Vacuum problems Buick 1967

[Guest]

The vacuum in my 1967 Buick Electra does not work as it should.<BR>The vacuumdoors does not move in the right way.<BR>The a/c compressor is not charged...<BR>Can that be the problem??<BR>Rgds<BR>Jannel

[Guest]

The source of vacuum is the engine. Check all lines. A/C compressor has nothing to do with it.

[Guest]

I too have some questions about how this system was suppose to work. Is there actual rubber tubing running into the doors? If so, how did they route this to the rear doors on a 4 door? Thanks as always, GH

[palbuick]

There should be a sectioon in your shop manual on this operation , all the vacum lines should be color coded, with color stripes on black hose, makes it very easy to trace.<P>JIm Schilf / palbuick@aol.com

[rocketraider]

Are we talking about vacuum operated power door locks, or the A/C vacuum motors? Shop manual will go into some detail on both.

[Guest]

I am curious about the Vacuum door locks. It appears that the Sportwagon I have has the color coded rubber tubing that matches this option (Granted I am using a 1968 Fisher body manual as a reference for a 1964 car) I am curious how the system worked-or in my case-doesn't work. I assume the tubing was run off of a vacuum from the engine and locked/unlocked all of the doors. But what was the advantage of this? Did it work when the car was not running? Should the tubes run through each door? Was it key activated? I truly have no knowledge of this setup (as I'm sure this post points out) GH

[rocketraider]

Greg, I'm not sure the vacuum power door locks were available on the 1964 A-body cars, but a Sportwagon was a high-line car so... who knows. They were first offered on Cadillac around 59-60, and I've seen one 1964 Electra and one 1964 Ninety Eight that had them, so I know the other C-bodies had them by then- though my 1964 Olds manuals don't mention them at all. Think it may have been a mid-year option with a service manual supplement issued to cover it. Both these cars had the satin-brushed square lock switches, mounted midway of the upper front doors, same as Caddy.<P>The system is complex and simple at the same time. It operates off engine vacuum, with a storage tank for engine-off lock and unlock, and the heart of the system is the "octopus valve", so named because of its eight vacuum ports. It's usually found on the firewall behind the dash. Operating the lock switches directs vacuum thru the octopus valve to either side of the vacuum motors in the doors. And yes, vacuum tubing runs thru the body into the doors much like electric power windows and locks.<P>I found a junker 1969 Toronado with them, and considered scarfing it for mine till I thought about digging behind a cramped dash in a car that had been in a junkyard for ??? years, and wondered what kind of creepy-crawlies were back there. I decided that on a two-door car, they weren't that important.