Vacuum leak help

[Josh Fletchall]

I've got a 97 SHO that has been great to me. But a few weeks ago the a/c decided to cut out on me and the car has started to idle oddly, sometimes it'll idle at 1500-2000 rpm and sometimes it will surge from 500-1000. I started looking around the engine bay and found a broken vacuum line right next to the passenger strut tower, but the rest of the line is missing and I can't find where it is supposed to connect to. I'll attach a pic of where it's broken at. Can anyone go look and see where that line goes?

 

[gamefanatic]

Well the good thing is that is not a vacuum line. It's for your windshield sprayers and typically brakes. You can repair that with a bit of flexible hose, but can't remember the size (1/8")?. Just look at your hood when lifted as to where it needs to connect.

A/C cutting out may be unrelated. You would need to test voltages and put a set of gauges on it.

As for the surging, it's like due to your IAC or a vacuum line leak. You may want to check around your intake for any cracking hoses. They don't have to be on real tight, but taking them on and off again they tend to crack at the connection points as they harden over the years.

 

[99sho-time]

There should be windshield hose at autozone you can slide over that old line. Hopefully you weren't like me drenched your belt system in de icer

I like to use starting fluid for vacuum leaks spray base of iac and anywhere there is vacuum the engine will stumble.

 

[gamefanatic]

Yes or carb cleaner, since I always have some on hand for the quick cleansing.

 

[GEN 3 SHO FAN]

Once repaired, unsnap this hose from the strut tower because it will broke again. This hose is a little bit too short and have to made a large mouvement from the strut to the hood causing the prob. I did this on my 2 taurus (after one broke 2 times).

 

[gamefanatic]

Yeah that's why I used some hose to make the repair, rather than the plastic tubing. Though with the Ingall's adjustment plates I have the retainer wont fit anyway...

 

[Josh Fletchall]

Thanks for the help guys. It didn't even occur to me to look above that line on the hood. As for the vacuum leak possibility should I just spray some carb clean on vacuum connections and anywhere a hose looks a little crusty or is there a particular area I should be looking for?

 

[gamefanatic]

Well you can just spray liberally anywhere there might be a leak. Helps to not just look at vacuum lines, but around EGR, intake mating surfaces, and around the intake just after the MAF. Spraying may or may not yeild any results as you could have other issues. You can also connect a brake vacuum tool to the vacuum lines around the car to measure at different points. Keeping in mind that some areas are isolated from others.

A/C problems along with the surge could point to a bad Alternator. Easily tested by auto stores for free.

Also it could be the IAC getting stuck. They typically get buildup from the vacuum lines which have oil and other contaminants. Some recommend cleaning with carb cleaner or electrical cleaner. If I suspected the IAC, I would just replace it, as it's not expensive.

I recommend investing in a good OBD-II reader and a way to read all PIDs, not just fault codes. You can see vaccum measurements or missfires long before they become a problem. I use the Scantool.net OBD-II MX and any Android device along with Torque, for everyday driving. You can then set alerts like temperature, or vacuum warnings so you can watch for things. Having the scantool reader allows for wireless connection and monitoring more than 60 PID per second.

You can also get the Palmer software to hook into even more computer components like ABS, A/C, or even PATS using any Windows device.