Classic Car MPG And The Forgotten Tool
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- Опубликовано: 11 июн 2020
- When it comes to getting maximum power and economy from an old school carbureted engine, a vacuum gauge is an important diagnostic tool.
Here's the how and why of using one to milk maximum gas mileage from your vintage ride. 
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I love this series, this is exactly the fundamental stuff the other car channels never talk about.
Thunderhead289 is pretty detailed on vacuum gauge and AFR meter tuning for cruise and power too.
@Rob. Nick and his family are very wealthy and his rich buddies also, its also expensive Canadian gas,,5$ a Gallon is normal,,that gas comes from Saudi arabia by boat its expensive and dumb as Canada has massive reserves in oil.
I was really waiting for Uncle Tony to stomp on the pedal and watch the gauge go down to 0!
If it doesn't make it to near zero, the carb is too small.
I just thought he would run out of gas.
@Dakota Bethune If I recall, if more than 3" vacuum, larger carb can help. Of couse it hurts nothing except power to run small carb, mileage might be better with smaller bores (my reason to prefer spread bore 4bbl design, better low speed vaporization).
@@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259 Love the spread bores with vacuum secondary!
@@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259 Ahh man, and I just hours ago removed the double pumper from my engine for a much smaller carb. Wish I tried this for a look see before hand. Ahh well.
Technically 70-72 Chevelle's equipped with the cowl induction vacuum-actuated flapper hood have an economy gauge built into the sheet metal lol
If it opens, you're out of the "economy" range lol
Or the cam was so big, it couldn't open!
SmiteTeamSix so true. I was fortunate to have grown up with a bunch of friends and we were all muscle car gearheads with cars of various brands, values etc. One of the guys had one of those Chevelle’s and it was a very cool car. Camero had a short run of that cowl system as well in the ealy 80’s.
71-73 Mustangs had them on the hood, but facing the opposite direction. You'd need granny riding on the hood looking in the scoops and giving you a thumbs up or down to know if you were in economy mode.
JC Whitney's Used to Sell Interior Mount one With A Special Settable MPG Dial using Micro Screwdriver. I loved Mine Installed on Brothers,73 Satellite Sebring Plus with Hopped Small Block
Still have my Sun branded vacuum gauge. I used to use it setting air/fuel mixture screws on the carb ... "maximum vac." was the goal for those adjustments. And then there is my dwell angle meter -- but that's another story!
I don't know if that's the most efficient way, haha. That just means you need the least air to get the most RPM, and that usually ends up being richer than being most efficient.
I remember as a kid my dad knew an old mechanic that had a sun brand “engine analyzer” that had vacuum gauges, dwell meter, an oscilloscope and a few other things. Of course at the time I didn’t know what any of that was for and remember thinking with all those wires and tubes you’d think you’d see it in a hospital ICU, not a garage 😂
@Konstantinos Palaiologos True, but dwell and timing affects all this also.
In order, if you have points, get the dwell set correctly, then get the timing close .
Once those are done, then you can adjust the carb mixture screw(s) for best vacuum, then typically give 'em a half turn or so back towards "rich" just to help with drivability.
Lastly, after all that other stuff is set and done, adjust your idle speed and you're done.
(PS - I also use the vacuum gauge to help determine best timing on non-stock engines, but that's an "advanced" course in Shadetree 101 :-) ).
-Ed on the Ridge
@Konstantinos Palaiologos he told you the problem, you are drawing air into the engine that's not going through the carb.
You can ditch the pcv, and have it run right.
Replace the breather with a plug, or plumb it's port into the manifold, and have it run right.
Or, continue letting it pull atmosphere into the engine via the crankcase vents and not run right.
Idle mixture can be set using vacuum or RPM both work equally well. What's VERY important that most people miss however is that for a vehicle with an automatic transmission those adjustments need to be made in gear. Where idle tuning and a vacuum gauge really come into their own is tuning timing. We should be adjusting idle timing for peak vacuum, however that really only works in the long run with the distributor vacuum connected to manifold vacuum which few know how to tune anymore.
