Team Camaro Tech banner

68 RS Headlight doors partially working

2K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  Paxtonr 
#1 ·
I know this subject has probably been beat to death so I tried to do a search but came up empty on my specific issue or I could not decipher from the info on the posts. Well here it is:

My vacuum operated doors on my 68RSZ/28 will open with no problem when I turn on the switch but they will not close with out using the old hand mashee trick. Is this the case of just a bad actuator, if so which one is it? Are these readily available

I read a recent post by DJD the moderator has to leave his car run for a few minutes to get them to close. So they close but slowly apparently. Mine just won't close
without manual assist??

Any Ideas???

Robert Stacho (A.K.A. Mytmouse)

------------------
67 SS 396 Chevelle 350HP 4speed
70 SS 396 Chevelle 350HP 4speed
68 RS Z/28 302 350+HP? 4speed
 
See less See more
1
#2 ·
you'll need to check all your vacuum lines for a leak. If they are the original hoses, they are probably dry rotted and cracked at the ends. Try trimming a half inch off all the ends and reconnecting, this worked for me. dont forget the lines going into the firewall for the switch. if this doesnt do it you probably have a bad actuator. these can be tested, i forget how. someone on here will know, its been discussed before.

the jury is still out on the replacement actuators. from what i've read they are not very good and have problems with leaks.

------------------
68 Ash gold RS 327
factory AC,PS,PB
P-O-P

[This message has been edited by joe68rs (edited 12-09-2000).]
 
#3 ·
Joe,

The car was completely restored (including new vacuum lines about 7 years ago. The car probably only has about 4000 miles on it since (2500 I put on in the last 2 years since I owned it) The hose are in good shape (although I am not going to say that there may not be a vacuum leak). The guy that did the restoration had a fitting on that connected the hose from the vacuum source(manifold) to the small hose on canister that was incorrect for the hose that was used. It was so tight that after time (not very long usually) it would split a little and then the doors would not open either. After trimming hose & using brute force to get back on fitting I finally broke down and got the correct fitting for the hoses used and I have not had a problem with them opening since...they just won't close automatically.

Thanks for your input though. Hopefully maybe someone else can give me some clues on the actuators. The one attached to the cannister appears to be new.

Robert Stacho (A.K.A. Mytmouse)

------------------
67 SS 396 Chevelle 350HP 4speed
70 SS 396 Chevelle 350HP 4speed
68 RS Z/28 302 350+HP? 4speed
 
#5 ·
Budmann93,

I will not discount that if it takes less vacuum to open than to close because as I have stated they open fine. If they were rubbing would they not also not open??? Just trying to use some deductive logic.

Robert Stacho (A.K.A. Mytmouse)

------------------
67 SS 396 Chevelle 350HP 4speed
70 SS 396 Chevelle 350HP 4speed
68 RS Z/28 302 350+HP? 4speed
 
#6 ·
Robert,

Stick with it, your almost there. My hoses were only 2-3 yrs old and I found many hose ends were cracked. I talked to the guys at Steve's Camaros (Speciality shop for 1st gens) and they said the reproduction hose kits has a tendency to go bad real quick... Mileage has little to do with hoses deteriorating, age is the real factor. I shortened ends where I could and used non-correct hose (no color strips) if the section was too short to replace...

Remember one direction the doors are pulled and the other they are pushed so adjustment of the door and bellcrank is critical. If tolerences are too loose the doors may bind when being pushed even if they operate smoothly when being pulled...

You have gotten some good advice from the others. One other bit I can add is even though it's hose's and vacuum it is still like wire and electricity. It follows the least path of resistance. You can open the circuit and prove it good or bad to that point and you can provide an alternate source of vacuum if needed to test with.

Also since they open try using the plunger on the vacuum relay switch to open and close them. It is susposed to be used to have them stay open and bypass' the dash switch. Since it's where you are working it takes some of the hastle out of it.

Let us know how it goes...

------------------
...Dennis
The Cars:
'69 RS Convertible w/SS trim
'96 Z28SS #1679 of 2410
The Club:
Camaros Limited Nor-Cal
 
#7 ·
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top