Headlight Vacuum Problem 80 Vette

Douglas Mariani

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Location
Anaheim Hills,California
Before I go trolling through my Headlight Vacuum hoses ,relays ...etc I figured someone else may have had the same problem.

When I shut the car off the Headlights come up about 1/3 of the way and than close plus theres no vacuume in the reserve tank to open the Headlights (like they use to) when its not running.

So where do I start? :confused:
 
Two valves in particular come to mind. Most likely it's the small vacuum relays mounted under the nose, just in front of the hood. They seem to be the most common culprit. Replacements are available but as others have already stated, they're iffy. I rebuilt mine about 12 years ago and they still function fine. It's not exactly easy and you run the risk of making it unusable but it is possible. Remove the valve and gently pry the ring that holds the diaphragm together. You have to do this with the idea of recrimping it in mind, so no cutting! Once that's apart, the entire valve will just come apart. The problem generally is the rubber seals on the stem. If the diaphragm is ruptured, well, you're screwed. The rubber seals tend to get stiff and don't flex anymore. So what you want to do is find a couple o-rings that are the correct size as the inside diameter of the tube, then gently use an Xacto or similar very sharp knife to cut a small groove on either end of that stem, just deep enough the o-rings sit in securely. Use a light grease like a lithium grease to aid in sealing and reassemble. Recrimp the ring around the diaphragm and off you go.
The other one is the seal on the headlight stem, which is also probably gone on yours and you should replace it also, but it's not likely to cause the problem you're seeing.
 
Two valves in particular come to mind. Most likely it's the small vacuum relays mounted under the nose, just in front of the hood. They seem to be the most common culprit. Replacements are available but as others have already stated, they're iffy. I rebuilt mine about 12 years ago and they still function fine. It's not exactly easy and you run the risk of making it unusable but it is possible. Remove the valve and gently pry the ring that holds the diaphragm together. You have to do this with the idea of recrimping it in mind, so no cutting! Once that's apart, the entire valve will just come apart. The problem generally is the rubber seals on the stem. If the diaphragm is ruptured, well, you're screwed. The rubber seals tend to get stiff and don't flex anymore. So what you want to do is find a couple o-rings that are the correct size as the inside diameter of the tube, then gently use an Xacto or similar very sharp knife to cut a small groove on either end of that stem, just deep enough the o-rings sit in securely. Use a light grease like a lithium grease to aid in sealing and reassemble. Recrimp the ring around the diaphragm and off you go.
The other one is the seal on the headlight stem, which is also probably gone on yours and you should replace it also, but it's not likely to cause the problem you're seeing.

I feel you are rong on that red sentence above, as by using a rubber glove or similar from Lowes Depot, you can make another one, and bolt in place...

I have done it, years ago, when fixing one for the wiper door, and then the flapper actuators...all since replaced or eliminated some years ago....

:bounce:
 
Before I go trolling through my Headlight Vacuum hoses ,relays ...etc I figured someone else may have had the same problem.

When I shut the car off the Headlights come up about 1/3 of the way and than close plus theres no vacuume in the reserve tank to open the Headlights (like they use to) when its not running.

So where do I start? :confused:

One quick check you can do to see if the check valve is the problem. Find some kind of pliers or hemostats , with the engine idling pinch the hose between the check valve and the white filter (this will mimic a good check valve), turn the engine off and see if the lights do the same thing as before.
 

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