Breather Hose

A breather hose is very important because it allows you to release pressure built up inside your engine and it keeps you in line with strict environmental laws. The thing is that pressure in the engine has to go somewhere-else the whole thing just goes boom-but it comes with a lot of exhaust fumes, the breather hose helps hit two birds with one stone. You could survive without one, mind you, but even if you weren't the environmentally conscious sort, it would smell terrible when you drive about.

The great news when it comes to most hoses is that they are fairly standard across the industry. Fit is not so much a problem because the inlets and outlets that they connect are regular. That doesn't mean, however, that you can just get any old hose and stick it in. There are still some measurements that you should be very careful and particular about.

Length is most important because the tight confines of the engine block and under the hood don't leave much room-and you can't get one that is too short neither. The safe bet is to get one that is the exact length as your old hose or, failing that, one that is just slightly longer. If it is too long, you might end up bending and twisting it just to fit-this increases wear and tear.

Width is less of an issue but it's still a smart idea to compare inner diameters between your old hose and a new one-this determines whether the attachment is secure. All in all, the smart move is to really just be very meticulous in your research.

Rubber used to be the material of choice when it came to hoses-this resulted in cheaper and affordable hoses. Unfortunately, rubber's flexibility tended to mean that it was more prone to becoming brittle and wearing out. Polyurethane is the better bet because, while hoses made from the material are less flexible, they're certainly far more durable and longer lasting. The price difference between the two are in the $10-15 range, and the increase in price is well-justified!

Over time, the stock breather hose that's installed in your vehicle will deteriorate. When that happens, it will leak vapor into your vehicle's engine bay. To solve this dilemma, you need to get a replacement breather hose right away. Once you've found a replacement breather hose for your ride, you can use the following instructions to install your new hose.

• Breather hose
• Hose clamps
• Screwdriver (flathead and philips)
• Pliers or vise grip
• Extra clamps

Step 1: To gain access to the breather hose, use your screwdriver to remove the screws on your engine cover.

Step 2: Using your pliers, remove the plastic tubing that holds the old breather hose in place. You have to be very careful here, because once the plastic tube breaks, it will make installing the new hose more difficult.

Step 3: Completely remove the breather hose by unclamping it from the DV tubing. You'll need to clean the area where the new breather hose will be placed.

Step 4: Remove the rings on the old breather hose. Take these rings and secure them onto your new hose.

Step 5: Install your new hose. Be sure to check its connections to make sure the hose is held securely in place.

Step 6: If the new hose falls short, then that means a part of the plastic tubing may have already broken off. In this case, look into the coupling-you should find a copper tube there. Carefully extract that copper tube and insert it into the DV tubing. To hold the copper tube tightly, you'll need the use of extra clamps.

Step 7: Insert your new breather hose into the new coupling you just made. Secure it with clamps. Make sure the connection is airtight.

Step 8: Start your vehicle's engine and make sure that the new breather hose won't fall off due to engine vibration.

Step 9: Reattach your engine cover, and you're done!