Totally explains "feather the pedal" power
@Motersickle Bum you make a good point, I hardly see bumper stickers at all
My wife was a "fluctuator". It used to drive me crazy riding around while she drove
Jimmy Joedailey vvvvrrrrrrroooooommmmmmmmvvvvrrrrrroooooommmmmmm. And the pedal went down with every point she was trying to make, and coasted in between thoughts. Yea, drives me crazy too.
@Mike B easy does it is alcoholics anonymouses slogan
@@hex374 Yep, Live and let Live. KiSS. Many good ones to live by.
As a classic mopar driver whos still a teen its great to have you old guys who have forgotten more than i know as learning material.
I took a five year break from hobby drag racing, and at the same time moved further from my employer, then commuting 140 mi/day round trip. As a gear-head and tinkerer, I naturally bought a 3 cylinder Geo Metro and played with mpg tuning and driving for maximum mpg. one of the first mods was to add a mechanical vacuum gauge on the dash, which turned out to be a fantastic diagnostic / feedback tool to educate the 'loose nut behind the wheel' to drive for fuel economy.
Its interesting to see a RUclips car go down the road. Many become vermin hotels in some poor bastards backyard. Knowledge experience and follow through. Tony's one of the very few who have all three. No hot tank though
there is a video of a person rebuilding a engine with out hot tanking the engine the engine lasted 15 min. the video is of nick dyno tuning someone's engine for them
@@jeffrey4547 I've put stuff together without tanking. But did spend a lot on brake clean. A lot depends on how long the things been sitting with shit in it.
@@needmetal3221 use a steam cleaner i even steam clean it after hot tank u would be surprise on how much stuff come out of a engine but i have over hauled engines too as long as it has not set for long
Hot tank does not clean oil-galleys. There is a whole lot more to that story. Tony definitely got a bad rap on that. I'm not in any way placing blame. Not at all. If any blame belongs on Tony's shoulders? It was the basic idea in the first place! That job was doomed from go simply because of the time-line. The scope of work needed more than one day. Bad idea. That part might be Tony's fault. But, Lunar absolutely did not follow through with his end of the bargain. That block/crank was supposed to show up assembly clean. It was nowhere near assembly clean. So, the chowder in the brew Nick discovered belongs on Lunar's shoulders if anybody. Just a bad deal all around. You absolutely do not need a hot tank. I have built countless (well, probably 30~40) engines that never saw a hot tank, and provided many tens of thousands of miles of service after completion. With the time-line they had, they didn't even have enough time for cleaning, let alone the whole build! Hell, I built a 318 in a 1981 Ramcharger plow-truck that broke a crank in half in 1994. I took that engine and 3 other cores. Mixed and matched the best parts from all 4 engines. New rings/bearings/gaskets was the extent of the new parts. That engine, in that same truck, still plows my Dad's neighborhood to this day. Hot tank is NOT necessary. Cleanliness certainly is though!
Nice to see such a high vacuum and zero flutter. I learned to drive in a truck with a sun vacuum gauge. It gave me an ear and a feel for driving smart in all vehicles.
I really wish I knew stuff like this when I was 30, instead of 50...lol
What, like if you push the gas less, less gas goes into your engine????
Nathan Brame how to use the vacuum gauge for tuning....nice try
@@fastinradfordable perfect rendition of a millenial thinking out loud
Got a vacuum gauge in my truck. Love it. Was going up a steep pass one day and about half way up the pass I noticed my foot going down more n more on the gas.. looked down to see zero on vacuum gauge, that's a problem. Had a flat tire going 75 fully loaded. Didn't notice lol
Remember back in the late 70s - early 80s when they put "economy" gauges in some cars? They were basically just vacuum gauges but instead of showing inches of mercury they were usually just green to red and labeled "economy". Yeah, the key to good mileage is to accelerate slowly, then hold steady at the lightest throttle possible to maintain speed. Any fluctuation of the pedal makes the accelerator pump work, so HOLD IT STEADY.
funny you mention it, not only do i remember those gauges in Pontiacs (used to own a Goat), but recently had to rent a Uhaul...GMC, Ls engine, and right on the dash was, you guessed it...a mileage gauge added by Uhaul. And it was about as useful as you remember :) every hill i just ignored it--like a box is going to do well in wind.
