A hose just 'laying there' in engine compartment

Obviously, I'm not mechanically inclined. I'm just trying to learn as I go.

For those that haven't read any previous problems I'm working on, I just purchased this truck about 3 weeks ago. It's a 1995 RAM 2500 (v10 gas) 4wd.

I'm slowly trying to work the bugs out of her and get her into working mode again. When I was starting to mess with the cruise control last night, I took a bit of inventory in the engine compartment and found a hose not connected to anything in the engine compartment. It's other end goes down to the front passenger tire. And since I'm having some SERIOUS pulling to the right after I apply the brake (not when I softly apply them, but when I step on them 'at speed') I'm thinking I may have found the problem.

The guy I purchased it from said he replaced some of the brake lines a week before I purchased it. Indeed there seemed to be some new rubber under there. So maybe this is 'leftovers'? I'll supply some images.


The hose not connected to anything. Passenger side from the front



Kind of a top / sideways view to show that the hose is running down toward the passenger side front tire



Any help or ideas are greatly appreciated. What is this thing for? Is it suppose to be hooked up to anything? Might this be causing my pulling to the right when I brake at speed? (all four tires are brand new; less than 200 miles on them atm).


Picture of the area where the hose is found. It should be resting on the wheel well in this image (where I found it)



Another picture of the general area it was found in.

holy rust batman!!!

Aww the life of a northern truck. Ok on my truck that is a breather tube that goes to the CAD on the front axel. Mine has a bolt in it so I wouldn't worry about that. Just zip tie it up and out of the way mine is on a clip. I'm uploading a pic of it now.

Yeah there wouldn't be any left over rubber brake hose...as one end attaches to the steel line and the other end to the calipers....


If it isn't a differential breather tube, than you might wanna track down a vacuum hose diagram and do see if you can find where it goes to.

Well here is what it looks like on my truck. I do agree with adam finding a vaccume diagram would be helpful. For all of us really so if you find one online post a link.

Thanks for the quick replies. I'll try to get a bolt to put into it and make sure it gets secured into position.

If it is a breather tube for the differential you wont want to plug it up with a bolt...

See thats the thing. I know there are 2 tubes the big giant one in my pic goes to the diff. The little one goes to the CAD Module. Both of them are capped so I dunno what that is all about.

Hmmmm...you would think it would be a check valve there or something similar that would allow the diff to breathe, but not allow water in...

The photo in BigTMan's photo is almost like mine. After reviewing it, it's already 'capped', though mine has a groove in it (for screwdriver?). I don't have any other hoses in that vicinity, just the one that is loose there.

Anyone with a 95 (V10) out there to compare to?

Get a bucket of navel jelly and go to town on that cancer you got under that hood........

I'm not sure there are enough navels to supply the amount of jelly I'd need to attack that rust! She's 15 years old and all spent up in the Minnesota winters.

interesting cuz I have something that looks exactly like that in my driver side rear wheel well

it is the differential breather tube !!!!! it needs to vent .. and is up high to prevent water getting in to it .

you can get a bleeder bolt and stick that in there for now. but the breather element can be found, junkyard , napa.