Hello, I have been reading some of the info. posted on the Riv's. and have got some good info. Thanks! I am fighting with the vacuum headlights. I have purchased and adapted new Camaro cannisters and the vac. relay switch. I cannot get them to work consistantly however. I hooked up a in-line vac. guage to monitor the vacuum. One lamp starts to come up but sometimes gets stuck and I lose some pressure. I help it up, and my vacuum rises back up. I have adjusted the door but it still sticks. I feel my problem might be two fold. Defective cannisters and / or door adjustments. This portion of the project has not been enjoyable.:af: Would greatly appreciate any advise. Thanks Newm Other projects: 74 Bronco, 58 Bel-Air, 58 Biscayne, 63 Studebaker pickup
Welcome to V8Buick. Yeah, those vacuum headlights can be a real problem. Mine only work if I lube the doors, tighten the hoses, and wait for the planets to align. Then they go down but need a nudge to go back up. Maybe I should try rubbing some Viagra on them.
First thing I would check is the manifold vacuum reading at idle. If the engine is making low vacuum, that might be part of the problem. Next, check ALL the vacuum hoses- even the one going to the power booster. They tend to split where they attach to the nipples. Loose connections bleed off vacuum. Dont forget to check the vacuum solenoid that under the fender by the battery. There should be a check valve going into the storage tank. BTW, those storage tanks tend to leak. Take a picture of those Camaro vacuum actuators. I'd like to see how you adapted them.
Mine have worked flawlessly for years. But only recently has one light been dropping down overnight. I still havent looked into it.
welcome, newm! i hope you find this site as fun and informative as i have! as far as your headlights go, i've designed a "bunjee cord assist" system which works quite well. i'd gladly give the details... if... there were any. o No: :beers2:
Welcome to v8buick and the wonderful world of vacumm headlights ! :af: One other other important item to check is the plastic manifold distribution block on the lower portion of the firewall above the transmission. They were made from a cellulose type of plastic that did not stand up to well to heat, age or stress and are prone to cracking which will cause a loss of full pressure in the vacumm system. NOS units are unobtainium, and good 'used' are probably not much better than original units. I replaced my original manifold (which had several stress cracks) with a much sturdier NOS GM unit (p/n1239606) which was but one small step, in solving the working vacumm headlight situation on my '68. They are great when they work properly, but they can be a royal 'PITA' to troubleshoot when you have a problem, and all the Viagra in the world won't do anything for em ! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Info in the '69 Shop Manual is a good reference source for understanding how the system is supposed to work - if you don't have one, and you plan on keeping the car, it will prove to be a very good investment ! Hopefully you don't have vacumm power door locks in that '69 - talk about fun ! :beer :TU:
Viagra? But, if they stay up longer than four hours will that cause permanent damage? That gives a new twist the word "highbeam"..p This is long reply but I really appreciate the help. This is a PITA. The vacuum port block above the transmission sheds a new light. I noticed that block. But it has been by-passed because I hooked up a loose vacuum hose I found to the carb base plate that goes to the check valve on the tank when I got it out the sellers barn. Manual - I should get. The vacuum is 14 at idle. I T'd it going to the relay valve. Tank holds vacuum, I tested it after I read about it here. All hoses and the relay valve are new. The one way (check) valve at the tank seems to function. My first relay valve leaked so I exchanged it. I am not totally sold with my cannister adaption. I kept the clevis (loop) end on because I wanted the seal on the boots. I used plastic bushings and plastic washers in a link ( 1 3/4") set up to reduce friction. If it works continuously, I will send pics. I did order one new cannister. I did find a leak in a new one. Thanks and I will keep up posted on project "Ralph"ray:
Ralph, I had heard from reliable sources that the Camero repro cannisters are hit 'n miss right from new, and the fact you have a bad one sorta confirms that. Hopefully they will replace the duff one without additional costs ! There is a schematic of the proper vacumm hose routing in the shop manual, and a section on trouble shooting the system that may help you out. BTDT ! :beer :TU:
Yes, my luck with repro parts and finding parts in general has not been good on this car. But they are replacing the cannister "w/ no $, like they did the relay valve. I did locate a vacuum tank but no plastic manifold, Tank has one line about 3/8" going in and a small line coming out going through the fire wall. I hope that is all there is. Thanks for your help. PS I do have section "F" of the shop manual on the instrument panel and a vacuum diagram but It is does not quite match up or I dont understand it. probably the latter. Newm
Well Rivman, I think what you heard about the repro cannisters being a 'hit and miss' is the case as far as my luck as been. They do work now but one still has a small leak so I will probably get another (fourth) one. I need to do a little mode to my linkage set up but I think I am getting closer. To try to maintain a good attitude, I will chalk this vacuum headlight project up to a "learning" experience. :af: Thanks for your help. I still haven't completed my search for the manifold block but I have a diagram.
They come up quite frequently on evilBay, and many reliable automotive literature dealers will have them from time to time - you might also try placing a post in the parts wanted section here. Depending on condition, they sell for $25-$75 + shipping. Definetly a good investment, and a great source of info if you do your own maintenance on a vintage auto ! :TU:
Re: Rookie w/ 69 Riviera / vacuum headlamp project The vacuum headlamps fix is still hit and miss. Sometimes they work, sometimes not. I still have not had good luck with the new replacement canisters. I lubed and adjusted the doors, replaced all hoses. It makes no sense . All parts in the system are new except for the tank and headlamp switch and they tested okay. Any ideas would be appreciated. I have moved on to other projects on the car and hope that I can have a vision and come up with a way to ditch the vacuum system and convert it to some kind of air pressure system. This is a real PITA.
I've not seen any specific information on the conversion but some folks have changed over to electrically operated units such as those found on the Firebird/Fiero and some others. Needless to say, electric motors are WAY more reliable than the vacuum operated systems. For those of you interested, you can replace that crack and leak prone plastic manifold with a solid metal one. Take a 3/4" or 1" thick by 4" X 2" block of steel, brass or aluminum, then drill and tap a 1/2" hole on one end. Drill this hole within 1/2" of all the way through. Screw a barbed fitting into that. Along the sides of the block, drill through to the original hole. Tap those for appropriate fittings and voila', your own nearly indestructible vacuum manifold. Put appropriate mounting holes in the corners and you are done. The beauty of this is that, if so inclined, you can even use braided lines of various types.