@@albertgaspar627 LOL Yeah, the first one I ever saw was on a 1985 Chevy Caprice. It was a big ol' 4 door yacht with a little 305. The gauge stayed on the green side when idling but as soon as you even touched the throttle it would peg out to the red!
@Motersickle Bum Yeah, people who were savvy had been driving economically for decades before that, but with the "gas crisis" of the late 70s more people became aware of it, so they started putting the gauges in for the dummies who didn't already know how to drive.
Motersickle Bum
That shit drives me crazy.
My old lady has a cvt I keep telling her she will kill it.
The transmission costs $7000....
Economy gauges and "upshift" idiot lights on stick shift cars. For those who don't understand how a car operates. And I never understood racing to a stoplight or sign. Then again, I find that people drive the way they live their lives.
Either they are looking "down the road" and into the future, planning now for what's up ahead....or they're racing from problem to problem.
I used a vacuum gauge back in the 1980's for fuel economy.
These are my favourite types of videos on UTG. Old school "doing stuff" type of videos. The lost art and kind of shit you did back in the day. Just reminds me of my dad. Love it.
Tony, I had a 2 guage set in my '70 Duster 225. Oil pressure and vacuum. I used it to tune the carb and check against timing and idle. It would pull great vacuum at idle. I wish I still had that car! All manual. no a/c. 3 speed on the floor from the factory! I loved that car!
Nice car Tony, that's great vacuum.
Our '65 Impala SS had a factory "Economy" or "Power" vacuum gauge in the shifter console.
More people need to know this!! Thank you so much for making this video, Tony. Hopefully it helps younger folks starting out with classic cars. Excellent demonstration!
My uncle had a ‘65 SS Impala with a huge vacuum gauge on the dash by the passenger’s side. Very Cool!
Used to have the same Lisle gauge. Gave it to a younger guy along with the instructions. Told him if he learned how to use it, it could be one of the most important tools he'd ever own. These days I personally just use the gauge on my Mity Vac. Number one diagnostic tool. Rivaled only by looking at the spark plugs. Vacuum tells more about the health of the engine and if you want to estimate the condition of an unknown engine its simple to connect and you don't have to take anything apart. A big plus when considering buying a car. UTG is for sure the best there is. Understanding how things work!
Was sent to your channel by scotty. Saw a few of your videos on the hemi. Your knowledge has made me subscribe. Good work.
I've never been shown how a vacuum gauge actually works. When there were enough old school mechanics around, I wasn't old enough, or interested enough to learn. Now that I really want to learn this stuff, I can't find anybody around to learn from. I wish I lived closer to you so I could get some hands on learning. But this is better than nothing. Thanks again for the info Tony.
Great video uncle Tony! I had one of those old school shop teachers back 20 years ago in high school that taught all about the many uses of a vacuum gauge from setting idle mixture to diagnosing internal engine problems. I would love to see you post a video on the many types of issues you can address with one of these. I think a lot of the younger trouble code chasing viewers could learn a thing or 2 from this.
I have had a vacuum gauge for many, many years. My grandfather told me when I was like 7 or 8 how important they were & how to use them. I just love the way Uncle Tony explains thing so simple that almost anybody should be able to understand it. Great video, excellent information, thanks for sharing!
I remember when we soldered the diameter of the metering rods bigger on my brothers 72 Nova to make it run leaner at part vacuum.
This is so cool. Remembering as a kid reading my uncle's car magazines and the Mobil fuel economy runs.
Thanks Tony, great stuff.
Just another great explanation of how things work. I consider myself an ‘ok’ mechanic but I always learn something new every time I watch your videos.
