I've got a 98' F150 4.6 and the hard plastic vacuum lines near the battery needs to be replaced or spliced back. There's about 1/2 of line that's not repairable and has to be cut out or the whole thing needs to be replaced. What's the best option for this?

TIA
Joey

 

you may be able to get away with sleeving them with rubber vacuum hose for now.

 

possible. It's the real small ones to boot. ugh. The lines go into the fender.

 

Yep , repair kit is rubber sleeving dipped in mineral spirits before attaching - that shrink fits. That's how Ford repairs it.

Btw - it's 1/4"

 

1/4" ? I could have swore it was smaller than that. oh well. Does Ford carry this repair kit or is this just standard heat shrink tubing that electronic stores carry? I'm going to need to cut out about an inch in a couple of lines.

 

You said 1/2".

1/4" is smaller, where did you go to school? Or did you - It could be 3/16. That's even smaller than 1/4"

Every place that sells auto parts carries line.

 

read..........i said 1/2" of line .........meaning length......there's about 1/2" of vacuum line that has to be replaced...... What I'm talking about is the hard plastic that appears to be about 1/8" in diameter, not the 1/4" rubber.

 

I just spliced mine with some vacuum hose I had. Those vacuum lines engage the 4wheel drive and it wont work without them.. Mines been working fine for over a year. Battery acid is what took mine out..

 

yup, battery acid looks the cause.... My 4x4 uses the shifter in the floor. Would the lines still need to be repaired?? Or seal them off?

 

I wouldnt just seal them. Get some vacuum hose that fit it tight and splice it in. Who knows what there for on your truck. Do you have locking hubs? thats probably it. It is how your hubs lock. You probably dont have 4 wheel drive with out it.. I have the switch on the dash and a cylinoid takes care of shifting the tranfer case but it does the same thing on your truck with the vacuum hub lock in.

 

I don't have manual lock hubs. Just a shifter in the floor. So I guess the those are the vacuum lines that hold the hubs in 4 wheel drive? Now, if there's holes in those lines would that cause a PO171 and 174 CEL codes.?

 

Maybe. I didnt get a cel when mine was broke but that dosent mean anything. Splice it and see if it clears it up. Those codes are associated at times with vacuum leaks.

 

I sealed them for now and I'll look for some material to splice and fix it right later this week.. Brakes, oil change, rotate tires, cleaned throttle body, and investigated the PO401, 171, and 174 lead me to that find.


Does autozone carry tubing that small?

 

I already said they did. READ! You better take a piece with you.

 

lol........ok