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So my headlights wont pop up which most likely means I have a vacuum leak somewhere since I've heard these cars are notorious for having these issues. Is it okay if I just ignore the problem temporarily? Or is this something that needs to be addressed immediately? I'm asking because I have other things to fix on the car such as leaky valve covers, a broken tach and no interior lights. I just don't know how serious this issue is and if it can cause other issues if it goes ignored.
I guess it would be a problem if you are out and all of a sudden it gets dark. You can manually open them so I might suggest you learn how to do thatnow, rather than waiting until it gets dark.
You will find that your vacuum leak will also impact your A/C / Heater Control Vacuum switch. More than likely all air (switch setting in Vent, A/C, Defrost or Heat position) will only blow out at the floor vents.
I already know how to pull down the headlights manually I just wasn't sure if the vacuum leak itself caused other issues as well. I'm gonna try buying a smoke machine to check to see where the leaks are coming from and I'll try checking the actuators while I'm at it. Thank you for the input.
It's not a problem at all. I've run my headlights in manual mode for a long time (I usually don't drive after dark, but they are easy to flip up and down if I do).
When you do fix it, consider one of these electric conversion kits. Made in USA. Beware of cheap imitations.
You really don't need to purchase a smoke machine. A vacuum guage works just fine.
Just take it in steps. Plug off the lines to the headlight relays. Connect vacuum guage to vacuum tank. Does it read the same as when hooked to the manifold? Shut off car, does it hold vacuum? Yes move towards testing the relays, no. Back up. Vacuum leak behind the dash? Plug off vacuum lines that head through the firewall. Hold vacuum now? No, test vacuum check valve.
Going the other way. Test relays to see if they hold vacuum. They don't? Repair. When they do, test actuators. Etc. Etc.
So my headlights wont pop up which most likely means I have a vacuum leak somewhere since I've heard these cars are notorious for having these issues. Is it okay if I just ignore the problem temporarily? Or is this something that needs to be addressed immediately? I'm asking because I have other things to fix on the car such as leaky valve covers, a broken tach and no interior lights. I just don't know how serious this issue is and if it can cause other issues if it goes ignored.
As someone who had a vacuum line issue with the headlights, if you're not driving at night, it's not imperative to get it fixed right away. You probably are noticing an erratic or higher (or lower) idle. If you're not looking to fix it right away, I would look into getting a set of vacuum caps and cap off the lines going to the head lights and headlight switch in the dash. Avoid capping the line that goes to your AC control if you value being able to control that. From there I would just inspect all of the vacuum aspects. Start at the source at the engine block, follow the lines to the actuators. Make sure no cracks and all hoses are connected (and connected properly). Then check the actuators for any cracks/leaks at the boots. More than likely the boots are your issue. Also, look to see if you have a check valve near the source. If you do, make sure it's working properly.
05-15-2024, 01:40 PM
Headlight vaccum leak
