Yeah, that's the part I'm remembering. I think it determines the fan speed. I used the Haynes manual, to try and figure out what the thing was, and I finally decided it must be a resistor. If I remember right, it should have two wires going in to the top of it, and only one wire coming out the bottom. Or maybe it's three going in the top, and two coming out the bottom. Anyway, if squeezing it or wiggling it makes the fan go on and off, it sounds like something isn't quite right inside the unit. For what it's worth, Haynes says that if the fan works when hooked up directly, then the problem must be in the coolant temperature sensor, the wiring harness, or the engine management system. That could be about anywhere. Hope this helps.
