While eyeing up the spot in the firewall where I would run the hose for my boost gauge I noticed a split hose. Can someone tell me what this hose is called and if it isa reason I may not have boost?

 

That is your main vacuum source. So yes, that is a really good reason why you have no boost. That needs replaced ASAP!!! Plus if you go back to the diode, mbc, and boost gauge thread, i point out the grommet to run the boost guage line through.

 

If it wasn't for me looking directly at that grommet I may have not seen the split hose, so yes I know where to run that for the next mod. The hose was hard plastic so took a hack saw and cut the tip off, heatedthe tipwith a heat gun and put it back on. Could I have damaged any thing by not noticing it sooner?

So I changed the plugs to the NGK BKR7E gapped at .028/.029ish. They were under $2 a piece and look exactly like what was already installed minus the VW/Audi logos. The end of the tips on the old ones wereblack but I don't know how bad they were. I can take pics later if anyone really wants to see.

 

with the split hose, you may have been running rich, thus the black electrode on the old plugs. If they have vw/audi on the then the are NGK PFR6 which are platnuim. You shouldnt of hurt anything but the plugs, performance, and of course gas milage.

 

and potentially the cat/02 sensor, depending on how rich you were running