83' Gl Wagon. I am getting a fine, black misty soot in my air breather, and it is clogging up me carb. (This will be in laymen's terms).

 

The soot is coming from the air breather's right side, where a rubber hose plugs into it. The rubber hose goes back to a black plastic "silencer" that is directly over the dipstick area; proceeds down and "t's" off to a metal device, and continues on as a rubber hose, eventually going into the exhaust pipe.

 

The soot is slowly shooting out of the black plastic silencer, which was partially filled with condensation. I figure the problem is most likely the metal device just below the dipstick area that the hose t's into.

 

I simply unplugged the hose at the breather which keeps the soot from getting into the carb, and plugged the hose end and the breather end. The car is running much better, but I don't like rigs and need some problem solvers to help me.

 

Much appreciated.

That metal thing you're talking about is a reed valve, and they get dirty and clogged. You can remove it and open it up and clean it out.