# Any idea what this auto part is??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 11, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-what-this-auto-part-is/546327 "2010-07-11T20:45:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-what-this-auto-part-is/546327/1 "2010-07-11T20:45:45Z")
I found [THIS](http://picasaweb.google.com/pkbites/AutoPart#) on the street where I park one of my cars. I have no idea what it is, or if it even came from my car. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-what-this-auto-part-is/546327/2 "2010-07-11T21:02:20Z")
That looks like part of a window/wall AC unit. If it’s copper I’d be willing to bet it’s a refrigeration part. ETA, it’s hard to tell the size. I’m guessing it’s about as big as your finger (as oppose to being, say, muffler sized) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-what-this-auto-part-is/546327/3 "2010-07-11T21:09:18Z")
Oh, there’s more pictures. Okay, it _looks_ like part of a TXV, but the single tube coming out of the bottom is throwing me off. Like this, but I’m not familiar with the extra pipe [![](http://www.budgetheating.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/mvc-008s.jpg) ](http://www.budgetheating.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/mvc-008s.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-what-this-auto-part-is/546327/4 "2010-07-11T21:39:26Z")
I don’t think it is an auto part. Part of an home AC unit, or a refrigerator maybe, but any auto part I have ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-what-this-auto-part-is/546327/5 "2010-07-12T01:58:13Z")
Thanks for the replies. I feel a little better. The car I park on the street is our “beater” car. Only 80k miles but they were hard miles. I’d never seen anything like that part, so when I found it under the car I kind of assumed it was from the car. But other people do park there during the day. But…an air conditioner part?😕 No idea who would have had that. Maybe it fell out of the garbage truck? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-what-this-auto-part-is/546327/6 "2010-07-12T02:10:20Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > But…an air conditioner part?😕 No idea who would have had that. Maybe it fell out of the garbage truck? Probably not a garbage trucker, but a scrapper. Those people you see riding around in old beat up pickups with trailers full of siding and washing machines and scrap metal…copper is their gold. Or it could have just fallen out of an HVAC truck. The other reason I don’t think it came from your car is that it looks like it’s been rolling around in the street for a while. It looks to scuffed up to have been in service any time recently. ---
**Author:** ![Qwakkeddup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Qwakkeddup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwakkeddup)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-what-this-auto-part-is/546327/7 "2010-07-12T02:39:15Z")
Looks like an oil separator/return from an A/C unit to me. refrigerant and oil mix comes in through the top, oil collects in the bottom, while the refrigerant is evacuated out the other line in the top. Most cars have something like this, but much larger and usually aluminum. Yours looks like it was off of a window A/C unit. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-what-this-auto-part-is/546327/8 "2010-07-12T02:53:52Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Probably not a garbage trucker, but a scrapper. Those people you see riding around in old beat up pickups with trailers full of siding and washing machines and scrap metal…copper is their gold. > > Or it could have just fallen out of an HVAC truck. The thing is, I live on a very short, quiet street that’s a dead end. I know 99% of the vehicles that drive here, including those that park there during the day. None of them fall into this category. Which is why I mentioned the garbage truck (I found the part on garbage day [Friday] about 3 hours after the truck passed through.) But how would it have fallen out of the truck and rolled under my car? It’s not the type of of part that rolls. Hey, it’s Sunday night. This is the best mystery you’re going to get. Columbo is off the air and McCloud is dead.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-what-this-auto-part-is/546327/9 "2010-07-12T03:10:28Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > The thing is, I live on a very short, quiet street that’s a dead end. I know 99% of the vehicles that drive here, including those that park there during the day. None of them fall into this category. Which is why I mentioned the garbage truck (I found the part on garbage day [Friday] about 3 hours after the truck passed through.) But how would it have fallen out of the truck and rolled under my car? It’s not the type of of part that rolls. > Hey, it’s Sunday night. This is the best mystery you’re going to get. Columbo is off the air and McCloud is dead.😉 Those scrappers are usually pretty quick (and usually out on garbage day). Any heavy rain or wind that could have carried it from another street? ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-idea-what-this-auto-part-is/546327/10 "2010-07-12T03:46:32Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Those scrappers are usually pretty quick (and usually out on garbage day). > > Any heavy rain or wind that could have carried it from another street? Heh. I live on a pretty good hill. If this thing came from another street it would have been a “we’re not in Kansas anymore” type rain/wind. I’m in the middle of the hill too, Slop pours completely down to the tracks during a good storm. Better than hanging around and going in my basement, I say!