vacuum line issues/questions HOLLEY 4150
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Car: 1985 Camaro and 1996 Mustang GT
Engine: 350 4bbl/281
Transmission: 700R4/4R70W
Axle/Gears: 9" rear/8.8" 4.10
vacuum line issues/questions HOLLEY 4150


in the first pic you can see the vacuum port at the base of the carb on the passenger side of the primary bowl. according to Holley that vac line should lead to the PCV.
In the second pic, you can see the line that comes off of the back of the carb (off of the secondary side) that goes into a T, leading to the brake booster and the PCV.
here is the issue. i almost am almost done tuning, and am connecting the vac gauge to the port under the primary side (pic #1), to adjust the needle screws to maximim vacuum and whenever i hook it up it bogs terribly and sometimes dies. i have tried having the needle screws at pretty much every possible position, from 1/2 thread to 2 1/2 threads out, and it still bogs on me.
i did have a backfire through the carb, but i used holley's procedure to test the power valve, and it was fine (screw both needle screws in all of the way in and the engine died... which means that the PV is fine).
so where should that vac port be leading to? and why does it die when i hook up the gauge?
holley 3310-1, freshly rebuilt.
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Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 504
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Car: 1985 Camaro and 1996 Mustang GT
Engine: 350 4bbl/281
Transmission: 700R4/4R70W
Axle/Gears: 9" rear/8.8" 4.10
Re: vacuum line issues/questions HOLLEY 4150
according to the tech guy on the phone, that port is for the PCV (i described it to him in detail... at the base of the carb underneath the passenger side of the primary fuel bowl).
do you know what else it could be for? and why would hooking up the vac gauge to it cause it to bog?
do you know what else it could be for? and why would hooking up the vac gauge to it cause it to bog?
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Joined: Jan 2000
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From: Mercedes Norte, Heredia, Costa Rica
Car: 1984 Z28 Hardtop
Engine: 383 Carb
Transmission: 4L60
Axle/Gears: 3.54 Dana 44
Re: vacuum line issues/questions HOLLEY 4150
From the sound of it, that's a full-time vacuum port. It needs to be capped if you're not using it. When you put the vacuum gauge on it you're effectively plugging it, changing the air flow through the engine which causes it to bog. Retune your idle once that port is plugged (or connected to your distributor if you want to use full-time vacuum advance).
The PCV port is the 3/8" one on the center rear of the carb. Your brake booster needs to be connected to a port on the manifold. Using a T in the PCV line isn't a good idea.
The PCV port is the 3/8" one on the center rear of the carb. Your brake booster needs to be connected to a port on the manifold. Using a T in the PCV line isn't a good idea.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 504
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Car: 1985 Camaro and 1996 Mustang GT
Engine: 350 4bbl/281
Transmission: 700R4/4R70W
Axle/Gears: 9" rear/8.8" 4.10
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Joined: Jan 2000
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From: Mercedes Norte, Heredia, Costa Rica
Car: 1984 Z28 Hardtop
Engine: 383 Carb
Transmission: 4L60
Axle/Gears: 3.54 Dana 44
Re: vacuum line issues/questions HOLLEY 4150
That port is too small for either of those jobs, it's for controlling the distributor, or other things that need vacuum with no flow.
The PCV connects to the large port on the carb, the brake booster will have to be connected to a manifold port.
The PCV connects to the large port on the carb, the brake booster will have to be connected to a manifold port.
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 43,187
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From: Littleton, CO USA
Car: 82 Berlinetta/57 Bel Air
Engine: L92/LQ4 (both w/4" stroke)
Transmission: 4L80E/4L80E
Axle/Gears: 12B-3.73/9"-3.89
That is a "full" or "manifold" vacuum port. As Aperion says, it's for the distributor vacuum advance, or something else that needs full-time vacuum. It is too small for PCV or power brake booster.
The larger 3/8" port is on the back of the throttle plate. It is best to use it for the PCV, and hook the power brake booster to a port on the intake manifold. I've argued this in the past, but the PCV and power brake should not be tee'd together - the power brake will get robbed in the process.
The larger 3/8" port is on the back of the throttle plate. It is best to use it for the PCV, and hook the power brake booster to a port on the intake manifold. I've argued this in the past, but the PCV and power brake should not be tee'd together - the power brake will get robbed in the process.
