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Hi guys,
I'd like to change my vacuum lines on my 8cyl. Something I wanna learn how to do and I think it's a good cheap way of stopping anything that may be leaking. And it won't break the bank. I'm looking for tips and pointers and any starters that I can learn from you guys. I came across something briefly called a "vacuum tree". What is it and do I have one on my engine?
Or are vacuum lines more like take one out, measure, replace.
Are there common sizes for my year/make/engine that I can get?
Also, this is a dumb question...how do I know which is a vacuum line and which ones have liquid in them? One of my friend's said "if it has a clamp on it, it's NOT a vacuum line". Would this be true in my case?
Last edited by ericantonio; 09-08-2015 at 06:39 PM.
Reason: more info
Suggest you buy a haynes or chiltons repair manual $19.99 at most parts stores.. and you buddy is correct.. most vacuum lines do not require a clamp.. the book will help and guide you along your way. good luck
For the best possible lines use the 22ft of 4mm hose from http://www.siliconeintakes.com/silic...686d47fdf65361. Vacuum lines are so simple, everyone tends to over complicate them, they are basically like changing plug wires. Pull one from the vacuum tree (located on top of the intake manifold-if they are original they will be colored plastic line, if they have been replaced then they will probably be rubber), attach your new line in it's place, trace the old line and remove from it's destination, run the new hose to the destination and cut to length. You don't need to follow the same hose routing as the oem line (if you do 22ft probably won't be enough), just get the new hose there without them interfering with anything.
You will also need a 4-way vacuum tee (or two 3-way vacuum tees) for the TAB and TAD, you don't need to know what those are or what they do just use the 4-way when you run into one line that splits. You won't need any boots or clamps and the 4mm line fits the barbs perfectly (one is even a little tough to get on).
You can use 5/32 rubber vacuum line from your local auto/hardware store and will get the same result. Only differences are price and longevity, the link I posted is $0.99/ft and is super thick walled silicone that will probably last longer than your truck, one and done fix. Local line the quality of the rubber is questionable, it could rot out it two years or you could get some that'll last 10 years, you won't know what you've got until it goes bad, but it's usually much cheaper ($0.50/ft). With the regular rubber you will need to be conscious of heat sources during the routing of the lines, with the silicone it doesn't really matter as silicone isn't affected by heat/cold/oil/extreme temp changes like regular rubber.
Some other PM ideas that I usually recommend:
Clean any electrical connectors you come across with quick drying electronic clean and a brush, spray/brush male end, spray female/male end and connect them together multiple times to clean the female connectors.
Clean up any chassis grounds you can find, sand eyelet/frame until shiny, wire brush the bolt.
Clean up or replace battery terminals.
Use dielectric grease when reassembling the above steps, note that dielectric grease isn't a conductor as some people believe. It's actually an insulator and is used to keep contaminants out instead of helping to conduct power as most people believe. On the chassis grounds and battery terminals put it on AFTER assembly, for connectors put it near the rubber seal.
Order a 120count assortment of fuses online ($8ebay, $12rockauto) and replace all of the fuses in your truck.
Also consider ordering bulbs online, I've found that I can replace every bulb in the truck (including dash bulbs for cluster, climate control, all of the interior and exterior bulbs) for less than the cost of just the headlights when you order from rockauto over the prices at you local auto parts store.
My colors were a little bit different. But it was about 95% identical. Also there is a vacuum line diagram under the hood.
On my truck there is a line directly from the manifold tree to the fuel pressure regulator (red), the MAP sensor (a weird black hose), the A/C system (red), and the vacuum reserve canister (red). There is also a much larger black one running to the cruise control system which I did not change. The vacuum reserve canister then runs a line all the way back to the TAB/TAD/EVR solenoids (black) - this is where you will need the T's. Each one of those solenoids then runs an individual line to their respective components. The TAD and TAB lines run behind the intake manifold to the diverter valve and the barb right next to the smog pump (these are color coded - probably pink and yellow - just keep track of which goes to which) and the EVR runs back to the other side of the intake manifold to the EGR valve (green).
One thing that nobody told me prior to doing this - on my truck you needed 7/32" internal diameter tubing for the hose that runs to the A/C system and to the MAP sensor. The barbs are definitely bigger than the others. So get yourself ~6-8' of 7/32" ID tubing as well.
Thanks for the link. I just ordered some 4mm and 6mm ones. The site didn't have and wire covers so maybe I'll wait until I put them on and see if I need some. The site didn't have 4-way or 3-way T's. I'm sure my local auto store will have those.
I got my tees from oreilly's, but they carry them everywhere, I've seen them at Walmart, most hardware or farm and home stores will also carry them.
Wire loom is cheapest from Ebay, you may be able to get a good deal from an electronics store that does stereo installs-they usually have a giant roll of it laying around.
Thanks FLT and BLD. I finally got a box of blue vacuum lines in. They are A LOT thicker than I thought they would be! Super good quality from the website you recommended.
Here's a picture of one of the connections. Do these serve a purpose or can I just remove them and stick the vacuum tubes in? I have bunch of these and looks like some kinda of step down or step up connector.
Leave the big black one alone. The three red ones can come off together in one piece and will expose three separate barbs. Its just a fancy rubber piece that bunched those three cables together. You don't need to re-use it....just slide the new lines directly over the barbs.
09-08-2015, 06:30 PM
vacuum lines
