<E30> Engine Question / Vaccum Leak

["Mike Theuri" <mikesoft@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I remember asking this question on the bcg and I  got a reply that 
asked me to check my air intake boots but I have unfortunately 
lost the reply since it was a while back. My car, an '86 325 will 
make a slight sucking sound when the accelerator is depressed. It 
does this for a split second before picking up. Yesterday I had a 
chance to take it on its first major voyage, on some steep hills and 
in climbing gear you could hear a seemingly sucking sound as you 
step on the gas, the engine responds well and when stationary 
when you  play around with the throttle you can feel the slight lag. 
Today, I had a chance to look at the engine, I found that the ribbed 
short connecting rubber(?) pipe that is between the throttle butterfly 
and the airflow meter has a crack on it where it joins the intake 
housing that has the throttle. My question could this the cause of the 
sucking sound ?  I found that its pretty hard to tell where the sound
was coming from exactly. Would this result in significant loss of 
hp ? I haven't felt any major loss, except when I need instant 
acceleration like making a fast take off. I'm going to replace the hose 
and just want to be sure that this might be the reason for the leak. 
Any ideas what the replacement hose might cost ? Thanks for your 
answers

Mike 
'86 325 166K+ 

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