I hope that some other CCC members with the Speed control option ( 1969 ) can help me with this 'mystery part" !
I’ve checked with Ford Motor in Dearborn ( and they’ve referred me back to the dealership ( ). Obviously for a 50 year old part no help was to be had there. I’ve also asked a few other member on here ( through private messaging ) as to what this component is for - and the hypotheses range from one-way valve to water trap to air filter to vacuum restriction or delay. I’ve gone through the entire MPC ( section 9000 ) and looked through every part applicable to speed control, and nothing remotely like this item comes up. As well, no basic number was referenced to this part in the Jim Osborne reprints ! ( which is unusual for a Ford engineering diagram )
This small ( about the size of an old thread spool - 1 1/4 " long with a diameter of 3/4 " ) plastic component also has two nipples on either end, but they are ‘off-set’, one at the top end and the other nipple is located at the bottom of the opposite end.
I’ve attached a couple of images, one of the actual part ( with the blue stripe vacuum hose attached ) and another image from the Jim Osborne assembly line ( reproduced ) pages showing its location - up near the firewall, and in the line coming from the manifold and leading into the actual speed control regulator itself.
If it was a filter the interior filter medium is long since gone ( sucked into the regulator ? ) - so it is now just a open plastic chamber.
If it was a one-way valve, that doesn’t make sense, as the passages on the inside show no remains of a rubber membrane. Ford would more likely have used C8SZ-13B064-A for this purpose.
It is possibly a water trap, as the internal baffles are staggered, and the placement of the inlet and outlet nipples would prevent a direct flow-through. Moisture from the manifold ( after engine shut down and cooling ) leading to condensation, which would have to be prevented from entering the regulator.
Vacuum restriction or delay - I’m not sure about, as the movement of air / vacuum isn’t impeded or slowed in any way by its design.
So there you have why I’ve gleaned about this part. Does anyone have any thoughts - especially part number or name.
gah,
Let me say that I find your posts “most interesting” to say the least.
No personal attack on your character or knowledge base either. Just commenting
This ‘mystery’ part is indeed called out in the 1965 to 1972 Master Parts Catalog.
I have attached a copy of the page for you that shows the part number of C9ZZ-9D860-A
and the description of, Hose and Muffler Assembly for a 1969 Cougar w/speed control.
If you had contacted Don and the guys at West Coast, they probably would have gave you the same information.
In fact, it is listed in their catalog for about $60
I suspect its use was to control noise and the flow rate coming from the regulator to the servo.
Have a good day. speed control part.pdf (652 KB)
No I did not find another ‘hose and muffler’. But trying to find an NOS one - well that’s a long shot on any component for a rare option on the Cougar ! Especially speed control as only ~250 Cougars out of the production run of ~100 K had speed control ( that’s only 1/4 of one percent ! )
Why did you ask - do you have one ( a ‘muffler’ that is ) ?
If I was not able to obtain a New or used one, I was contemplating substituting one of these ( a Ford distributor check valve - of course removing or puncturing the intenal one-way rubber membrane ):
Over the years I’ve had a number of contacts ovr this part - and all the individuals have said much the same thing - it was a ‘muffler’ to help in preventing the sound of the regulator internals ( the vacuum hiss noise when the speed control engages and disengages and the whirring sound of the spinning counterweights ) from entering the passenger compartment, via the hoses which connect to the gas pedal mounted ‘bellows’. I recall being the one who suggested it’s function as a ‘water trap’ - hence the AI inclusion ( when it scans all the internet references to the ‘hose and muffler’ ) of that potential function.
Here’s the AI generated answer to my question ( which is basically the summary of all of my inquiries over the last number of years ! ):
The speed control inline muffler on a 1969 Mercury Cougar (Ford part # C9ZZ-9D860-A) is a small vacuum component that dampens pulses and acts as a water trap in the factory cruise control system. [1, 2]
Function and Details
Location: Installed inline on the vacuum hose connecting the servo valve to the regulator under the hood.
Purpose: It smooths out vacuum signals and prevents moisture from traveling through the-line into the sensitive speed control regulator.
Design: Features staggered internal baffles and specific nipple placements to trap condensation. [1, 2]
). Obviously for a 50 year old part no help was to be had there. I’ve also asked a few other member on here ( through private messaging ) as to what this component is for - and the hypotheses range from one-way valve to water trap to air filter to vacuum restriction or delay. I’ve gone through the entire MPC ( section 9000 ) and looked through every part applicable to speed control, and nothing remotely like this item comes up. As well, no basic number was referenced to this part in the Jim Osborne reprints ! ( which is unusual for a Ford engineering diagram )