Hey Tony, A big thanks for teaching the importance of a vacuum gauge for diagnosing older pre-ECM cars. I bought one to try on my Chevy resurrection project, and one of the first things I checked was the vacuum signal to the distributor. Zero. Nothing. Vacuum to the distributor was being obstructed by one of the emissions control gadgets. It paid for itself on the first use. I'll continue to learn all the ways to use it. I had tested the vacuum advance mechanism with a hand vacuum pump and had assumed it was working. The mechanism was, but it wasn't getting any vacuum signal.
Thanks Tony. Love to learn your ways,Brother. Old School is so cool
Thank you Tony for explaining the basics. Seems we can learn a lot from the basics and not just what the scan tool says. I especially liked the videos on ignition timing advance and why you run an engine at 2500rpm to break in the cam. Never known the exact purpose of breaking in a cam. Great job on the videos!
that was a great video Tony, demo-ing the concept of peak vacuum and economy. Hopefully many of the younger generation found this useful and interesting.
Thanks for sharing a daily driver project with us, lots of us just have stock engines and like knowing what you have to say about the tuning, we appreciate it 👍
This is exactly what I've been doing for weeks with the Bronco then find out had a bad plug wire to top it off ..
Bodywork is looking great tony!
Thanx Tony. I learn Everytime I watch your vids.
Great content thx Uncle Tony and Uncle Kathy👍
The garage I used to turn wrenches at had a 76 Ford wrecker with an economy gauge in it. Just like Tony said, it was just a vacuum gauge and was cool to watch it respond to the movements of the gas pedal.
Thank You Uncle Tony. I started driving stuff in a 70 VW. When you mentioned the AC, I was reminded of my second car - a 73 Rideau 500 - 351C with an MX trans. It had a compressor the size of a toaster oven. It got 13 mpg, 11.5 with the AC and it would almost snow inside. I started playing with the Vac gauge. I came across the fueling and running alcohol during the war. And water injection - to cool the air-fuel charge. I added methanol to the water injection, and then used a window wiper pump to feed the mixture to the space under the carb. I pulled the fan off the engine and put a thermostat on the rad lines to run the Electric fan as needed. In town - 30 mph - I had a bypass switch to run it all the time. Next - I ran tag wire down the main jets - to moderate it a little. The final touch was running a vac - on the air-space above the float of the carb. No one - would believe what I got for mpg.
BTW - back in the 70's there was a tool for replacing the sparkplug - and watching the color of the flame in the cylinder. That was one way to ensure that I did not burn a valve. Cheers!
In the mid 70s the Dodge Dart Light had a switch that lit up the turn indicator on the left front fender when you were in the throttle too far. The standing joke in the dealership was the only way to properly drive those cars was with the light on all the time!
I wish I could be in Tennessee working for you guys living the lifestyle of when I was a youngster working and driving on the older cars! It's what got me in the automotive repair business to begin with! When I was a kid helping my grandfather working on his late 60'- early 70' Oldsmobile fleet, I was enjoying it and having a blast. As I got to 13 he had passed away and the cars were disappearing from the Western Pa. rust belt and I got lucky to have owned a 59, 72, 76, 79 and a couple of others before the government smashed them all. I miss it so bad, I would get one in a heartbeat if I could find one like Tony's fleet and work on it and drive it. God bless you and enjoy your day today.
Hi uncle tony you had talked about the vacuum gauge before at that time checked it out bought one to use on my 72montecarlo when I start it up thank you for a great video I’am learning a lot from what you know.👍🔧🚘
Wow back in the 60 n 70 my dad worked for Chrysler and I learned that from him. But you just gave me a touch up because it's been a while but nice to know. I'll watch you channel more often. Very good . Peace
Ah yes, the vacuum gauge. A tool so handy and passed on to me early on as a kid, that I had a friend of mine install a boost gauge in his car so we could have on the fly vacuum readings while I tune. It is a massive help, even now when we can data log I still like to have a physical gauge to look at. That and the wide band O2 senor help a lot too.
back in the 70's I had mounted a vacuum gauge in the dash in place of a tach and it helps a lot to tell you what the engine is doing. like if your valves are getting bad the vacuum gauge will show it . I was 18 and just getting started with cars and every time a old timer saw the vacuum gauge they would give me a lesson on how to use it that gave me the urge to learn about and become a mechanic and I did now all these years later I'm 59 and disabled but I still love the old cars
Thats a great video. Who remembers the fuel economy dash lights on the 70s caddy, the arrow that went up, down and the green light that meant you got it just right.
