FI intake plenum heater

[Cozi]

The intake plenum heater on my 81 Spider has for the second time now begun leaking at a seam. I have had it re-soldered once and it has gone bad again. There are two generations of this item. I have the first generation brass model. The second generation appears to be a bit more evolved. It also mounts to a couple of studs on the plenum that do not exist on the earlier model so retro-fitting does not appear to be an option. What impact would running without this troublesome device have on the performance and/or well-being of the motor?

[BEEK]

the purpose of the heater is to keep the butterfly from freezing, although im not sure from cold climates or from velocity freezing internally. someone may have an opinion on this. i have run many efi spiders without this heater, with no aparent problems. granted i was in georgia then. it does get cold in the winter, but no adverse problems

[Foster48x]

I ran my 80 FI without one all last winter with no issues but we only get a handful of freezing days down here in Texas.

Rick

[Cozi]

Since Western Washington has relatively mild winters and 'Mona' is no longer a daily driver, the leaky heater is from here on out relieved of duty. Thanks fellas.