Vaccum Hose Help

[jbthompson]

Hi everyone, I have a P0172 CEL and I think I have a vaccum hose leak. I can hear a hissing noise near the top of my engine with the cover off. The only problem is, I can't tell which hose it is. Any way to tell? Also, I've never even changed my own oil, how do I go about fixing this? Do I just buy the hose and replace it? Please help! Thanks

[1idjack]

a good way to check for leaks is to get a spray bottle of soapy water and spray the hoses where you think they may be leaking. when you see bubbles you know you've got it nailed down.

not sure if you'll need pre-formed hoses or not (pre-formed are cast in a mold for specific bends) but i think the hoses you want are 3.5.

yep just buy the correct diameter hose, remove the old and install the new. pliers help to get the old ones off sometimes.

[Pulgamovil]

^ X2


use soap and bubbles will signal the bad guy

[blue'99]

Originally Posted by 1idjack

a good way to check for leaks is to get a spray bottle of soapy water and spray the hoses where you think they may be leaking. when you see bubbles you know you've got it nailed down.

not sure if you'll need pre-formed hoses or not (pre-formed are cast in a mold for specific bends) but i think the hoses you want are 3.5.

yep just buy the correct diameter hose, remove the old and install the new. pliers help to get the old ones off sometimes.

I vacuum leak is best detected with a spray of starting fluid at the joints of the hoses! Common sense tells you that soap will only get sucked in under vacuum, not produce bubbles!
When you hit the leak with starting fluid the engine will speed up, and you can then shut the engine off, and inspect the hose!
Good luck, Earl

[Oyveychris]

Sound idea in theory, but starting fluid wil dry out hoses that may already need help anyway.

[1idjack]

Originally Posted by blue'99

I vacuum leak is best detected with a spray of starting fluid at the joints of the hoses! Common sense tells you that soap will only get sucked in under vacuum, not produce bubbles!
When you hit the leak with starting fluid the engine will speed up, and you can then shut the engine off, and inspect the hose!
Good luck, Earl

i seriously doubt enough starting fluid will will sucked in through a small hole or crack in a vaccuum hose to bog the motor. i've always used the soap method with success.

[MusicBeetle]

well your both wrong ! water= bad for moter
starte spry = bad for ruber

why dont you use a propaine torch (not light) and just run it along the vac lines ..

and for the vac lines ya can use any type as long its the same size !!
and for a oil change well .. get 5L of 5-15 Pure synthetic and a good fram oil filter and change it your self !!

anyhow what do i know .. just been fixing beetles for the last 15 years :P

[jbthompson]

I may try the water method and see if that works. Do you just pull the hoses off and put a new one back on? Sounds and looks easy, I just want to make sure I don't damage something in the process.

If I find the hose and get it fixed, can Autozone clear the code for me and if that is the problem will the CEL go away? Thanks for the help!

[jbthompson]

Okay, I went to Autozone and they only have 3.2mm and 4.0 mm hoses. Someone said the hoses on the beetle were 3.5mm. How sure are we of that? I bought a 3.2 and I think 4 and am going to test the sizes. Any ideas?

[blue'99]

Originally Posted by 1idjack

i seriously doubt enough starting fluid will will sucked in through a small hole or crack in a vaccuum hose to bog the motor. i've always used the soap method with success.

If you computer geeks don't know enough about cars to find and repair a vacuum leak, and I even know how to spell "vacuum", you better find a stealership to lighten your wallets!
If you have a bad hose causing a leak, the air leaks into the engine, not out! If the hose is bad, who gives a s**t if you get some starting fluid on it? Propane will have the same effect to raise the engine speed when the leak is located, Not"BOG"it.
I've had, and worked on my own cars since 1954, and have always used starting fluid to locate vacuum leaks, and have never had an issue with "damaging a hose with it! I may be wrong, but you will have to show me some proof that those hoses can be damaged by starting fluid, or WD40, which will produce the same results in finding leaks! By the way 1idjack, if starting fluid won't make the engine react, then why does a small leak throw a code????
Good luck finding a stealership, Earl

[blue'99]

Originally Posted by 1idjack

i seriously doubt enough starting fluid will will sucked in through a small hole or crack in a vaccuum hose to bog the motor. i've always used the soap method with success.

If you computer geeks don't know enough about cars to find and repair a vacuum leak, and I even know how to spell "vacuum", you better find a stealership to lighten your wallets!
If you have a bad hose causing a leak, the air leaks into the engine, not out! If the hose is bad, who gives a s**t if you get dome starting fluid on it? Propane will have the same effect to raise the engine speed when the leak is located!
I've had, and worked on my own cars since 1954, and have always used starting fluid to locate vacuum leaks, and have never had an issue with "damaging" a hose with it! I may be wrong, but you will have to show me some proof that those hoses can be damaged by starting fluid, or WD40, which will produce the same results in finding leaks!
If you have success with the "soap method" where do you see the bubbles, at the tailpipe?????
Good luck finding a stealership, Earl

[jbthompson]

Help! I just replaced the vacuum hose, everything went perfect. However, I can still hear the hissing sound. The hose is new (i tried 2 hoses) and it's still hissing. It sounds like it's coming from the connector point of the hose, I think the to fuel regulator. I have clamped it hard and it's still hissing. Any ideas?? Help?!!!!

[denisse]

Hi. I have the exact code P0172. When you changed those hoses, did the check engine light go off. Please, let me know.