Vacuum Canister?

[TylerCharger69]

Okay...I MAY have run into a dilemna with an issue....let's  hope THIS time I post this in the right place   What I need to know is some information on a vacuum canister, located underneath the battery (resembles a can of beans....only painted black)   When I dredged my car from the Arizona desert,  half the car was buried of course,  and there was no canister on the car at all.   What I need to know is what vacuum lines connect to this,  and how many...I have obtained a canister with two connectors on it  and I'm told that's for a "B" body with vacuum triggered headlight doors.   I have all my vacuum hoses connected to the rear of the intake manifold.   There are three hoses coming from the headlight switch, so I'm guessing that one goes to the intake  and two  go to this canister.   I need to know  which ones go to the canister and which one goes to the intake,  and I also would like to know if this would affect the way the car runs if the canister is absent.....any pictures of this  would help....bigtime!!!!                      Thanks!!!      Ace Tyler

[JimShine]

The Charger canister has two fittings, one goes to the intake, one goes to the vaccuum switch. The two leftover hoses go to the actuaors. One hose is for up and one is down. The actuators are linked together with tubes joined together with T fittings and the tubes from the switch meet in the T fitting.

[71_deputy]

fact.diagram!

go here

use the search feature of the site!!

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?topic=10158.0


John Mac

[69chargeryeehaa]

check if your system even works, alot of them have a switch issue at the headlight switch.  i posted how i fixed mine here:  http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,9472.0.html

the canister allows the system to work smooth, and stores vacuum so that when you shut off the car the light covers can still close and open at least once.  basically you hook the manifold vacuum up to the canister, then the other nipple on the canister goes to the headlight system, it goes to the vacuum hose hooked up to the middle port on the vacuum switch under the dash operated by the actual headlight switch (which is the main supply).  hook up the power brakes booster to straight manifold vacuum, the canister only is used on the headlight system or if you have A/C, it operates something there i think, but i don't have A/C.  also you have to test the canister to see which port has a one way valve in it, but in the above link on my post i explain how to test this.  good luck.

[sext7366]

I have a canister on my 70 charger and I have air, my lines were never hooked up, so I had no clue why I would have one, but I guess this clears it up.

[TylerCharger69]

Okay...let me rephrase....First...my headlamp switch works fine.  What I have is instead of being diverted to a vacuum canister, the main vacuum line is going directly to the switch from the intake, as opposed to  coming from the intake, to the vacuum canister, and then back to the switch.   The other two of course are going to the actuators themselves.   The headlamp doors work just fine.   My question is...will this have any affect on the way the car runs, or is this something that I really don't need?   My guess is the purpose for the canister is to have vacuum saved in case I turn the lights off when the car is shut off for the lamp doors to close.  

[Troy]

Right, the vacuum can is to store vacuum for when you don't have enough to operate the doors (like when the car is shut off). I suppose that you could do without it completely if you only operate the lights when the car is running AND your engine pulls sufficient vacuum. Since it's working now I don't know of any problems. I could be wrong of course but that's my understanding of the system.

Troy

[69chargeryeehaa]

Right, the vacuum can is to store vacuum for when you don't have enough to operate the doors (like when the car is shut off). I suppose that you could do without it completely if you only operate the lights when the car is running AND your engine pulls sufficient vacuum. Since it's working now I don't know of any problems. I could be wrong of course but that's my understanding of the system.

Troy

i agree, but the vacuum canister also lets the headlight doors operate more smoothly, not jerking with manifold vacuum, and the added benifit of having it work when the engine is off.  i suppose that hooking it up directly to the manifold vacuum would work fine, but it may be adding stress to the actuators with vacuum pulsing, accelerating wear on the diaphrams in the actuators.  if you have the canister and it's ok, then i would hook it up and forget-about it!!!!   also the canister works like a buffer, so that when you hit the brakes, and all vacuum is used up, there's nothing in reserve to keep presure in the headlight system, although the headlight system does'nt consume alot of vacuum, but i suppose it would be like having a little vacuum leak every time you hit the brakes, and then the engine has to makup for all the vacuum used in the system, where the canister has a 1-way valve and allows the canister to hold vacuum even when theres no engine vacuum like at WOT and when you hit the brakes.

[TylerCharger69]

okay....so  reconnecting the vacuum canister is probably feesable.  Now....am I to understand that this being hooked up creates a lot less wear and tear on my actuators?   I now have another question since the last post...is there any type of lubricant that should be used on the actuators and perhaps the headlamp switch itself to keep dry rotting from occuring?  And...if so....where would I put in in at? My actuators have NEVER been reconditioned, and they work perfectly, but if there's something I can do to keep them in tip-top shape,   I'd like a heads up on that!!!  I WILL put the new canister on though!!   Thanks  people....very helpful!!                Ace Tyler

[69chargeryeehaa]

i'd hook it back up, there's a reason why the factory installed it, otherwise they would'nt have put it in if it does nothing.  there's no need to lubricate the system, but if your switch is original i'd definetly take it out, clean it, and lubricate it with white lithium grease to make it work perfectly.  after rebuilding mine, i can see that any original switch could benifit lubrication after 30+ years, it's shurely all dried up.  you can lubricate it without taking it apart, and i describe how and what to check once you have it out in my post here:  http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,9472.0.html

as for the wear issue, at idle there is pulsing of vacuum and threw-out the rpm range, and that can not be good for the actuators, if they work, don't touch them, just check the rubber boot accordian thingy and make sure it's intact and positioned right, a zip-tie could'nt hurt to make sure they don't move, and it keeps dirt out of the system. 

[TylerCharger69]

Okay!!!  Well...thanks guys!!!  Very helpful indeed!!!  I'm going to go hook it up after I go and purchase new vacuum lines for it.   I agree....if the factory installed it....it must serve a critical purpose!!!

[JimShine]

Right, the vacuum can is to store vacuum for when you don't have enough to operate the doors (like when the car is shut off). I suppose that you could do without it completely if you only operate the lights when the car is running AND your engine pulls sufficient vacuum. Since it's working now I don't know of any problems. I could be wrong of course but that's my understanding of the system.

Troy

My canister leaked, so I removed it and put a coupler joining the intake to the middle hose on the switch. Works great, but ofcourse only while the car is running. They work smooth, but maybe I am lucky.

[TylerCharger69]

Mine work perfectly too....but  it's probably a good idea to put in the new canister I have....It was free so I'm not going to complain!!!...lol.......Incedentally, for the record....I got my '69 grille...complete with headlamp doors and everything, and even a new paint job on it and emblems  for 100  bucks!!!    I won't find a deal like that again!!!   And not a scratch on it either!!!

[JimShine]

Nice! If I had a canister kicking around that was good, I too would install it too. Sounds like you got a good deal!