renix air intake mod

I have looked at a bunch of different threads and searched but couldn't find any answers.

For people that mod the air intake, what happens to the small vacuum lines that attach to the air box. I see a bunch of different designs for routing and materials and it seems easy to attach the bigger tube from the front of the valve cover(sorry not exactly sure what it does or is) but what about the small ones? Thanks.

If I remember correctly the small lines to the air box only operate the hot air intake to help with warm up. When I removed my air box for my CAI I just capped the lines at the manifold.

lawagoneer said:

If I remember correctly the small lines to the air box only operate the hot air intake to help with warm up. When I removed my air box for my CAI I just capped the lines at the manifold.

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The OP is in California.

The hot air intake baffle/gate and the vacuum lines are shown on the firewall emissions diagram as part of the CA emissions system. If any of it is missing it is cause for an automatic fail during the visual inspection portion of the smog test.

It's not enough that you may be below the required emissions output, you have to have all the original equipment system's components in place. The fact that the warm air gate no longer works on most of these older vehicles doesn't come into play during the test (tests are done with engine warm) it still has to be there.

It is VERY common for people to get sent home over missing the air duct running from the exhaust manifold to the air box. It don't work no more but it better be there anyways!


EDIT: Most after market parts installed to the intake and/or exhaust system(s) are supposed to be CARB approved and state it on the component(s). CARB = California Air Resource Board.

When I first moved to this craptastic state I was sent home because my jeep didn't have the factory airbox for this same reason. So I bought one with a rusted up unit on a junk yard airbox and have been fine since then. Probably 10 years ago there was at least one air tube that was CARB approved for the renix era jeeps but not that I'm aware of any more.

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GroversXJ said:

Probably 10 years ago there was at least one air tube that was CARB approved for the renix era jeeps

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I remember hearing of one from that time frame too. But yeah, that's about it.

Yeah California sucks in my opinion but I was more just curious what people did with those lines? So just plugging them up is fine for normal operation? Does that hurt anything from a mpg perspective or during the warm up?

You won't notice a time especially in your neck of the woods. .

Don't have emissions testing in Louisiana on my Jeep, too old. Also only a couple of parishes in Louisiana test and for that they plug into the OBDII port (don't have on my Renix), check the fuel cap and put the sniffer in the exhaust. If you show no codes, your cap works properly and exhaust is in spec you pass. My Mercury Gran Marquis had a number of aftermarket parts under the hood and made about 60 hp more than stock but still easily passed emissions check in East Baton Rouge Parish.

As Bent posted, all I was missing was the big tube that connected the exh manifold to the damper on the front of the air box. Fail Smog test due to a "tampered" emissions system. I found a usable on in a VW speed shop and passed after installing it.

Funny, mine still works but it's never cold enough to need it.

ok thanks guys.