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Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 504
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Car: 1985 Camaro and 1996 Mustang GT
Engine: 350 4bbl/281
Transmission: 700R4/4R70W
Axle/Gears: 9" rear/8.8" 4.10
Re: vacuum line issues/questions HOLLEY 4150
i dont see a vac port on my Victor Jr. could it be hiding?
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Joined: Jan 2000
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From: Mercedes Norte, Heredia, Costa Rica
Car: 1984 Z28 Hardtop
Engine: 383 Carb
Transmission: 4L60
Axle/Gears: 3.54 Dana 44
Re: vacuum line issues/questions HOLLEY 4150
No maifold vacuum port on the Victor manifolds. You'd have to drill and tap one yourself.
Is this for a street car? That's a terrible manifold for street use.
Is this for a street car? That's a terrible manifold for street use.
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Car: 1987 Camaro SC, 1999 Z28
Engine: GMPP 350HO, LS1
Transmission: Built 700r4/EDGE 3200, T56
Axle/Gears: 3.42 Eaton 7.625, 3.42 Zexel Torsen
Re: vacuum line issues/questions HOLLEY 4150
can we get a pic of your linkage? it doesn't look like you're running a geometry corrector for your 700? i could be wrong...
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Joined: Jan 2000
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From: Mercedes Norte, Heredia, Costa Rica
Car: 1984 Z28 Hardtop
Engine: 383 Carb
Transmission: 4L60
Axle/Gears: 3.54 Dana 44
Re: vacuum line issues/questions HOLLEY 4150
It's got the right cable bracket, at least.
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Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,779
Likes: 2
From: any clime or place...
Car: 1987 Camaro SC, 1999 Z28
Engine: GMPP 350HO, LS1
Transmission: Built 700r4/EDGE 3200, T56
Axle/Gears: 3.42 Eaton 7.625, 3.42 Zexel Torsen
Re: vacuum line issues/questions HOLLEY 4150
ya i saw the cable bracket, does he have 20-121 to go with it? didn't seem so from what i saw...
Last edited by Tobias05; Jul 16, 2008 at 06:09 AM.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 504
Likes: 1
Car: 1985 Camaro and 1996 Mustang GT
Engine: 350 4bbl/281
Transmission: 700R4/4R70W
Axle/Gears: 9" rear/8.8" 4.10
Re: vacuum line issues/questions HOLLEY 4150
i have the 20-95 and the 20-121. and everything is fine with that.
it will prodominately be strip, with the occasional cruise on the weekends.
i figured out that i need to tap it right after i posted. i have a couple of issues with that though. the manifold is aluminum, as far as the heating and cooling of the manifold would the hole compramise the structural integrity of the manifold? or cause it to crack?
it will prodominately be strip, with the occasional cruise on the weekends.
i figured out that i need to tap it right after i posted. i have a couple of issues with that though. the manifold is aluminum, as far as the heating and cooling of the manifold would the hole compramise the structural integrity of the manifold? or cause it to crack?
Moderator
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 20,981
Likes: 11
From: Mercedes Norte, Heredia, Costa Rica
Car: 1984 Z28 Hardtop
Engine: 383 Carb
Transmission: 4L60
Axle/Gears: 3.54 Dana 44
Re: vacuum line issues/questions HOLLEY 4150
No. If you don't want to drill the manifold and you've got the clearance under the hood, you could drill and tap a carb spacer instead.
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 43,187
Likes: 45
From: Littleton, CO USA
Car: 82 Berlinetta/57 Bel Air
Engine: L92/LQ4 (both w/4" stroke)
Transmission: 4L80E/4L80E
Axle/Gears: 12B-3.73/9"-3.89
The transmission vacuum module was hooked to the manifold runner port from the factory.
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Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,779
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From: any clime or place...
Car: 1987 Camaro SC, 1999 Z28
Engine: GMPP 350HO, LS1
Transmission: Built 700r4/EDGE 3200, T56
Axle/Gears: 3.42 Eaton 7.625, 3.42 Zexel Torsen
Re: vacuum line issues/questions HOLLEY 4150
^holy thread necro batman...
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