Good video Tony. Not many people have believed me over the years when I said that if there was a bigger engine in a particular vehicle, tit would get better fuel mileage. Finally, someone who gets it. Its amazing what a relief it is to bump into someone that you dont have too slow down and teach them everything you just told them. I dont mind teaching, helping and, showing people things but, after so many years it wears on a guy.
Thanks again for the vid Tony. Looking forward to an update too this vid.
This video applies to me so much. I daily drive a 1982 f250 with a 302, c6, and 3.33 gears weighing in at 5400 lbs. I'm always in the throttle around town and getting 8 miles to the gallon. However on the highway going to work at 75 and just easing on the throttle I get 15 nearly double. I hope to soon do a Ford version of what Uncle Tony has done with his awsome Mopar! Also I will picking up a vacuum guage later today. Thanks for the video!
I learned how to use that back when I was 16 on my 88 Cutlass. Still miss tuning carbs and working on those old beasts. I've even met a few "mechanics" that've never seen one and have no idea how to use it. They set timing and basic tune the carb then crow about having a "hotrod".
First tool I bought for my 5th ave daily driver, really appreciate the knowledge base Uncle tony, best Chanel on RUclips.
I think my cheap scan tool has live diagnostic data related to fuel and air mixture trims. Cool video Tony ,you are teaching the younger generation important knowledge.
My '65 Tubo Corsa had the boost /vacuum gauge. It really shaped my driving style. Today people don't know this stuff. Great vid.
That’s so cool , I hope the younger generation can appreciate this . Another great how to from Uncle . Cheers
Excellent video. I have an old vac gauge from the 50's in my truck.
Love the videos Uncle Tony
I'm a young dude thats used to more modern fuel injected stuff, but I got my first classic now. Super interesting stuff. It's the exact opposite to fuel injected cars where you want to keep the throttle open to avoid pumping losses, but at low rpm. High mean cylinder pressure is the name of the game. Makes total sense though, carbs don't cut the fuel off throttle and enrichen the mixture at higher throttle as you explained.
Thanks!
The 57 Plymouth wagon my mom drove when we were small supposedly used to be a drag car, but whatever the one thing it had was a column mounted vacuum gauge calibrated for economy and power, and deceleration. I don't remember her ever paying attention to it but I do remember when loafing along it was 20 to 21and then into the red when she jumped on it.
My Dart used to get 12.7 in town with all the stock 318 stuff, carter bbd, 904, 7 1/4 with 2.76 gears in town but I drove it and had fun with it. I think I could get around 21 on the highway and I kept track by the odometer and miles between fill ups.
Once I started changing things I was lucky to get 12 very occasionally in town but I usually drove it like I stole it. The way you drive and keep everything in shape has a huge bearing on what your going to get.
Yep. A great tool! I've got 2 laying in my box! A lot of guys will appreciate this vid. Keep it up Tony!
Unka Tony, you should do a short tutorial how to set your timing using a vacuum gauge!
Great info to pass down to the mechanics that are just getting started!
Thats all well and great Tony ....but everyone is thinking will it haul off the tires 😁
you and my ex-gf have very different ideas of what a forgotten tool is 😁
Love the content Uncle Tony! Another great tutorial!
I'm 16 bout to turn 17 in a few days I'm a GM guy but I enjoy these mopar videos and appreciate the knowledge you share most of it can be translated to all vehicles and its pretty cool
I turned 50 the other day and if you can take a little advice ,if you intend to make a career out of cars dont be "a GM guy" , be a mechanic, look at all cars,bikes,trucks ,all machinery as just nuts and bolts to not limit your choices for jobs. I started as a motorcycle mechanic but as time went on i found out the pay sucked compared to what my heavy industry mates were on so did another apprenticeship and now fix fighter jets on much better pay and fiddle with japanese ,british, italian bikes and australian and american cars on weekends. Its all nuts and bolts.
