Vacuum Advance problem, with solution!

[WFarm]

The 454 has been running OK, but not quite right. Even with my crappy hearing I could hear pinging when accelerating.

Today I went back to check timing, thinking maybe I had too much advance. Disconnected the vacuum line from the manifold port on the Edelbrock carb, plugged it and set initial timing to 8 degrees BTDC. When I reconnected the vacuum advance hose I heard no change in the engine so checked this with the timing light. No change.

Checked manifold vacuum at the carb. Readings were 17-19 inches vacuum. Pulled a vacuum on the vacuum advance and it held rock steady. At this point I was a bit confused so pulled the hose from the distributor to the carb and tried to blow through it.

The hose was completely blocked with a small ball! Looked like a snake had eaten a cat. Have no idea where this ball had come from but I believe it’s been bedeviling me for a while now! The ball is too big to have come from either the carb or vacuum advance canister; there is no way it could pass through the connections of either one.

Apparently when I reinstalled the intake manifold recently and replaced the vacuum hose with one I had in the shop i didn’t notice it was plugged. My bad………..

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[Ricko1966]

That ball used to be a common trick to disable EGR etc. You but a bb in the vacuum line and then reattach the line now the component won't get a vacuum signal,but will pass a visual.

 

[WFarm]

That ball used to be a common trick to disable EGR etc. You but a bb in the vacuum line and then reattach the line now the component won't get a vacuum signal,but will pass a visual.

Why would you want to disable your vacuum advance, unless the car was strictly for racing?

 

[Ricko1966]

Why would you want to disable your vacuum advance, unless the car was strictly for racing?

You reused a hose that had been used somewhere else before,or you were dealing with someone that doesn't understand ignition. You have no idea how many people that do not understand ignition.Maybe they were trying to fight the preignition you have been dealing with,and vacuum advance is always.the bad guy in their mind. So.lets restrict it or eliminate it instead of fixing the problem correctly.

 

[WFarm]

You reused a hose that had been used somewhere else before,or you were dealing with someone that doesn't understand ignition. You have no idea how many people that do not understand ignition.Maybe they were trying to fight the preignition you have been dealing with,and vacuum advance is always.the bad guy in their mind. So.lets restrict it or elim8nate it 8nstead of fixing the problem correctly.

Yes, and the number of folks knowledgeable enough to work on carbs and ignition stuff gets smaller every year. Before long they’ll be as rare as typewriter repair techs.