Lean Issue

[alfatodd]

Hi All!

I've got the 2002 Thunderbird and my check engine light came on the other day after the car almost stalled. I hooked up my scanner and got codes 171 and 174 "system running lean." So, I looked under the hood to see if I had any air leaks. Well, I discovered that a squirrel had made a nest deep in the middle and had eaten a hole in that pillow thingy that is under throttle body. Does anyone know what this is called? It is between the intake manifold and the throttle body and looks like a piece of foam wrapped in plastic. Also, would a hole in this cause my problem or would it be something else? I didn't see any hoses that were disconnected or chewed and all the wiring looks good and connectors are plugged in.

Thank you for your help,

Todd
Crownsville, MD