@@watsisbuttndo829 I do like to tinker with other vehicles too I like all sorts of cars i just really like gm but I do understand where you are coming from and on the account that you have years of experience I'll happily take your advice thanks
@@ExpWars i was "a ford guy" at your age and living in Australia a xb falcon coupe (think mad max interceptor) was always the goal. But in my shed at the moment is a 65 pontiac gto. Its natural to have a favorite but get into everything and make sure you research pay rates and job opportunities if this is your thing, good luck young fellow!.
@@watsisbuttndo829 of course I also like hondas believe it or not, and Subarus
How do you know you are a GM guy if you haven't experienced the other cars?
Great video Tony! I have an old Sun vacuum gauge and Tuneup box which will be fum to play with
Thank's for the video. I have come across a few know nothing know it all's who say to junk the SP2P. Daily driving and pulling trailers across the desert leaves them clueless. Great intake. It delivers as it was intended to.
My mom's 78 Coup DeVille had a series of lights at the top of the dash bezel that indicated vacuum, it made a real difference in MPG keeping more lights lit up.
Great video. Thanks tony. A wealth of knowledge. Much appreciated
I put a vacuum gauge in everything I build, makes it so much easier to monitor what's going on with the engine. Having to get into the tool box and rig one up is one of those things you don't usually do until some aspect of engine performance has been bothering you for too long of a time. (Hey my life is hectic enough without having to find time to play The Performance Detective). Tony used to do the same...it just looks way nicer when it is a quality gauge, with a nice looking mount, not to mention the "Cool" factor. Plus the fact that the instant something acts up the gauge is right there. I raise my glass to the simple life.
I still have, and use the vacuum/fuel pressure gauge that I bought twenty years or so ago. I keep it in the case with the timing light and a yellow wax crayon type marker. They're very handy tools!
I try to drive like there's an egg between my foot and the gas pedal, but driving a small truck around here is like being a target for the big trucks. Fortunately my small truck has an LS so I can get out of the way. I may just rig the gauge up like you did for fun, but those motors have that fancy ass map sensor that contribute to fuel enrichment. That's where the damn laptop comes in handy for once.
I had a 67 Formula S Barracuda that had a factory vacuum gauge in it. Thanks Tony.
Think this is a concept most people knew about but not really understand. I really appreciate the why of things and really liked the vid.
Uncle Tony I had a 1200 cc Torana (Auzzie) with a Stromberg CV carby and you could always tell when the diaphragm had a hole in it. If you floored it and it bogged down or died it was an indication that the diaphragm was holed. You no longer had vacuum isolated from the top of the carby vacuum chamber and the jets were open wide. Open the throttle slowly and it was still drive-able.
Thats for sharing some old school knowledge. Keeping hot rodden wisdom alive. 📼📹
This reminds me I need to check and make sure I'm getting manifold vacuum to the modulator valve on the 400 trans in my 85 C30.
My '65 Impala SS had one on the console, but I never used it for mileage purposes. Good tip T.
I remember a couple mid eighty's GM wagons with the"economy"gauge. Same thing. Never thought about it till now.
Reminds me of my Auto Technician class, 1994, had to learn all Carb stuff and then EFI fun. Drove a $400 79 Fox Mustang fastback, 302 auto. It was rough. Emission delete, calibrated the distributor, tuned with Vacuum and rpm, set up manual choke(a hood release cable, wound up the choke spring to hold open). Ended up with home made dual exhaust flowmasters, rebuilt front end, struts/shocks, 89 GT swaybars and 3:27 8.8 posi rear. Ugly grey, but it beat a 76 corvette(it wasn't tuned good-smoked) at 180kph. The Stang also had a newer instrument cluster that went to 200kph.
