Connector disconnected - any clues?

[RHT45]

Had the engine lid up having a general 'nosey' around the engine bay and spotted that a clear plastic hose from the base of the top distributor wasn't attached to anything the other end, but it was near a nipple on the air trunking by the dizzies, so I stuck it on and it fitted and looked right. Also the two-pin connector with the MB type star in the centre of the pic was dangling and the two pins above it were shiny and looked as if they were normally covered, so plugged that in too. It starts and runs, so all seems well, but what are they? The clear hose seems to be a breather of some kind and the connector looks to be part of the injection system, but flat-sixes are a new interest, so answers on a postcard please! []

 

[A Ward]

Fairly certain that the clear plastic hose is there to draw ionized air away from the twin distributor to prevent the small belt from being prematurely destroyed. Not sure what the connector is for off the top of my head; perhaps the solenoid that closes the actuator flap when you select reverse gear. Think it was designed to stop exhaust gases being blown into the cabin when reversing. Please excuse me if I'm wrong....looking at pics on my mobile so difficult to make out. Is the car varioram or non varioram?

 

[RHT45]

That business with the ionized air rings a bit of a bell - the belt is probably original ie 20 years old, so might be ready for a change! Or perhaps it's a scheduled service item. The car is non-varioram.

 

[A Ward]

You don't really want to go there with the distributor belt unless you really have to - it is not a scheduled maintenance task.

Here is a link to the Pcar workshop guide to the job - so you can see what it would involve

http://www.pcarworkshop.com/index.php/993_-_Distributor_Belt_Procedure

 

[A Ward]

Hi - had a chance to look at the picture better. The plug is for the resonance flap solenoid that controls the resonance flap. You should hear it actuate when you turn the ignition on but don't start the car. Google 993 resonance flap for further info - there are lots of threads on this item. Hope that helps.

 

[RHT45]

Brilliant on both - many thanks. Off to see if I can hear it clicking!

 

[A Ward]

Regarding the distributor belt you can check it is OK by the fact that the 993 has twin spark ignition....So with either distributor cap disconnected the car should still run. If the belt had failed then this would not be the case. It is probably likely that the hose had been disconnected at some point due to servicing or similar (perhaps changing leads or distributor rotor arm). But it is unlikely to have been off for long enough to cause any damage the distributor belt.