secondary port throttle solenoid

[mavhou]

Hi,
I have a 1990 and am having the typical vacuum problems after a backfire. I have traced the leak to the secondary port throttle actuator solenoid. Thanks to all of your posts, I was able to get info on it as the local chevy dealers are zr1 idiots. Anyway, I just picked up the new part (1997222) and it had a vacuum port on the back side which my old one does not. Is this a revision with the later models? Do I simply plug it or should i T it into the vacuum system. If I Tee it in, should it be before the solenoid or past? Thanks for all the help. This is a great source of info and you guys do a great job.

mavhou

[tomtom72]

Hi mavhou, The solenoid that you bought has a shiny metal vacuum port on one end and the black plastic ports, for the vacuum hose assembly, on the other end??

The vacuum hose assembly has the squarish, notched connector made from hard looking rubber or plastic? That connector goes to the black plastic vacuum ports on the rear of the solenoid and the metal port is for the air filter which points toward the front of the motor. Is that what you are talking about??

I'll go look at my old stuff but it sounds like you got the solenoid that used the round barrel-like foam air filter vs. the solenoid that used the flat, squarish foam air filter. Either way the vacuum hose connector goes on one end and the filter goes on the metal port. Let me know what's up as I still have my old stuff & I can go eye it & maybe I can help you out. :thumbsup:

Tom

[mavhou]

Thanks for responding. Everything you asked in your post is correct. So now I have to find a filter. Any ideas? Can one be made easily enough. It took the chevy dealer a week to get the solenoid. :) Thanks again,


chris
mavhou@yahoo.com

[tomtom72]

Hi Chris, Good I'm glad we are on the same page! I took one of those Foam wax applicators that came with one of the prods I use for detailing and cut it up to make a cylinder about 1 1/2" in dia by about 2" thick. I tested various foams I had laying around by sucking thru them to find a low resistance one. It turned out to be something I got from Autopia, a generic foam applicator. Then I found a short lenght of vacuum hose to fit the metal port on the solenoid. I didn't know exactly what the OEM filter looks like so I winged it. I made the hose long enough to have a gentle bend, no kinks, over the top of the solenoid back towards the rear of the motor, just past the vac. tank so it was laying on top of the "official vacuum hose assembly".

Next I made a hole in my "filter", not all the way thru but about 1/2 way and used some rtv permatex blue to "glue" the hose into the hole I had made. Just put the rtv on the sides of the hose & let it set up & it worked as far as holding and it allowed air thru the hose! I stuck it on the solenoid & I know it's a bit rediculous looking but I think it works because my secondaries work! :mrgreen:

:cheers:
Tom

[mavhou]

thanks for helping out. I think I'll rig up something myself, also; your formula sounds good. I think I'll give it a try with a similar setup. At least the vacuum leak is fixed and I can be back on the road soon.:cool:

Thanks again,

chris

[tomtom72]

:thumbsup: Chris! Good luck with the fix. I know my "filter" is not elegant but I think it works. :eusa_shhh

:cheers:
Tom

[Patton]

Tom, thats badass, I like your ingenuity! :thumbsup:

[tomtom72]

Tom, thats badass, I like your ingenuity! :thumbsup:
:handshak: Thanks Patton! Ya gotta adapt & overcome if you own an antique!

:cheers:
Tom

[Patton]

In 2020 ZR-1s will be held together with epoxy and duct tape and use burgerking straws and chewing gum for vacuum lines ala Mad Max.

[tomtom72]

Naw, by that time GM will have let go of the rights to parts and someone else will be trying to double tax ZR-1 owners!

That's why we have to be creative...but no foreign objects or "bubba engineering" ... well at least not too much "bubba engineering"!

:o
bubba

[Patton]

LOL

Believe it or not I have considered making my own harness out of regular vacuum tubing you can find at Kragen and generic T's and couplers... That would save a big chunk of change actually.... The more and more I think about it the more I think I am going to try it. That hard plastic pisses me off anyway.

[tomtom72]

Patton, The only thing I would consider is the heat kept in the valley by the layout of the motor when using regular vacuum hose.

I think, oh no that's baaad, the reason the plastic tubing / rubber connector combo was used on the LT5 was based on the lack of motor vibration and the amount of heat the motor developes. The rubber connectors serve as "vibration isolators" and the tubing is proly way resistant to heat. That said, I don't see why some type of silicone hose, hi-temp type, would not be a good substitute. I think the idea was to isolate the hose assembly from both vibration & contact with hot motor surfaces. The rigid nature of the plastic keeps the stuff "up in the air" so to speak, while the connectors allow for "give" in the structure.

