For the life of me, I cannot figure out the name of the component that looks like a coffee can. This is an emissions component, right? While replacing the spark plugs in my 1993 5.8l I broke the vacuum lines that are coming out of this thing. These are my two questions:
* What is this coffee can component?
* What do these vacuum lines do?
I need to, at the very least, fix these broken lines. I expect that I will need to replace the coffee can, too.

Please help!

 

It is a vacuum reservoir. It keeps vacuum in the system under hard acceleration when the manifold vacuum drops. Or something like that.

 

what does the vacuum reservoir do for me? does it really help to control emissions or is helping to control other functionality (cruise control?).

 

it stores vacuum like Dirt said...this is what holds the flapper does in teh heating/cooling system where you set them...

with out it the flappers would change from floor to vent to defrosters just by moving the gas peddle and changing the vacuum...

 

Hmmm... ok. So, do you think that the fact that the check engine light came on after breaking these vacuum lines was a direct result of this break or was this a coincidence?

 

Direct result

 

or even heat shrink would fix those. If the tubing was a clean break, heat shrink - ideally the type with the glue - would probably be a permanent fix.

Won't cost much at the junkyard (self serve) either - especially if you get a bunch of little bits and pieces together, which is what I always do.

 

or just buy cheap vacuum hose....I dig the clear at Menards in the plumbing isle...its cheap and it goes a long ways...lol