Can You Identify This Part ?

A friend has a 1997 Mercury Mountaineer with 5.0 V8 engine. He noticed lately it's been hard to start and now it's skipping really bad until it warms up. He started listening to the engine yesterday and noticed a hissing sound such as a vacuum leak. In the first picture, there is a metal fitting where it looks like a hose belongs but he does not see a loose hose anywhere nor does he see where the other end of the hose would connect to. When he puts his finger over the hole it has a vacuum on it and it will shut the engine down if his finger is kept over the hole This area is just under the right side of the intake manifold area (2nd pic). If you have an engine the same size and approximate year, please advise me what's causing this. Thanks in advance.



http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m314/Restrorob/302Engine.jpg


http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m314/Restrorob/302Engine2.jpg

On my 2000 Mountaineer with the 5.0L, that port points toward the firewall. There is a rubber hose attached to it and, just at the rear of the upper intake, there is a plastic right angle connector and it runs behind the intake over to maybe the PCV? From the service manual, it appears they refer to the connector in question and the one like it towards the front of the manifold as the PCV heater ports.

If your Mountaineer still has the vacuum diagram on the hood or core support, you may want to check that and see what it would indicate. My Mountaineer has a new hood and core support, so I no longer have the vacuum diagram.

-Rod

Thanks Rod, I will pass along the info.....:bigthumb:

I have the save vehilce. I checked mine and there is a gas hose attached to the tube and the gas line is then blocked closed.