Vacuum lines on Edelbrock

[Dan]

I'm looking to simplify my vacuum lines. Was curious as how yours are routed. What do those CTO's control? I'm running a 1406 and Performer without EGR.

[porchpiggy]

It depends on your smog testing in your area. Here in the free state of Kansas we currently don't test. I run non egr and the 1406 on my 88 grand wag, and have removed most everything. hoses I have are: PCV, vacuum advance, vacuum ball on the firewall, and power brakes. I have removed air injection, all CTO's and the cat converter. I run my timing at about 8 degrees advanced and it runs great, except for excessive blow by.

[Dan]

Thanks to our former Wrestler/Governor, we too have no smog testing and I don't think it's going to change for at least a few years.

So, Porchpiggy, let me see if I have this right. The PCV hose has it's own port on the carb, the vacuum advance should be ported vacuum, vacuum ball and power brakes should be manifold vacuum. Right?

[KYJ10]

Thats what I run on my 1405. The big inlet is the pcv, the ported small inlet runs the advance, and the other small inlet, can run vac ball.There are also some no ported inlets on the manifold,that you can hook up brakes to. I like to have them hooked up to a larger manifold inlet. Auto Zone sells caps, that fit over the inlets to close them. Better than using hose with a screw in them! The manual tells you which of the two small inlets is ported and non-ported. If it wasn't 10 outside, I'd run out there and look! This is also how the edelbrock tech people told me to run mine.

[Elliott]

KYJ10,
I guess now is a good time to ask.... without the cto hooked up do you have any problems with cold start and running?
Or is that switch purely for emmisions and really doesn't effect running much?
Do you need to run any lines to the charcoal can, or can you just seal it off since the tank is in a closed loop anyway? Hmmm, seems like the tank will need some kind of vent... use a different gas cap?

[Dan]

10 degrees? That's shorts and t-shirt weather up here. J/K.

I was curious about cold weather running also. Any effects?

[porchpiggy]

Dan - Yes, mine is as you say. My tank is vented to the charcoal canister, but the canister nipples are broken, something I need to still fix. My 88 GW starts up great with one pump on the pedal, runs and drives fine all through the warm up cycle. My 1406 had the high idle set way too high, I adjusted the fast idle down some.

[maxrad]

You can remove everything going to your air cleaner housing and pin all the trap doors in the open position. Plug the nipples on the manifold that serviced your air cleaner.

Run your PCV valve hose to the front of the carb and remove the carb bowl vent hose that used to go from your charcoal canister to the old carb. Then plug the carb vent bowl nipple on the charcoal canister (the large one closest to the engine).

Route your distributer vac advance to the TIMED port on your carb while routing the charcoal canister purge valve (the little one sitting on top) to the full port on the carb.

Yes you can remove CTOs if you like and even cover the holes with those chrome plugs that you can get at autoparts stores in the performance section. This way you don't even have to look at the silly things again.

Delay valves, vacuum dump valve (the funny disk thing that sits next to your EGR valve), etc can all go without problems when done right.

Good luck. I have done this all without any startup problems. My electric choke does all the work in cold weather.

[maxrad]

I forgot to say that one of the best methods of faster warmup is going to electric fans ONLY with a thermal switch sensor stuffed in the radiator. You would have to remove your mechanical fan, of course.

In YOUR cold weather during startup, the last thin you need is your mechanical fan blasting your block and heater hoses with artic air. The electric system would not even kick-in until your motor is warmed up.

Just a thought.

[KYJ10]

I yanked all that stuff. I only run the vac ball, brake booster, and pcv. Screw that cto junk. Works fine when they perform, but not needed. And I don't have any problems, but I do have the manual choke. So I just choke it more at start up, then let it out after it warms up. Dennis