I have an odd question...

I was doing my yearly check of fluids, connections, and a visual inspection like I do every year, and noticed that the stock intake plenum, that says "3.7L V6" or "4.7L V8" on it, that connects to the throttle body uses a tension clamp....

For anyone thats installed an intake or has changed there spark plugs, they know when you remove the plenum, you pretty much just pull it off by hand, releasing the two rubber nippes thats hold it againts the throttle body. So the tension clamp has no purpose??

I can take my hands and rock the penum forward and backwards, and you can see that the plenum is loosely connected to the throttle body. Is this right? What stops dirt from bypassing the whole intake system? Seems shotty to me. I replaced the tension clamp with a screw tight type clamp, but since the plenums neck is plastic, it really doesnt do anything more then the tension clamp did.

Its unsettling to me, lol. Anyone know how the hell that works to keep an air tight seal?

 

Nope, you are correct. That is one of the reasons I was quick to run a CAI before the blower. The stockers can't be tightend down and that is not good enough for me.

 

Thanks, Mr. MonkeyWrench. I've got a 3.7 too. Now I'm gonna go check to see if mine's loose. Also, my air box isn't lined up properly. There's a gap between the foam ring and the tube that goes to the box. How about yours?

 

THey are on there with a tension clamp, not a screw-tight clamp. Just one of the short cuts DC used to cut costs. I changed out mine quick too.

 

Yeah i replaced mine with a screw tight clamp, but it doesnt matter, because the mouth is plastic, so it cant be compressed with the clamp....i dont even know why there is a clamp there, i didnt look INSIDE the mout though, maybe its got some sort of reducer in there that touches the throttle body mouth to keep an air tight seal, but it seems crappy.

I am just wondering because any fool knows that its a pretty good way to get contaminants in your engine oil and do some wear to the engine.

I didnt think to take it off and look at the throttle body to see if its dirty or not.

 

As everyone else noted that's the way it is and it's the same on the 4.7 as it is the 3.7.
(like Blown287 it's one of the reasons I went to an aftermarket intake)

 

i noticed what was said about the factory airbox and the foam ring mine is loose also but now i learn i have the check at the trottel body also yea!

 

I played around with it. It "pops" onto the throttle body. Theres a little lip around the throttle body and a lip inside the mouth of the plenum, thats what makes the air tight seal. The clamp only serves the purpose of holding the rubber adapter onto the plastic opening on the plenum, and isnt supposed to put pressure on the throttle body. Mine seems clean inside, so i guess it works. I have never seem one like that before though. Still sort of skeptical.