Name for center pipe under Air intake can
 

I took the can off to attach my beefier negative ground cable to one of the intake bolts. Nice cake of oil on the whole thing. I had replaced the 'return' hose going back to the oil pan. I will now permatex the other thing, that doesn't seal very well. I looked inside the intake to see a cake of oil on the inside, just in the center. where the intake splits to go to the engine there is a center pipe that goes to the exhaust. I tried to clean it up as much as I could thorugh the little hole. dribbled some diesel in there to see if it could pass through, it could not.

What is the center pipe? See as it goes to the exhaust, does it need to be diassembled and cleaned?

pics?
I think you are talking about the vacuum pump return hose...
could be egr related?
gonna need pics.
turbo car? 81 shouldn't be, but it's possible a motor was swapped in.

I will get the pics at first light tomorrow. Non turbo. The pipe is connected to the intake, has ridges and looks to connect to the exhaust manifold.

Since you are putting a bigger cable on it to improve the situation... technically speaking I would suggest attaching it to the block..
since there is the head gasket between the head and the block.. the block being in contact with the starter ... and the ground to the body may be attached to the block... ....and if properly installed the head bolts had oil on them..and now may have corrosion....

I agree with leathermang, block, not the head, better ground path to the starter.
that tube is steel? certainly sounds like the egr to me, stupid to dump sooty hot exhaust into the oily intake of a diesel engine.

Mine is a Turboed Engine but I have a Rinkled Tube that goes to both Manifolds and it is the Tube that connects the Exhaust Manifold to the EGR Valve.
It is at the Front of the Engine.

Sounds like the egr set up to me too, the pic is of a non turbo illustration.
It would be best to close off/bypass the system entirely.

I had disconnected the vaccuum to the egr previously, which might explain this tube being closed. I went out for pictures, and there is what I think is a vaccuum canister on the end with a vacuum fitting with nothing attached.

Yeah I didn't really notice much an improvement attaching the cable to the intake. How's a good way to get it on the block? I couldn't find a split connection to have the negative go to both the body ground and the block. I figured this is the better of the two.

Sounds like it has been bypassed, good. I just have a blind plug on all open orifices on the engine.