Vacancies for cataloguers special collections university

A faster technique for finding intake manifold vacuum leaks is to get a bottle of propane and attach a length of rubber hose to the gas valve. Open the valve so you have a steady flow of gas. Then hold the hose near suspected leak points while the engine is idling. If there is a leak, propane will be siphoned in through the leak. The resulting correction in the engines air/fuel ratio should cause a noticeable change in idle speed and/or smoothness Note: on engines with computerized idle speed control, disconnect the idle speed control motor first. Aerosol carburetor cleaner can also be used the same way. CAUTION: Solvent is extremely flammable, so do not smoke or use it if there are any sparks in the vicinity arcing plug wires, for example. Spray the solvent on suspected leak points while the engine is idling. If there is a leak, the solvent will be drawn into the engine and have the same effect as the propane. The idle speed will suddenly change and smooth out. TIP: If you have a scan tool, look at the Short Term Fuel Trim STFT value while you are using carb cleaner or propane to check suspected vacuum leak points. If there is a leak and some of the cleaner or propane is sucked in through the leak, you will see a momentary drop in the STFT reading. This confirms you have found a leak keep checking because there may be multiple leaks!. A much safer technique is to use a smoke machine. These machines feed artificial smoke into the intake manifold, The smoke may also be mixed with an ultraviolet dye to make leaks easier to see. You then look for smoke seeping out of hoses, gaskets or cracks in the manifold and/or use a UV light to find the leak. This type of equipment is often needed to find small air leaks in the EVAP evaporative emissions control system. Smoke machines can cost 600 to 2000 or more depending on the model and features, so they are primarily for use by professional technicians. Propane can also be used in conjunction with an exhaust analyzer do NOT use carburetor cleaner or you may damage your analyzer!. Engine vacuum leaks almost always cause fluctuating HC readings, so an infrared exhaust analyzer can 1 tell you if there is indeed a leak, and 2 where the leak is using the propane procedure. Two types of vacuum leaks can be diagnosed with an analyzer. The first kind is a general vacuum leak PCV hose, brake booster, etc. that leans out the mixture and causes a very low CO reading and only a slightly higher fluctuating HC reading. The O2 reading will also be high. The second kind of vacuum leak is a point leak that affects only one or two cylinders a leaky manifold gasket or a crack or porosity leak in one of the manifold runners. This will be indicated by a normal or low CO reading combined with high fluctuating HC readings. O2 will again be high. To find a leak, feed propane at suspected leak points until you note an improvement in idle quality and/or a change in the HC/CO/O2 readings. When you have found the leak, the idle should smooth out, HC and O2 should drop and CO rise. It is important to note that an overly lean idle mixture will also cause a fluctuating HC reading the same as a vacuum leak. To tell one from the other, there is a simple trick you can use. Momentarily enrich the idle mixture to 5 to 0% CO by placing a clean shop rag over the top of the carburetor. If the engine smooths out and HC drops and remains stable, the problem is a lean idle mixture adjustment. If HC still fluctuates, however, the engine is still too lean in one or more cylinders indicating a vacuum leak. If you like gadgets, there are electronic tools designed to detect vacuum leaks. An electronic vacuum leak detector will beep or flash when it detects ultrasonic vibrations that are characteristic of a vacuum leak. These tools use a sensitive microphone to listen for certain noise frequencies. Though extremely sensitive, these tools sometimes react to tiny leaks that are not really causing a problem, or false leaks such as the noise created by arcing inside the distributor cap or normal bearing noise in the alternator. Another way to find an elusive vacuum leak is to pressurize the intake manifold with about three lbs. of regulated air. This can be done by attaching a regulator to your shop air hose, then attaching the hose to a vacuum fitting or the PCV valve fitting on the intake manifold, carburetor or throttle body. Do not apply too much pressure or you may create new leaks! With the engine off and air flowing into the manifold, spray soapy water on suspected leaks.