Guten Morgen from Berlin, Germany, where my 96 F150 was enjoying the snow last week (not kidding, luckily it's summer again now )

We're in lockdown here and so my truck got a lot of servicing recently while I work from home... and there may be some diff fluid on the street outside my apartment. BUT that's not the topic for today!

While I was renewing the vacuum hoses & overall emissions systems (some solenoids were sticking, EGR bolts a bit loose, gasket nowehere to be seen, etc) I discovered that the hose from the Charcoal Canister to the EVAP purge solenoid (or the "Vacuum Management Valve"/VMV as ford call it) was completely ruined - it came off in my hand as rubber particles.

So, I set about replacing it with fuel line, which worked gloriously.

Before (see deteriorated rubber, ugh)

before



After:


However, I discovered in the process this weird little 'valve' that goes from the Charcoal Canister --> Purge valve line, and seems to be completely hollow. The part numbers on it lead to nothing (I decipher that it's a 1984 part, but that's not helpful), and you can see & blow air through both ways. It's circled in red in the "before" picture, and here's some more pics...

valve is hollow

valve-side-1

valve-side-2

The truck runs fine without it, but does anyone have any idea what this thing is?! It looks a little bit like a "EVAP service port" without the "service port" bit. It also looks like a check valve, but there's nothing in it!!

Attached below is the diagram from my hood sticker, and I have circled where this damn thing was.


For what it's worth - The truck is running great since I renewed the hoses, and doesn't stink like gas so much anymore. And, anyway the valve (if it is that) was not doing much as far as I can see - so I don't think it's critical.. but I'd love to know if anybody has a clue what this thing is!! Some ford magic? A trick to make you buy the 'original' hose for $50 instead of using fuel hose? Who knows?!

The truck is a 1996 F-150 XL, 4.9 inline-six, Y engine code with MAF sensor and OBDII (so I gather the first year they did OBDII and also has a few parts that may or may not have been intended for the 1997 model year, including that EVAP purge valve thing).

In any case, hope everyone's keeping well, and hope this post entertains someone who maybe also wonders what the hell this thing is