This is the simplist way to explain “fuel economy” about the carbureted engines... in older vehicles. It’s funny Tony mentions “the power gauge”- the vacuum gauge that mounts in the dashboards of the 50s-70s car’s.... my 1966 Plymouth Barracuda came with a power gauge a.k.a- “a performance indicator” from the factory. To my knowledge it’s the only year that Plymouth made it standard to the car... it’s as big as the Speedometer gauge. Oh btw- on a side note related to fuel economy & mpg’s- when my dad owned this car between 1992-2003 when he still had it on the road- this lil Barracuda was getting up to 34 miles per gallon on highway driving.... at the time it had a 170c.i Slant 6, & it’s stock Automatic trans (floor shift- console car) , & 323:1 rear 7-1/4” open differential, signal 1 barrel holly 1912 model carb, a/c compressor was taken off the car’s engine, but still had power steering pump that worked, manual drum brakes, & two electric fans (no pulley driven fan unit)... by eliminating the front engine attachments/ accessories helps to free up power... & with a tiny slant 6, it was a noticeable difference.
Many things play an important roll in the name of fuel economy...many of which people completely overlook.
*An awesome vehicle alignment is crucial: the Toe-in & toe-out, along with its camber angles,
*Disc brakes: will work/ out perform drum brakes- HOWEVER: a vehicle with All four corners having a drum brake setup (if dialed in correctly) WILL have less rolling resistance than any vehicle equipped with Disc (disc front/drum rear, &/or if the vehicle has disc on all four corners)- the All four corner drum brakes will have less roll resistance & aids in better fuel mpg’s,
*air pressure & tire size(s) play a bigger roll than people think.
*the aerodynamics/ the shape of the cars (plus the aid of wing windows: when opened to help guide air around the side door glass windows that might be open too- helps air to flow quicker past the vehicle,
*of course the engine, carb, & it’s “performance parts play a huge roll in fuel economy...
& the driver itself.... obviously a lead footer will get next to no fuel mpg’s when compared to somebody who’s driving like they got a head full of common sense & simple logic.... dont go trouncing on it from stoplights to stoplights.... a lil common sense goes a long way. I’m sure Tony could spend months on describing & making countless videos of each one of these topics explaining the importance of each of these categories.
Back in the late 80s, my dad had a 42 Chevy pickup. He could not find a mechanic that could set the timing using a timing light. I looked at some old Chevy service manuals that his father used and learned to set the timing with a vacuum gage. I was around 16 at that time.
UT, like you I grew up with these. The Pontiac's often had the vacuum gauge, Mercedes too. If you could get hold of one of those it's easier to understand than the mechanic's tool. Good video.
Great tip. Have been running vac gages for years
Once again spot on information! thanks Tony.
There are alot of things you can see with a vacuum gauge besides fuel usage.
Good stuff! I guess the same principle applies on computerised cars, where you can monitor the vacuum via OBD parameters. Hitting that hill also reminded me that you can improve fuel economy by speeding up a little before hitting the hill, and easing off the throttle before you crest the hill. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I don't think so. I think this is done to avoid triggering the enrichment circuit in the carburetor. In a modern car you want to accelerate quickly up to speed and then cruise in a high gear.
@@SinsBird carb & efi both have enrichment circuits. One is mechanical and the other done with the ECM. On speed density setups it monitors engine vacuum via the MAP sensor (a vacuum guage), and adjusts enrichment based on vacuum level. Cars with a MAF sensor measure air flow to approximate engine load & vacuum. Using this data to adjust enrichment. So yes, it's the same concept with modern engines. Drive in a manner that maintains the highest vacuum, and the engine management system will have an easier time maintaining max MPG. Of course, sometimes there's more to life then good MPG. Lol
I have the exact same vacuum gauge, been using it to tune my Duster for years!
2:44 the 3.1 in my 99 buick century is like that..... (they made the intake system ports bigger in 2000 to get an extra 15hp)
its got A LOT of grunt at ~1800...... and then at 4200, its like a light switch..... like a 2 stroke dirt bike
.
ya give it about 3/4 throttle.... not enough to kick it from 3rd to 2nd.... and about 45 mph it just comes alive.
and then in 3rd....it lights off at about 65 mph... perfect for passing.
