I think I have a vacuum leak from the little length of vacuum hose coming out of the vacuum reservoir (the reservoir located under the ignition coils on a 2.8 30v AHA).

It looks like that hose is secured internally within the reservoir -- is this true, or will the hose disconnect?

If the hose is secured internally, is there any way to switch out the hose without replacing the whole reservoir?

Thanks

 

Yes, you can replace it. Unhook the harness plugged into the coils and disconnect the passenger side spark wires. Flip the coils up and out of the way. That reservoir is attached to the variable manifold (aka the "torque flute"). You'll have to unbolt it - be careful and back one bolt out halfway, remove the other, then finish removing the first. There's a spring behind it that seats against the backside of the reservoir's mounting plate - don't lose it.

Once it's free, you can turn it to unhook the line. Trace it back - it goes into the solenoid bank on top of the back of the engine. Disconnect it at that end, cut a new piece to length, and replace it, routing it the same way. You may have to dismount the solenoid panel (a few bolts - easy) to do it.

While you're at it, do all the others, one at a time. Use each old one as a template to cut the new line. All in all, less than an hour to do all of them.

 

I replaced all the other lines I could get to, and the purge valve, a little while back. The reservoir was one of two or three lines I didn't touch at the time (figures). Thanks -- this info is a huge help.

Trying to get everything I can sorted before it gets cold.

 

I switched out the reservoir vacuum line and that fixed the CELs. Also, unless I'm imagining it, mid- and high-range acceleration seem considerably smoother.

 

I doubt you're imagining it - that's a reference line that controls the air pathways in the intake manifold based on RPM. you're now getting the changeover that it's designed to have to optimize airflow.

 

Variable intake geometry on a 1998 FTW. Vorsprung Durch Technik!

 

The line must have been leaking a little for the last 15k miles since I got the car and then recently finally enough to trigger CELs.

Cheapest performance upgrade/fix I've done in a while.

 

Indeed!

Imagine my surprise when I unbolted it, blissfully unaware that there was a spring behind that plate. *BOING!*

Luckily, the spring bounced into a small crevice that I could get to with my magnet.

 

I took one apart at the scrap yard first to make sure I knew where spring was. Took photo.

 

May seem minor to note: "Harness is removed from coil by pulling up on tab underneath harness connection".