On my way home I noticed a ticking noise while in gear and off the throttle. while accelerating (performance did not seem affected) the noise went away.

This isn't a quiet noise, it's LOUD. I thought it was a jackhammer behind a cement wall or some other type of construction sound.

when i got home, i popped the hood and saw this:



Could this be (or be related to) my problem?

I looked up pcv hoses and they cost a small fortune, pre-installation.

Anyone know anything that could benefit me in this situation?