Busted fresh air intake nipple?

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matticus

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I'll have to try to pull codes later. It has been running fine and no one has been under the hood in 2500 miles since the last oil change, which I did myself, so I can't imagine how long it has been broken. The hose was literally tucked under some other hoses as if someone tried to hide the fact that it was broken.

Problem though is that the CEL isn't on today. It was last night when I got the REP warning, but as soon as I limped it home and restarted, no light, no warning, and the CEL isn't illuminating during the bulb check upon startup now, which is weird. Bear in mind the gauges are off because I snapped this during the bulb check after turning the key on before starting. View attachment 356735
Well, no codes stored that I can see. The CEL today is now coming up with the bulb check as it should and the truck is running normally. I still need to fix the nozzle, and upon purchasing a new fresh air breather hose, I can see that the hose that's on there now is not stock, so I am starting to think the nipple was actually broken about 9 years, 65k miles ago, when I had the dealership replace leaking valve cover gaskets under warranty. I can't say for sure, but the oil filler neck was also broken during that visit and I decided to leave it as is. It wouldn't surprise me to know the shop broke it and didn't bother to warranty out the intake at the time. This particular dealership has since gone out of business and good riddance.

On the plus side, the crank case is still getting fresh air, it's just not filtered. I wonder if I can just plug the nipple and get a breather filter for the valve cover. Old school, but it couldn't be any worse than it is now.

The downside, however, is that I think I'm dealing with a grounding or other intermittent electrical problem that is causing this reduced engine power to come around. It happened 3 or 4 months ago after a heavy rain, but last night it was dry and in the upper 50s with a low humidity. Fun!
 

Scottydoggs

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if you have a scanner in hand, scan it before you shut it off, pending codes will clear when you turn the engine off.
 
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matticus

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You might still have a history code to see in your scanner.
My scanner is a $20 POS. However, I swung by my closest auto parts store and found U0107 Lost Connection with Throttle Actuator, and a ton of brake and speed sensor codes, though my ABS light has never come on.

Now, I don't think this vacuum leak is contributing to the TAC module, but I DO believe the TAC module is causing the Reduced Engine Power issue. Since it's intermittent, I'm wondering if the wiring into the TB connector is worn. I could swear there's a TSB for the connector.
 

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My scanner is a $20 POS. However, I swung by my closest auto parts store and found U0107 Lost Connection with Throttle Actuator, and a ton of brake and speed sensor codes, though my ABS light has never come on.

Now, I don't think this vacuum leak is contributing to the TAC module, but I DO believe the TAC module is causing the Reduced Engine Power issue. Since it's intermittent, I'm wondering if the wiring into the TB connector is worn. I could swear there's a TSB for the connector.

Inspect the wires going to the TB connector; they are prone to break under the insulation several inches back from the connector. Might have a weak or broken wire under the jacket.
 
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matticus

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Inspect the wires going to the TB connector; they are prone to break under the insulation several inches back from the connector. Might have a weak or broken wire under the jacket.
By jacket, are you talking about the actual insulation around the bare copper? I'm afraid to pull and have one break lol, but better here than on the highway like last night's fiasco where I nearly got rear-ended.
 

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put a stint in it, then drill a small hole in the plastic trim on the intake and zip tie the hose to the intake to secure it, easy peasy.
i bought a little pack of like 50 stints in various size off ebay for like $5 for just this kind of thing.
the ones i bought are metal and no longer sold but I found these in carbon fiber which would work just as well
 

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By jacket, are you talking about the actual insulation around the bare copper? I'm afraid to pull and have one break lol, but better here than on the highway like last night's fiasco where I nearly got rear-ended.

Yes, that's what I mean. The copper compromised under the undamaged insulation. You could pull, or flex the wire; you should be able to tell if it's more flexible in any area, indicating broken wire underneath the insulation.
 

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