But since I have a Firebird with more than a few vacuum leaks, it kinda goes.

I'm in the process of replacing my rotted hoses and I'm just curious, what are the effects of a vacuum leak or leaks?

Thanks,
Scott

 

Mixture at low RPM will be excessively lean. Since very little air is moving through the engine at idle, a small leak can comprise a significant percentage of the air volume, having significant effects.

Mixture at higher loads and RPMs will be less affected since the volume of air from the leak will be less of a consequence to the total volume of air moving through the engine.

The lean mixture at low RPMs can cause misfire and unsteady idle. A smaller leak will tend to raise idle RPM under no load since it allows a bit more air into the engine. A larger leak will cause difficulty maintaing engine RPM since more air is admitted but no additional fuel is added to maintain the mixture at a combustible percentage.

 

Thanks! I forgot I asked this question!

Is there such a thing as a slight miss that can be caused by a vacuum leak?

Scott