right under the washer solution bottle (underneath the car) there is a black plastic round ball. it has a vacuum line running to it but thats all i cant see. what is this thing??? i was thinking either something for SMOG or a factory vacuum cannister perhaps???

 

thats your vacuum canister, leave it be

 

Yup, vacuum accumulator; holds enough vacuum so that your HVAC doors don't all go back to their neutral position every time you open the throttle.

 

nice. always wondered what it actually did.

 

i thought its called the orb of power?

nebu.

 

:hail: :hail: :hail: :hail: All hail the Orb of Power!

 

You beat me to it! Orb of power, mmmmmmmmmmmm yea!

 

Damn, i took mine out, no wonder i didn't gain any power.

 

my orb is broken

 

I am pretty sure it only holds vaccume for cruise control.

 

no. you can find it on cars without cruise also.

(Why do so many people spell vacuum wrong?)

 

Yep, that is a reserve vacuum canister for the HVAC control doors and cruise control. I think I remember reading somewhere that A/C and/or cruise control cars got them. '82-83 there is a rectangle canister above the brake booster rather than the orb below the battery tray.

 

So THATS what that thing was on my firewall in my 82...guess I can throw it away, thought it may have been of actual use lol.

My Orb of Power is dying...need to get a refill....or take use of the warranty they provide lol.

 

On V-6 models it was known as the orb-of-holds-vacuum-for-the-HVAC-controls, instead of the orb of power

 

my 83 z has it up by the washer fluid res. not on the firewall.

 

Correct the 82-83' have a cylindrical shaped canister above the booster. Oddly enought printed on it is "T.P.I".

 

thats why I lack power

Maybe I need an after market orb

 

Not to brag, but I have TWO orbs, but still no power.

 

Your doing something wrong, and BTW no one should have that much orb-power

 

I think your confusing power orbs with hypno orbs. Kinda hard to do since hypno orbs are usually flesh colored depending on the model

 

well i plan to install an aftermarket orb too so i should have a ton of power but if not then kryptonite just might have to do.

(BTW....becareful when installing or removing the orb, if broken they can emit an energy trail 100000 times greater than the sun!!!!!!!)

but on topic, does the factory orb help with power brakes when you have a bigger cam?

 

No.... only the HVAC, and cruise on cars that have that

 

I noticed that when I shake my orb, a little message sometimes appears in a window on the bottom". It seems to change depending on what question I ask. It's usually one of these:


Maybe
Perhaps
Yes, definitely
Not Today
No way
Are you kidding?


I hear it's a MUST_HAVE for street racing.

 

Doood.... (ws6)

I really think you need to have your orb checked. It's entirely possible that there has been some sort of inadvertent disconnection, and the orb is suffering from a serious lack of vacuum. That should be rectified ASAP.

 

LOL!
A must have for street racing! That's great!

 

MY parents said i wasnt old enough to have my own orb......

 

I dont know why but i actually laughed out loud at that one

 

Nah we still call it an orb of power; it's the same size as the one you V8 guys have, so that means it's more powerful to our smaller engine. (laughs)

Seriously tho... My '86 has no cruise, no tilt (which the dealership guys think is strange), but it's got the rectangular vacuum can on the firewall. No orb for me.

 

i have never seen one on eaither of my cars. maybe that is why it is running like crap.

 

this thread doesnt seem very tech oriented... i like that.


related story:

im driving behind a friend, when i watch somthing fall from his car... and he drags it a good 4 or 5 blocks before i get him to pull over.
his ball dropped.
lol it was chewed up pretty bad, but still held vac...


i nutered my car... took the ball right off. my airfilter is in its place now.

 

If cars are always refered to as "girls," and you neutered your car.....

 

So orb size matters to you? It not how big your orb is, its how you use it

 

my car doesn't have any ball hanging down...


and mr dude your friend needs to take care of his car. when they drop they are sensative. though I do need to give his car credit when his ball drops right away he is able to drag it on the ground

thats a real man

 

EDIT: Nevermind, don't feel like getting into trouble .

 

Just a quick question for anybody, but is there a way to test the orb to see if it holds vacuum? I'm trying to trace down a problem with my cruise control.

 

yea, you need a little vac pump and a gauge... either rent one from autozone, or take the orb-of-power off (plug the vac line), drive to a shop, and get the guy to check it real quick for ya.



athough they're pretty thick plastic and dont leak easily...





another method is to cap off the nipples, then put it under water.. if water gets inside, its bad.... athough i dont like this method, simply because i feel 14" of vac pulling air in is more stressful then trying to get water in there....

 

cool. i'll try that. thanks mrdude

 

The ORB of Power....has nipples too ? that doesnt sound good ...

 

Just what I needed after a stressfull night a good laugh thanks guys, When I first saw the orb I had no freakin idea what it was then I saw the vacuum like and figure it outl.

 

Is it normal for one orb to hang lower than the other?

 

Ya'll are damned hillarious.

 

I found my orb of power last night when I was changing the powersteering hose.

 

You all are wrong, it's a pooterball.

 

Although I've had two of them crack on other GM vehicles. They seem to be weakest around the hose connection and molded-on mounting feet.

 

Ah hah - If one is running a hot cam that does not always produce enough vacuum for the brake booster, can one use the “orb of power” as a reservoir instead of purchasing an aftermarket reservoir? Like there are many “orbs of power” out there waiting for a resurrection, cheep for a buck or two.

Thanks, Cocacolakidd.

 

try viagra.