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I'm not so sure my stroker will support my vacuum headlights, brake booster and vents. Headlights are opening really slow, the A/C is blowing from the floor and the brakes are hard to push if I idle too long.
Everything functioned OK with the old L48.
Is anyone using an electric vacuum pump? What are my alternatives?
From: Who says "Nothing is impossible" ? I've been doing nothing for years.
What's the duration and type of cam, you can get a vaccuum canister at Jegs, never used one but could work, also make sure you don't have any vacuum leaks
Don't we already have a vacuum canister up near the headlamps? Or is the one from Jegs powered?
Hmm, maybe there is a leak that I could have created when I swapped motors. Either that or there is a pre-existing one that didn't show up because the L48 made more vacuum.
My cam is a solid 248 @ .050 and .525 lift and I have no problems with my headlights. I have a hydroboost for the brakes. Ipull about 8 to 9 inches at idle and have no problems.
I think the vacuum leak theory is right. The motor is pulling 10 inches at idle. I re-plumbed some vac lines and got the headlights operating a little better. The A/C will blow through the vents after a short time at 1500 rpm. The brake booster is still a little hard after idling a while while at a light.
Are there any vac lines running to the charcoal canister or are those all just vent lines. I have it completely disconnected from the carb.
From: Arlington Va Current ride 04 vert, previous vettes: 69 vert, 77 resto mod
why not plug all vacuum lines and get a good vacuum reading from your motor....then start to reattach items and see if it drops....look for the leaks with the last item you attached...the vacuum pumps are like $220 big ones.... i would check for bad lines and lose connections first...
Bob,
I unplugged all vac and capped all but one port. The motor makes 10" at idle. My L48 was 12-15. I re-routed some stuff and the headlamps inproved, the A/C will eventually come through the top vents when the motor gets some revs going. The brake booster is still a tad hard if I sit at a light idling for a while.
Stainless Sreel Brake Corporation and also GM Performance sell electric vacuum pumps to accomodate people with long duration cam shafts and vacuum operated brakes. They're not particularly cheap but I think they're a good idea. (I would guess there's other sources of these electric vacuum pumps.)
On a two lane mountain road, I momentarily had trouble with my Richmond 5 speed ( I got it stuck in neutral..they're hard to shift when new) and the engine died!!!!!!!!!! Whoa... no vacuum brakes. Coming into a turn in the road and not being able to slow down, I was forced to shunt onto a dirt lane that fortunately just happened to be at the turn. Very exciting!! I'm sure my wife will always remember that incident also. She was screaming when I had to shunt off into the dirt road. I'll always think about putting an auxiliary vacuum pump the next time I run with a long duration cam shaft in a car that needs power brakes..
From: Arlington Va Current ride 04 vert, previous vettes: 69 vert, 77 resto mod
Originally Posted by isosceles
Bob,
I unplugged all vac and capped all but one port. The motor makes 10" at idle. My L48 was 12-15. I re-routed some stuff and the headlamps inproved, the A/C will eventually come through the top vents when the motor gets some revs going. The brake booster is still a tad hard if I sit at a light idling for a while.
not sure on this but i think 10" is probably pretty close to the bottom threshold for making vacuum accessories work...next step...pull out credit card, call Jegs, order vacuum pump and cha ching problem solved!!!!!!!