Gizmo under the TBI

[Stinky]

I just pulled my TBI off. Under the TBI is a black spacer w/a an electrical connection at one corner. It is possibly Phenolic (a black plastic, of sorts). The air, for the engine, is sucked through it. There is a checker-board pattern on it with the hole being filled w/the crossed plastic.

It sorta looks like a MAF sensor or a heater for the fuel mixture.

What is it?

Edited October 29, 2025 by Stinky

[longrod]

EFE grid, early fuel evaporation. pre-heats the air fuel on cold start, thus not allowing raw gas out the exhaust

[datzenmike]

Yup, gasoline does not burn unless evaporated into a vapor. Most of the time the air is warm enough to do this but on start up mostly in very cold weather the intake and combustion chamber are too cold to completely vaporize the fuel droplets.