What is this part??

[Dan TheMan Welburn]

As title was doing a service on the motor before christmas and noticed this, that seems to of been hacked in the past, the silver round component, not sure what its purpose is, but my car runs fine, no faults apart from engine mount and one from rear doors not locking as they should.....

Lower image shows the pipe thats been hacked...

 

[demus]

Keep trying to figure out the angle, in the bottom pic is that the underside of the ABS modulator??
In the larger cut off pipe, the thing just after looks like a one way valve, commonly found in vacuum lines.
I'm guessing it is a TDI?, if so you should be able to see and follow the vacuum feed along side the inlet manifold back to the pump.

Where does the other end of this cut pipe go too??

 

[Dan TheMan Welburn]

the top picture ideally should be 90 degrees counter clockwise, then you would be looking at it from infront of passenger headlight, and the bottom pic is as you say down the side of the abs unit,

 

[demus]

I have to admit when I service mine I don't look up there too often, I'll service it in the spring and will have a look, can only say try and trace the pipe back and see where it goes...
Someone else may know better hopefully..

 

[Dan TheMan Welburn]

Sorry mate seems im making this more confusing than anything the part im trying to identify is the one the broken pipe goes into, the one thats circled and has arrow pointing to it on this pic.....

 

[demus]

I'm sure on mine that black enclosure around it is empty, I'll try to have a look tomorrow to be 100%. Other than that mate, sorry but I really haven't got a clue.....

 

[Dan TheMan Welburn]

Found out that this is a vacuum pump, im still none the wiser what it is for though? as both the vacuum pipe and electrical plug have been cut, im guessing it may have been bypassed?