# ok - so what are the balls under the hood?



## Toadster (Nov 19, 2001)

LOL - no I don't mean the car has balls, but the weird 'tennis ball carrier' looking thing attached under the hood...











_Modified by Toadster at 4:29 PM 9-18-2009_


----------



## Doedrums (Jun 14, 2003)

*Re: ok - so what are the balls under the hood? (Toadster)*

Vacuum reservoir. Maintains vacuum when the engine is at full load.


----------



## VIP VR6 Rabbit (Feb 15, 2007)

*Re: ok - so what are the balls under the hood? (Doedrums)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Doedrums* »_Vacuum reservoir. Maintains vacuum when the engine is at full load.

yup, most people ditch them though.


----------



## Toadster (Nov 19, 2001)

*Re: ok - so what are the balls under the hood? (VIP VR6 Rabbit)*

wow - that is just weird... so it doesn't really offer anything?


----------



## Boogety Boogety (Jun 22, 2003)

*Re: ok - so what are the balls under the hood? (Toadster)*

Well, no. _It maintains vacuum when the engine is at full load. _If VW didn't need it, it wouldn't have designed it, developed it, installed it, and billed you for it.








If _any _engine item is removed, it's removal compromises some of the engine's carefully balanced, ultimate-design performance. Perhaps removing a "useless" component will save some weight and provide borderline performance enhancements at the cost of best mileage. On the other hand, it may increase mileage at the expense of cold-weather starting. Whatever. It seems someone's always second-guessing engineers, thinking just because they can breathe and drive, they're smarter than the guys with the degree-covered wall.








I have no clue what the balls do or why maintaining vacuum is important in this particular engine. But I promise you one thing: it offers _something._


----------



## Toadster (Nov 19, 2001)

*Re: ok - so what are the balls under the hood? (Boogety Boogety)*

just seems like a REALLY weird position to put something like that... it's like one engineer had a bet with another one and one lost...
so we get tennis ball lookin things under the hood


----------



## 2VWatatime (Aug 4, 2006)

*Re: ok - so what are the balls under the hood? (Toadster)*

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1962535


----------



## alpinweiss (Aug 10, 2007)

*Re: ok - so what are the balls under the hood? (Boogety Boogety)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Boogety Boogety* »_
I have no clue what the balls do or why maintaining vacuum is important in this particular engine. But I promise you one thing: it offers _something._









Vacuum is necessary for proper operation of the air-conditioning system. If you loose the vacuum, the position of the air-blend doors will change. I think the vacuum reservoir was on the underside of the hood only on cars with factory air-conditioning. A much smaller reservoir was used on cars without A/C.
Vacuum also operates the cruise control (if equipped).


----------



## Toadster (Nov 19, 2001)

*Re: ok - so what are the balls under the hood? (alpinweiss)*

found it!








http://www.cabby-info.com/hvac...thing


----------

