i was cleanin up the bay when i grabbed that and pulled on the hose and the plastic broke..what is it and what does it do? and do i need it?

thanks a ton

 

That would be the heater control valve, and yes you do need it. Coolant flows through it. They become brittle with age, the good news is they are easily replaced and can be found at most any decent auto parts store for around $15.

 

I think and correct me if im wrong but....if your A/C is not working and your not fixing it, you dont need it and can bypass it. I belieave it shuts down the hot water supply to the heater core when you select A/C so that its not heating up that area since heat is not what your after.

But I could be wrong.

 

Called a heater diverter valve older cars didn't have them, you dont ****Need**** it but its cheap and easy enough to replace, i deffinatly would