What's that slot?

Ford 2000, 3 cyl. diesel; 8/1 trans.....The breather cap that sits on the pipe coming vertically out of the nose of my tractor has a slot cut in the beveled side of it. Is that a bypass in case the screen gets clogged? Couldn't think of any other reason.
 
There is 2 of them. Enginners know a lot more than we do. Engines require x amount of air and they enginner for more than needed. It has never crossed my mind why.
 
My guess is a centrifugal precleaner. If you look at it closely, you will notice that it is not merely a slot,but that it has a little lip depressed toward the interior of the cone. When you look under the cap, the louvers are angled in such a way so as to induce a little tornado, rotating against the lip in the slot. The heavier particles are thrown against the interior of the cone and are ejected as they swirl past the slot.
 
Ah! thanks, everyone for your input and Ultradog for the scientific information on the breather cap slots. On my gasser (2000, 3 cyl) there is a domed shape breather cap but it does not have the slots that are on the diesel cap. Is that because the gasser aspirates a lot less air than the diesel?? Thanks.
 
I think the old style were the rounded
shape and new style is the cyclone type.
I doubt there is a difference in air
flow. New ones just the brainchild of
some smart engineer.
 

Sounds like you're describing the domed (mushroom) style breather. I doubt it was original equipment on your 2000. The 80-s industrial machines used the mushroom intake and a dust ejector in the air cleaner. I doubt it was effective. Perhaps Ford wanted to sell more air filter elements.

I have the mushroom style on my 555A that I picked up somewhere. It doesn't get a lot of use so air filters are inconsequential and I like the OEM look of the mushroom. When that machine was king, anyone who operated in the dirt all day long went to a "Turbo" brand pre cleaner, installed at time of purchase by the dealer or self installed shortly thereafter.
 

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