This is the thin piece of plastic that deflects water from the air intake. Can anyone tell me or show me some pics of the proper placement of this item. It was laying loose behind my air filter housing. This is on a 90. TIA

 

It belongs wrapped around the front part of the air intake assembly. Abviously, do not cover the air entries to the air cleaner. Should not cover any of that at all. It stops the water from ramming itself through the small opening at the very front.

 

Not to sound stupid but does anyone have a pic of this. I have an opened air lid. I'm still not sure of the placement of this item.

 

Your 90 model should already have the deflector in place... that factory fix came about a few years before 1990 if memory serves me correct... Your open air lid will not make any difference as far as the water deflector goes...
Ted
90 ZR-1 # 334
Sun City CA

 

Thanks Ted, but this piece was laying behind the air intake (the piece that holds the filter). My GM manual (Helm's) does not show a clear picture of wher it goes. It shows an exploded view of the area but not how the deflector is specifically placed. Thanks

 

Shame on me... I just went out and looked to see where my deflector was postioned... and guess what? It is sitting in about the same spot yours is... somewhat behind the filter housing... well... I will fix it tommorrow... It was halfway between the hood and the piece that runs just under the end of the air box last time I was paying attention... since it hardly ever rains here it is not much of an issue...
I just put a K & N filter on a few days ago and must have not been paying attention to the deflector... by the way... about the foam strips on the
K & N... the bottom most strip needs to be tucked in with a tool as the filter lid approaches the point of being fully closed... the instructions say to make sure the foam strip ( gasket ) does not roll over as you close the lid... well... that is about impossible... I used the end of a carpenters square to push it into place... it is all together now... so... I am going to be looking into a ram air setup... probably home made... I have an extra hood that I want to do something unique, functional, and attractive with... I really like the look of the Trans Am air scoops... perhaps not quite as aggressive looking... what do you think about that ? Could it be done in a way that works and looks good ? Just thinking out loud...
Ted
90 Z # 334
Sun City, CA

 

Thanks Ted. Sounds like an interesting project. I too thought that there could be something done with the hood whether it be a "ram air type" or even cowl induction. If you do this post some pics. I am interested. I bet you are enjoying the Z. I just looked into purchasing a 92 ZR1 (#219?). The rear bumper was faded (black) and some faded spots on the hood also. 62k miles. He was asking 19,500. On the rear bumper there was a spot directly above the right exhaust, a stain on the paint and it looked like the clear coat was being eaten off in that spot. There was a bad oil leak from that side of the motor also. The car needed some TLC. It sits outside.

 

If you go to the Corvette Central and do a search on radiator deflector (part # 244458) and click on the pic you will get and idea where it goes.

 

Your right... I am definately enjoying the Z... We put a power effects system on right after we got it... sounds strong... can hardly wait for the day the headers go on...
Tell me how to reach the neglected 92 ZR-1... it might be worth looking into...
Ted

 

O.K., I have a 1990 ZR-1, and I can't find anywhere on the net a solid answer. The individual who posted this asked for pictures, so I'll throw in my 2 cents on what I “think” is correct. PLEASE someone correct me if I am wrong! I went through my 1990 service manual, and the only found reference to it is on page 6E3-C14-2 notice : “Before installing air cleaner assembly, be sure the radiator air deflector is in position. Improper installation may allow water intrusion which could damage the engine”. No diagrams, nada.

To get to the “Radiator Air Deflector”, you have to remove the air filter assembly. Funny thing, it's called a radiator air deflector but it is deflecting air around the air filter assembly...

First locate the strap screw and loosen it per (arrowed). Next, remove only the outer two ***** on the air filter assembly but REMEMBER which side goes to which... the ***** are NOT the same length. Once these two ***** are removed, the entire assembly pulls up and out. The next photo shows the radiator air deflector. The red arrow indicates where I “think” the tongue should be pulled up through. The blue arrow indicates where I am not sure if the wing should be folded up over the hinge or down under the hinge. I left it up. The last picture with the green arrows shows the bottom of the air filter housing locations where water can be forced up into the engine, and what the deflector is protecting.

Once again, if any of this information is in error, please chime in!