To me the problem to solve would be how to support the "hose" up, away from the hot metal under the plenum. Silicone, like the stuff Samco uses, maybe heat resistant enough to use but I doubt it would survive if it contacted the motor for very long?? I read somewhere that one Z owner was going to use a combination of refer tubing and rubber connectors. I figure the tubing used for control devices in HVAC equipment might be close in diameter to the OE plastic tubing.

Just a thought. :o

:thumbsup:
Tom

[Patton]

okay I got it,... Im gonna get some goddamn piano wire, tie it to the actuator blades and the butterflies on the throttle body and hire a midget to ride around with me and pull 'em whenever I get on it. :thumbsup:

[tomtom72]

okay I got it,... Im gonna get some goddamn piano wire, tie it to the actuator blades and the butterflies on the throttle body and hire a midget to ride around with me and pull 'em whenever I get on it. :thumbsup:
:thumbsup: Francisco! Then you would have mechanical secondaries...ahhh I love the smell of a 4550 series holley! :sign10:

[Patton]

Oh man thats too funny... Goddamn lotus piece of shyt! Can go 5000 miles in a day at 175mph but if a fly shits on the wrong hose you have to dissasemble the entire car to fix it.

God help me, I do love it so.

[tomtom72]

Francisco, I can't pass this up... :sign10: =D>
"God help me, I love it so." Yes Sir, General, Sir!

You know we all love it so...otherwise we would all be driving Honda's or Toyota's if we wanted reliable, boring cars. But NO, not us ZR-1 owners...we have to have the most unique vette in the world...so are we sane?

Definately not!!! and we love it so!! :thumbsup:
I was speaking for myself when I answered "are we sane? Definately not!!" Like I said my brain could use a tune up...but I have no time...I must go play with my Z! :thumbsup:

[Patton]

Tom, You kick *** my friend. Most people don’t remember that quote. :thumbsup:

My sentiments exactly with the imports bit... You know what kills me? I can't believe people actually buy cars from companies like MITSUBISHI, or FIAT, or even VOLKSWAGEN! Doesn’t anybody study history anymore? Having somebody drive around in a Mitsubishi, Eclipse today in America is the equivalent of in 20 years Osama bin laden founding the Al Qaeda motor company and selling to Americans so they can drive around in a Al Qaeda Jihad type R.

Volkswagen was the equivalent to our Willys in the big one. FIAT was making fighter planes and more for Italy. What’s next? The Messerschmitt coupe and sedan? The Nakajima Minivan? People have no honor these days. Oh and I don’t give two rat fuks who I offend by saying this either, You know who you are, bow your head in shame! [-X

[tomtom72]

Francisco, At the risk of sounding like a dweeb, I enjoyed that movie very much. I still catch it if it comes up on re-runs! That & the Hunt for Red October! :sign10: I told you my brain needs a tune up! :mrgreen:

As for the rest, well let's just say that if you look at some of the corporate family trees you'd be amazed at how "it's just business, not personal" with the BOD's. The rest of us are just scrambl'in around trying to make the ends meet! I don't think anyone thinks much about it; if they do it's not high on the priority list. Personally, I try to spend my $ where it will keep the US working. I was never much on the PC stuff but I'm a blue collar type so no one expects much from me. Here's where my head's at, my favorite teacher in school was one of my English teachers. He was a POW from the Korean War and a member of Uncle Sam's Miss-guided Children. He would always try to give reality checks to us teens by telling us about duty, honor and his time as a POW and the Korean War. This was back in the late 60's mind you so there were very few who "got" the picture 5 by 5. Anyway, I'll go shut up now as this ain't the place for this. I'm sorry for boring people.

Not to beat a horse but everytime I think about me owning a vette I can't help but think..."this is only possible because I'm lucky enough to live in the USA. If I sweat enough I can do just about anything & there is a debt that is owed to the people who bought & paid for that in blood!"

Now I've transgressed for sure! :o

:cheers:
Tom

[Patton]

Well said Tom,... Well said.
Also, I guess I can understand the making ends meet part... But it still pisses me off. And you are SO RIGHT about the corporate tree's... Just look at the Dodge Stealth,... HA! Its just a 3000GT with some different pieces here and there. Same with the eagle talon and I can a bunch more if I wanted to waste an hour!