to overcome the PCV valve. otherwise there would be a negative pressure and that is almost as harmful as excessive pressure there. Once the engine was stopped there would usually be still enough heat to boil off condensation and steam, plus combustion gasses would exit engine through the vented cap. We used to run a 349/361 propane irrigation pump with two push-in valve cover breathers, one on each side, no PCV. Once the engine shut off by timer it would sit for a few seconds then a minor explosion and both caps would blow off. We got tired of looking for them so we tied a lanyard to them for retrieval. I was a very young teenager 12-14, 1972 or so, knew very little about engines. I still remember a bob-tailed truck load of 392 irrigation engines being sold $100 each. We had already bought an HT 413 to pump with. I would have thought the "300" would have used a dual snorkel air cleaner.
 
For more air flow you want an air cleaner with as much surface area as possible and you want to maximize the air flow to the carburetor. If you want something with good flow through the top get the K & N or Summit open element air cleaner set up that has filter material on the top. However, on a stock or relatively stock engine you be better served by using the smaller base and using a dual snorkel air cleaner IMHO.
 
Funny that you should mention the issue of the hood insulator pad! When HOT ROD was testing their 1968 Road Runner 383, after their "CAR OF THE YEAR" award, they were at the drag strip seeing how they might make it run faster. Timing, tire pressures, starting line techniques, etc. For one set of runs they took the air cleaner completely off. As they related, before they got to the end of the 1/4 mile, the car stopped pulling for no apparent reason at all. When they raised the hood to investigate, they found the carb clogged with the fiberglass material from the hood insulator pad. Once they got it all cleaned up, they re-installed the base plate with a bar across the top to keep any further issues with the remains of the hood pad restricting air flow. And their "play" continued.

In prior model years, the lh breather was the open "hogs hair" mesh. Usually they would drip slightly, resulting in a burn mark on the top of the exhaust manifold right under it. As it did on our '66 Newport. The more-emissions-control oriented model years used a tube from the air cleaner body as their crankcase air source. That way, any vapors the pcv system didn't scavenge from the crankcase, would be funneled into the air cleaner body to get introduced into the carb's intake air stream that way, to be burned rather than to dissipate into the underhood air environment. Like during heavy throttle application periods when manifold vacuum is low.

Enjoy!
CBODY67
 
on my 383 i found that the single snorkle was really restrictive compared to a open sided air cleaner, to the point of needing to readjust the carb A/F mix.

try not to die -

- saylor
 
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