.
a lot of people hate the GM 60 degree v6..... but i LOVE mine.....290,000 miles
3 sensors and a water pump...... thats it
.
if the aftermarket supported them..... they could make some serious power
they LOVE to rev (factory forged crank, rods, and pistons..... with the crank good to 7000rpm, rated by GM....so it might hit 7500 and live)
That's why I engage the cruise control as much as I can. As soon as I'm over 25 MPH, I hit the button. Let the computer worry about the egg on the gas pedal. LOL
I love my Edelbrock on my daily driver I got it set where at a light Cruise it's making mileage and I can barely cracked the throttle open and as the vacuum Falls I can feel the metering rods come up and the power come in with light throttle those carburetors are so awesome and tunable for daily driver use then if I just dropped the hammer the secondaries come open and oh boy what fun🔧⛽🇺🇸🤔
Love the videos! Great content!!!!!
I love this so much, I drive like there is an egg between my foot by default because I drive in snow every time there is snow, and that helped me learn how to drive more efficiently. I went from getting 18-20 MPG in town with my Grand Prix to about 23-25 MPG in town (I got 35 MPG highway driving at 80 ish MPH) and with my 1992 Civic and the transmission in it right now I get 30 MPG in town and about 47 MPG highway. It would be better if the engine was not worn out, but that is ok, I have an upgraded engine and while I will drop in MPG, the fun factor will go up and I won't have to sacrifice a whole lot of mileage for that extra fun :)
I want to add a 70s fuel economy gauge to my car lol, remember those? My friend would mash gas hard as it could go to watch gauge move quick. It was huge like 6” circle
He mentioned them. It was a vacuum gauge.
Bmw used the exact same thing through the 1990s
2010 Subaru outbacks have them standard
I have a Vacuum gauge in my 72 gmc with a 455 Buick. It’s a great way to see how it responds to driving style, wind, hills, towing, cruising speed, and so on.
My Dad had a 64 Pontiac Grand Prix , 389 Tri power it had a vac gage on the center console .Beautiful car triple black, full power and 8 lug wheels .
Finally after 6 months of prodding you. The vacuum has came out of your tool box. I was on the edge of mailing you one.
I fondly remember the 1986 Pontiac Parisienne having a HUGE vacuum (efficiency) gauge next to the speedo in the dash cluster.
Thanks for the update and all that great info!
My 05 Saturn Ion Redline (factory supercharged) has the vac/boost gauge. I keep it around the 20-15 hg for the mpg's also. This helps with driving 90 miles a day to work and having to use 93 octane.
The egg under your foot analogy is hypermiling 101. It Works! Also coasting is huge..."braking is the conversion of momentum into friction heat...expensive heat."
Great video Tony. You probably thought of it by now but it would be great to see a video of adjustable vacuum advance through ported vacuum as well too. How many degrees of timing can you run at part throttle for Max mileage.
I wouldn’t say great video yet…Tony forgot to show us how to hook up the vacuum gauge can u tell tell us where and how it hooks up ?
@@abeneufeld9690 you can put a Tee to splice into an existing vacuum line, but normally there may be ports to basically plug into on the intake manifold
Back in the mid-70s I had a customer come in and tell me he had a turn signal problem. He stated under heavy acceleration the left Fender mounted turn signal indicator would light up on his Imperial. I giggled and told him to read his owners manual, which states it is a vacuum operated fuel economy light.
I drove a 68 Charger R/T to High School and used to tune it with a vacuum gauge. For me that “sweet spot” was flooring that big block, topped with a Thermoquad, and hearing those massive vacuum secondaries kicking in. Listening to how those sounded through the torque curve really was a great teaching tool and validates your explanation here. Great Job.
I carry a vacuum gauge in all my rides i dd carburator cars too efi is the devil
My granddads Lada Samara from the early 90's had one built into the dash. 😁