A mechnic at one of my classes taught me a trick I've used with success on my Ford pickup, but I'd let let otherfolks here verify that this won't damage a turbo charged / high compression engine before you give it a whirl.

You can pick up a small propane torch from most any hardware store or even walmart then turn it on slightly and follow your vacuum hoses. The idea is that when you wave it over the leak it will suck in the propane and dump it into the cylinders. This gas will richen the fuel/air mixture and make the car idle faster.

So you basically are just waving the propane bottle around until you hear the idle go slightly quicker and you know you've found your vacuum leak.

However, I only know this works on a carburated,low compression engine. Your 2.7T has an electronically controlled idle which may negate this anywayandI wouldn't want to recommend anything that has any chance of damaging your car in anyway.

 

hello again, still got problems at tickover then. the smoke testand thegas test is perfectly safe, and yes even with electronic tickovers etc the engine speed will definately change so that you can pinpoint to a certain area where the leak is.your light that stays on when ticking over and then goes out when running above tickover sounds like an air leak. you will definately have disturbed something else as you have prooved by replacing the vacuum valve.that is why the light goes out after tickover because it is running ok. make sure the pipes you have fitted have been replaced in the correct order because if you havent then where itthere shoulda vacuum and it is not a vacuum the valve is not doing its job and the engine managment side of the system will pick this up and register this has a fault.but you must now check every vacuum pipe. by the way i have just looked in my auto data book and code 0300 lists the faults has follows. misfire detected, probable causes, spark plugs,ht leads,ignition coil(coils), wiring, low compression.be sure before you go crazy with the vacuum side of things that the electrical side of things are ok. looking at plugs and leads and thinking they look ok is not good enough. if you have not got proper equipment to check the items then change them or have somebody check them for you with diagnostic equipment.this can save loads of time and money. with over 30 years in the motor trade i have found on numerous occassions that a car has run ok when it came in to have a simple job done like yourself then it runs crap or wont start, whatever the out come it tells you one thing it is definately something that you have done or in this case disturbed, you only have to move slightly a faulty plug lead or a faulty bit of wiring and bingo you have a fault which is difficult to find, but you know it wasn't there before so backtrack and be 200% sure of everthing, hope i havn't bored you but i hope it helps, ps after 30 years i still get problems like yours and its a pain the ****. good luck vinny

 

man i have the same exact issue,and my repair tech told me he fixed a hose that had a blockage in the vacum lines, now im praying this to is my problem, where is this part located if you pleae?

 

I have dropped my car off at a mech to do a smoke test on the vacuum system. I havent given up on finding the problem I just have ran out of time. Im driving from the Philly area to NYC on Thursday evening and need the car 100%... Ill let you guys know the out come!

 

Well, what happened

 

vinney -- are you someone's cousin???

Just a sugestion - it is hard to read a post with run-on together sentences. Please make it easier for us to read!