Does anyone know what purpose the black plastic intake servers under the hood cowl (passenger side) on a 2000 TJ? I was going to fabricate a cowl intake similar to that on a humvee but this intake takes up much if not all the space. I noticed that this type of cover and intake are not on earlier models? (Obviously Chrysler engineers designed this for a specific reason or they would not have incurred the cost of molding this part)

I wasn’t sure if it just was to prevent water from pouring down into the cabin (in which case I could fab-up a low profile cover) or if it served as a ram air to get more air into the cabin? Yes, I could just route the intake tube through the firewall under the cowl intake screen and leave it at that, but I would like to have the option of being able to extend the intake (much like the Humvee) as I do come across water crossings that do come up over the hood and into the cowl intake.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks to all,

Bill