Has anyone else had trouble with auto parts store vacuum caps? I need to replace mine once every couple months, because they've all cracked and broken apart.

Anyone find something that lasts longer? Or am I the only one with this problem?

Also, I thought I was looking for 1/8" caps, but the ones I just bought are too small...

 

Cheap Chinese slave labor crap.

Hard to find anything else. Rubber items are some of the worst.

I find that if I marinate stuff like this in a pill bottle with spray silicone for a few days or weeks before using it, I get a bit more life before it decomposes.

I silicone all weatherstrip and cv boots as often as I think of it too.

 

Ok, thanks. I might just need to really do the full de-smog, then I won't need caps. But it's easier to just cap all that stuff off. Or I could fill them with RTV...but I'm not sure if I want to do that permanent of a solution.

 

Most, if not all, of the smog systems on these engines rob little to no power from the engine.

Really, the only thing that 'desmoging' will achieve is to lower the value of your truck, as it will no longer be streetable in some jurisdictions.

Better to restore these systems than to remove them, I think.

 

MillBall I agree totally. I wont say what I think of people that continue to desmog on these forums, or maybe they just dont care?

If you want the perfect cheap and easy vac cap, just buy a foot or two of clear vinyl tube of proper size. I use a lighter to heat to melt/burn 1/4-1/2 inch of the vinyl on one end then compress immediately with a plier for a few seconds to make fusion then cut to about an inch or preference and you'll have a melted air tite vacuum cap. Use of a large plier or linemans plier thats wide enough to seal edges is best. I'll post a pic for example that I cut a bit short and used a vice-grip that wasn't really wide enough but ok for example. You can make many in a few minutes and they last.

Caution vinyl might drip so beware what it may drip on just incase. Dont touch the melted end for a few minutes or you can place it under cold water.

 

The smog system is also not necessary to have a clean, well running truck, if you keep everything adjusted and tuned properly. In fact probably 90% of the people running full smog equipment are running dirtier than those who have desmogged, because all that equipment is plugged up and long since non-functional. And my camper is registered for life in a state with no smog testing.

My truck is already "de smogged". It's just that instead of completely removing and blocking off with plates and plugs, I just have caps over the unused vacuum ports. But I've got a Weber, no egr, and just distributer advance set up.

My truck is a 78 and its value is what it is. It's also my truck and what I do to it doesn't get done with some future owner and what they'll pay me someday -possibly never- down the road. I do what I want to my truck, and keep it running in top shape, and do what works for me with it and to it.

Now that we got that out of the way...

Melting some tubing or doing something similar is really good idea, thanks. And easily reversible.

 

"[[The smog system is also not necessary to have a clean, well running truck, if you keep everything adjusted and tuned properly. In fact probably 90% of the people running full smog equipment are running dirtier than those who have desmogged, because all that equipment is plugged up and long since non-functional. And my camper is registered for life in a state with no smog testing.]]"

Vehicles in smog test required areas at least in ca. get tested every 2 years on most veh. and failed veh. must be corrected. I couldn't pass 3 years ago and thought I tested everything then found after more testing my distributor diaphrams were leaking. Had to replace the Cat. then repaired the dist. to pass with a good score 2 times so far.
Yeah, if you have a smog equipped veh. and do or dont maintain it most likely it will be a gross polluter after a few years and who will know if its running ok if never tested.... we dont smog '73 and earlier veh. here, think thats the correct year, might be up to '75?.

 

Smog equipment contributes to reliability issues for the layman. The elimation of unneccessary smog systems makes an engine simpler to diagnose and troubleshoot while eliminating a common weakpoint in an otherwise robust and reliable system.

Lowering value; I'd like to see this idea substantiated.

Better to restore, nope. The only reason to restore vs eliminate is if you have no other choice due to local laws. When given the option, the less expensive and simpler option is to elminate. Only becomes an issue when dealing with electronic engines of a latter era.

 

The only caps wortha crap are the very thick, black, rubber ones. The thin caps are lame sauce. Can't think of a brand name for you.

The black rubber caps can be repaired by smearing black silicone all over them. Fills in the cracks. Worked wonders for the irreplaceable carb boots on my Yamaha.

