The two hoses on the back of the heads are the air system. There is another tube that goes down to the exhaust to bring warm air to the cats to warm them up quicker.

 

That's perfectly fine and essentially the same as it used to be. That is the air INLET to the engine for the pcv system. No difference between a filter mounted on the valve cover or a hose leading to a filter in the air box. Now..... If you have oil spewing out of that little breather filter either your pcv system does not work or you have worn out piston rings.

My 351's hose was damaged. I removed it, put on the little come breather filter. All is good (that was 3 years ago).

 

Now I have replaced that warm up tube, but if that cross over tube is plugged up it might cause a whole bunch of problems. I am going to look at it the next time I get a day.

 

It should have little effect on performance. However it does help the PCV system by allowing filtered air in and in case of low vacuum the tube pulls gasses into the intake. The blow by oil should be trapped by a little fiber filter in the air box. Even if that is saturated most of the oil will sit in the bottom of the box. If blow by is excessive their is either a problem with the PCV valve or the rings are worn. Finally the tubes primary purpose is to keep pollutants like hydrocarbons from escaping into the atmosphere. These can have bad effects on drivers and passengers and in the long term on Tue environment. The tube is cheap and can be snatched at just about any junkyard or new at most parts stores so might as well fix it when you get a chance.

 

Sounds like the 96 I just bought. Why are people too lazy to change the oil? Its only a 15-20 dollar 20 minute job-----Why this is too hard for people to take care of I'll never understand.

 

Yes. But it was being driven by our old neighbors daughter and she was just running it into the ground. I took it off their hands in pitty.

 

Sounds like my mom, bought a 94 taurus in 95, changed the oil in it once a year if she remembered to have it done. Got 250k+ on the motor before trading it in. She added oil if it got low and never had any issues with the motor.

 

Update. The port at the rear of the drivers side heat was completely plugged up. I cleaned it out and we shall see. It seems to me that if this is the purpose they could have found a simpler way to do it.

 

I've heard several different explanations for what the air injection system does. I no longer have it on my truck though.

 

One more year and mine will no longer get emissions tested. That is when I will take the unit in question and make dreadful changes that many will consider "environmentally irresponsible". In other words, I will put it back together like it should have been in the first place.