My guess on that hose is: it connects to the PCV valve on the valve cover to the intake manifold. Probably off the valve cover you pulled off earlier and forgot to hook mthe hose back up.The back firing is probably a vacuum leak from no hose.

 

As the Australians would say, you're a legend mate!

 

It definitely is 3" ID that comes from the manifold and connects to the cat. So you need a 3" OD adaptor to whatever size your cat inlet port is.

Hoping to have everything buttoned up on the exhaust job tomorrow (though I actually put a straight pipe in place of the cat because shipping is slow). Thanks for the help!

 

You will probably throw a P0420 check engine light code since no cat. There are a few fixes for this.
https://itstillruns.com/clear-codes-...r-5237592.html

 

No idea on the hose......

I worked in a shop that specialized in custom exhaust for while. It was actually fun. I had everything I needed right there. Torch pipe bender, sawzall....... etc. It made doing exhaust quick, painless and easy. At that point, I determined that if I couldn't do exhaust at the shop, I would pay someone else to do it. I hated it that much.

 

Do you guys know the spark plug order from the distributor to the plugs? Can't seem to find an accurate chart anywhere for this year and engine.

​Yeah, I have no idea where that hose came from. Everything looks good around the valve covers. I'm about to jump under the Van and look for anything that could have fallen off. The Van is still back firing, and the click is definitely noticeable, especially once the Van is warmed up. We've been having pretty warm weather here in Seattle and it seems to be louder on hot days. I wanted to hold off on doing the engine until I got the exhaust in just to see how it did. Doesn't seem to of made any improvement at all.

 

Well I'm pretty much stuck at this point. The engine continues the back fire and sort of ping. Also bogs down and shakes rarely, which stops when I let off the gas. All of this is worst when climbing hills. The PCV valve is really noisy and sounds like krapp. I read that that can be caused by an air leak, and I checked the elbow connectors near the PCV port on the intake. I've read that that can cause back firing, but I don't know where the leak would be.

 

Did you by chance pull any of the plug wires off the cap or spark plugs and put them back in the wrong place? Check your firing order.

1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2

 

Thanks, well I bit the bullet and bought a remanufactured engine. It's currently going in and should be back to me by the weekend. I guess the timing chain was really loose, that's all I know about the engine and will probably just return it for the core charge as is.

Hoping she comes back to me ready to roll for many many miles!

 

Just wanted to come back and give a big thanks to HeyYou and BustedKnuckles for the help through this process. I finally have my new engine which is a Power Torque remanufactured from Orielly's. I have the high volume oil pump in, but everything else is stock.

It's running well, though the mechanic originally put a 60 degree thermostat in, but that was replaced with a 95 and now the van's temp is perfect and it has a good amount of power.

New AC compressor and accumulator, etc. Filled with r134a and it all leaked out in a day. Found a loose bolt on the accumulator and tightened and filled to max and now my AC is ice cold and fully converted!

New DIY exhaust system (bypassed catalytic with straight pipe and new muffler) is doing well, though damn these vans have a strong exhaust smell, which is made worse without a cat. I'm considering putting one back on down the line. I would like the exhaust to sound a little nicer too, it sounds too much like an old truck.

So, yeah running well after 300 miles and around $3,500. Building out my kitchen this week with a new 12v cooler fridge, sink and propane stove top and then plan to hit the road for a couple weeks or so. Wish me luck! Thanks again for your help guys!

Next up: Suspension (the van is very jarring when I hit small bumps and cracks n the road although it's fine on bigger speed bumps, the little cracks and bumps are load and annoying).