Air intake hose?

[PhxExplorer]

I was under my Explorer the other day and noticed that my last battery had leaked acid onto my air intake hose. I'm not sure that this is the correct name for it but it is the hose with the rectangular end that plugs into the bottom of the air filter box. My question is this: is it worth spending $80 for the part from ford since I can't find an OEM part or is it not really hurting anything? If it is, can somebody explain what effect this has, and what would improve by replacing it. BTW the hose is eaten in half by the acid and it is on the hard plastic part of it not the actual hose.

 

[AaronE19]

Phx-
many people at this site (including myself) have removed their stock airbox and either drilled holes in it to improve intake airflow or simply replaced it with an FIPK from Kurtz Kustom Motorsports (there's a product review article on it @4x4central, so you can pick up some more info about all this there). the reason this is done is because the stock setup with that rectangular tube (which has a battery acid-induced hole in it now ) is pretty restrictive. so, the answer to your question is... nope. tell Ford to take their 80-dollar piece of rubber and shove it. the only ill effect you might feel is from increased intake air temperature since it's now drawing from farther inside the engine compartment rather than from out around the passenger's headlight.

hope this helps

Aaron

[Edited by AaronE19 on 07-25-2000 at 10:23 AM]