 

Ah, just spread some rtv over them? Good idea, thanks.

To be honest I have seen late 70s vehicles for sale, in California, get passed over because someone had removed the smog equipment. And I've seen someone from California buy a 70s truck from another state that was de smogged and then have to do an intensive, time-consuming search to find 30 year old smog equipment to get the truck California legal.

So I get it. But for a lot of the country, it's just not an issue. And for me with my truck, I'm not going to do or not do what I want because of some idea of what the "next owner" may want.

Keeping it a clean-running, non polluting truck is something I will continue to do, though.

 

California is a political vacuum of nonsense. The realities of living in the people's republic do not have as far reaching an effect as many folks living there like to think.

California is not the world. I have never seen proof to substantiate the broad, general claim that removing unreliable and unnecessary components negatively affects value as a sweeping statement.

Where I live it's a selling point if nothing else.

 

There are many more jurisdictions than California that require factory smog systems to be maintained.
Many states require periodic visual inspections, or inspection on transfer of ownership, that include a determination that all factory emissions systems remain present.

I believe that there are Federal regs that mandate this too, but enforcement is near non-existant.

Any equipment omission, defect, or other legal shortcoming that shrinks the number of potential buyers, wherever they are, lessens the value of a thing. Its a no-brainer.

 

Yes there are. There are also many, many more that do not.

I do not know if there are, but unenforceable regs make it a moot point.

This is still an unsubstantiated claim. You have no proof that as a broad general statement this is the case when removing unnecessary emissions equipment on non-electronic engines. Or that it reduces the amount of buyers. What might be the case in your neck of the woods is not in mine. We live in a large country.

 

If you moved to Cali or another state with smog regulations requiring the vehicle to be equipped as sold new I cant see how a desmogged car could be sold in that state or registered, There are many laws/regulations the nation has adopted from what Cali has passed so if one day our smog laws become nation wide every desmogged vehicle will be in great hurt if you didn't save all the smog crap. Of course the rest of us will appreciate your donation of vehicles to scrap yards so my truck will live on Maybe more can be sent to south america

Dont misunderstand, if I had it to do over again I never would have made roots her, Cali is a toilet of stupid laws imo from smog laws to building codes.

 

Washington State will be ceasing all emissions testing about ten years from now. The logic being there are so few older vehicles on the road and new ones are so clean. A new Ford Raptor runs cleaner than a Ryobi fourstroke leaf blower. I believe that was a CARB test.

I maintain the only reason to repair unreliable, unnecessary emissions equipment on older vehicles is if you live in a nanny state with restrictive laws. 83 lives in Montana. A free state. Should he decide to sell his old vehicle in the future the absence of emissions garbage will not impact his sale. The absence of emissions garbage will make his ownership experience far more enjoyable and simple.

 

I searched and at O'Reillys auto shops show Dorman auto grade Black Rubber vacuum caps, the 1/8" was shown as 5 for $1.99

 

Obviously, I am a big supporter of desmogging - life is easier and and the engine compartment is much cleaner without it. Re-sale value doesn't bother me much because 1) I'll never get the money I put into my truck back and 2) I don't plan on selling it anytime soon.

Back to the vacuum cap topic - go with high quality silicone caps and you won't have any problems with cracking.

 

The caps at Oreillys are exactly the ones I last purchased. They didn't last any longer than the ones I bought at Napa, or online.

"Problem" with the silicone ones is that they come in a kit. 4 1/8" and a bunch of others. 1/8" is definitely right? I thought that was the smallest size in the silicone kit I bought, and the smallest size is too small. Next size up "might" be tight enough to seal, but is looser than what I had on there before.

I have one vacuum cap which has lasted a couple years now and is still going strong. I can't remember where it came from...it's harder rubber than the others. I think it was plugging ports on the rebuilt Aisin carb I bought from National Carburetors back when I was still trying to do the stock/oem thing. But I'm not sure.

 

I use the little nipples for thread protection. They are used for the ends of all thread to keep from having sharp bits hanging out. You can get them at the hardware store in various sizes and colors. Had the same ones on my rig for the past couple of years.

 

Thank you. I'll look around at the hardware store next time I'm there.