Switched to an Accel super ram and feels it's a little bit hesitant to idle. It starts but....i dont know....doesnt feel as on-it's-toes like it did with the old GM tpi-setup. It pulls 17 hg vacuum, just in the green on my tester. Since there's a lot of snow im just in the garage testing stuff out. I have no idea how it feels on the road.

Everything is torqued, rtv'd, re-torqued and triple checked but I'd like to see that vacuum to 18-20.. im testing without hvac vacuum line and egr delete. All unused nipples are plugged.

What's left to do? Smoke test?

 

What was the vacuum reading with the original manifold?...

 

Wish I knew. The real difference is cold starting where the original just started really strong and the super ram wants some throttle first 5 seconds to not stall.

 

Smoke test it for leaks if you think it's an issue. Was this a stock cam engine? It may just need a tune.
Simple smoke machines can be bought relatively inexpensive. Made up for even cheaper or borrowed too. Asking a local shop to do it is sometimes an option.

 

Yep, stock cam. Can't really think of anything else other than a small leak making it behaving like this. I have resetted the IAC, triple checked every connection and replaced all vacuum hoses.
Kind of prefer a major issue than this (guessing) sneaky leak somewhere
Needle on the vacuum gauge is steady at 17. But, maybe it was at 17 before I tore it down.

 

Hose pinch off pliers: Pinch off your new vacuum hoses one at a time and watch for any differences in the gauge reading.

 

I dont know what im suspecting. Today after 5 min running the idle started to wander all over the place. Could it be something temperature related?

 

What donyou mean by wandering? Like a surging? Vacuum leaks can cause that.

 

Yes, surging. When the rpms dropped so did the vacuum. I guess it's the IAC letting air in keeping it running? It was going (guessing) between 500 and 1000 rpm a couple of times. This is when it was up to operating temp. On its way to operating temp it was stable.

I should mention my problem isn't super high idle. Problem is it does not wanna start as strong as before the intake change.and that's what's bugging me.

And I haven't driven it yet. Maybe other stuff will happen when the engine is under load.

 

Bought a smoke machine and found a loose bolt holding the throttle wire bracket. Should've checked it and saved money but oh well...."learning investment". Now it's pulling 19-20 hg and starts right up.