Don't you hate when something simple turns into a headache?
OK- background: had a few cracks in the flexible intake hose running from the air filter to the throttle body. Searched everywhere and had to order a $.50 piece of hose from the Volvo dealer for $43.00, which included a new plastic "elbow" that connects to the throttle body(I hope I'm calling everything by remotely the right name).
Take off old intake hose, disconnect hose and flame trap connector from elbow, figure I might as well replace it, too since I had to buy a new one. Put the new throttle body elbow on, and the receptacle on it that you insert and twist the flame trap into to connect it is melded so that the grooves are rotated too far so the flame trap connector won't stay in, and it's hell to even twist to get the little pegs to line up so it will even go in.

That's where the trouble began.
The flame trap connector has two hoses running from it. One is about 1/4" and just slides over a connector, alongside another much narrower tube, both of which are encased in an insulator and seem to disappear into the engine block.
While twisting and wrestling with it to try and get it to cooperate and go into the new receptacle, I sheared off the smaller tube about 2 ft. up into the insulating wrap, so that the whole thing came off. I just said screw it, cleaned and reinstalled the old elbow, with new intake hose. I slipped the larger tube back onto it's connector, but I can't even begin to fathom where the remainder of that smaller tube is or what it does.

Have I done something that needs immediate attention? What have I done?

I need to put a sign on the inside of my hood in large letters: If it ain't
broke, don't fix it.

Michael 1996 855 N/T 130k