Gentlemen.

I just purchased an '05 FX4 to replace my good old F250. It's been a nice change, a very civilized vehicle. I am curious to know what the air intake hose is all about. It looks like an overly convoluted piece of plastic molding, a bit of an eye sore. Would a simpler round air duct work as well to replace what's there? I was wondering if anyone has done that.

Any comments would be appreciated.

 

Ford says the convoluted piece of plastic allows it to grab a little extra air when you punch it. Kinda' like a reserve, or a step up piston in an old carb setup. When you're at normal pedal, then it simply bypasses due to the movement of the airflow. Kind of like a river when it's running and the water in the rocks to the left or right are still.

 

I thought the convoluted piece of plastic molding was to quiet the engine noise..

 

I always thought it was to quiet the intake as well. I have had other vehicles that used a similar type of thing and it was referred to as a silencer.

 

air stored then used? I think that would be warmer air entering engine then, better to get an aftermarket tube with no restrictions, silencers equal power robbers.

 

The three different sized chambers are tuned resonators that cancel engine and intake noise. If you look at the underside you will see they have small drain holes to allow moisture or condensation to escape so they would not be good for storing "extra air".

 

As the others have stated, they are 1/4 wave resonators designed to tune out specific frequencies in the rpm range. They really don't add any restriction to the system. I did Powertrain NVH for Ford for 18 years and never heard of them storing air! I will have to remember to use that one in the future. lol....