MDchanic

Okay.

Time for several good quality photos of your engine compartment, showing all of the stuff under there.

Well lighted, properly exposed, and from several angles, so that few or no items are hidden behind other items.

We can work with your from there.

I know very little about the emission controls in these years, but we have others here who know them well, and we can get this fixed for you.

- Eric

Professur

BTW, I'm pretty sure that thingy you're holding is a vacuum delay. A VDV in the vernacular.

Northern Custom Cruiser

Copy that, thanks eric. Ill get those up as soon as im off and home

Professur

I suggest using a hosting site like Photobucket or summat. I wish I could offer more help, but my CC is a Canuck. No CCC or airpump or any of that nonsense.

83hurstguy

That canister is likely either the EGR valve control solenoid or the Canister Purge Control Valve. Does it have an electrical connector? What are its hoses routed to?

Allan R

Ding ding ding ding.... oh wait, I said that in hyperlink 59, they're not expensive so why the delay? Here we are on pg 5 still discussing what is 'thought to be' when a proper Olds manual will clear up any doubts. These manuals are very thorough and make the 70's version look like fun with Dick and Jane.
Northern, clik the underlined blue links and you'll see what they are.

Northern Custom Cruiser

Allan, i am dying for a chassis service manual, but as professur showed, there isnt even a detailed vacuum diagram in the chassis service manual. Plus, just like with my other posts, ive learned much more than i intended. I am ignorant, simply put, and with that comes many questions that may seem obvious to someone who knows this stuff like the back of your hand, such as youself. I in no way mean to offend you, in fact i find your information extremely helpful. Im 19, working a part time job at a cell phone joint that i dont enjoy, and am broke supporting people who gave all they had to save me. Every penny i make goes to bills and id be lucky to have an extra 20 dollars for the service manual, but that will end up going towards bills, gas, or food. This isnt a sob story by any means, but im just trying to let you understand that im on a kind of budget where i have to make the $20 i have in my wallet last until friday, so the only thing i can afford is asking you guys what your ideas might be about the problems im experiencing. I understand you have lives too, and i dont want you to waist your time, but just know, that this thread has done me a world of good so far. So dont think any of this info is going to waist. Thank you for all you've helped me with thus far, i appreciate it.

76olds

Does anyone here have a used chassis service manual for this young guy in the U.S?
If so please send him a loaner one if you can . If you need payment for it, send me a PM with the cost along with shipping and I will cover it prior to shipping him one.
Hang in here Northern CC we are happy you are here and learning all about your Oldsmobile.
At some point it will all come together in your mind, at that point you will be able to help out others here with your experience. You will be a great asset to others with your year car in the near future.
Cheers
Eric

Northern Custom Cruiser

You are a good man, i really am not trying to ask for any hand outs, but i wont refuse them. Id just like to learn as much as i can so i dont have to ask the dumb questions, and i would at some point like to be the guy on the other end of the screen helping out the newbies haha.

76olds

Try to get some pics posted as Mdchanic suggested, they need pics to help you further, Try to get some posted to keep these guys going here. Pics are often better than words. Try to get them up asap. JMO
Also start writing down in detail what every part is and does as the information comes here to you, that will help. This is like starting your on part manual.

Eric

Northern Custom Cruiser

I also set up this photobucket thing and uploaded a dozen or so pictures, i dont see any way to share it with you guys so i assume you just look me up on there. Should be under keithwaltner14. Just a heads up, you might get a headache trying to figure out what exactly is going on under my hood. If you need any clarification or pictures that are more specific, just let me know and ill get them up. Thank you in advance!

MDchanic

I hadn't realized that actually getting a manual was a sticking point.

If I had one, I'd send it to you, but I don't, and I don't know of any download sources.

Don't worry, we'll get this fixed up for you, it just may take a bit longer.

The photos are probably the best idea at this point.

I'll post a Wanted ad for you, and if someone's selling, we'll work out a way to buy, as Eric said.

- Eric

Northern Custom Cruiser

Wow, you guys are offering much more help than i had ever expected, and for that im eternally grateful. I couldn't thank you enough just for offering. As i said i have the pictures uploaded to photobucket but am not sure if thats what you guys asked for. Im hoping you can just look it up because posting them on this forum would take forever and a day, but if its necessary i will.

MDchanic

Just give us a PhotoBucket link or search string.

And we're glad to help keep another car on the road and in good shape (and also to show someone who isn't an old coot the way).

... And I don't even like cars from those years...

- Eric

Professur

That's OK Eric ... not everyone has good taste. We're like automotive chubby chasers.

76olds

Put-r-ther !!!!

Professur

Wow, that's quite the police record you've got for a young man.

76olds

Someone here will hook you up on how to post them here, this will help when you start new threads needing pics of what your wanting to fix. Most guys here own pre 73' cars so pics are very helpful with newer Oldsmobiles.
This gives most a general idea of what they are looking at and what has been messed with in the past.
Cheers
Eric

Northern Custom Cruiser

http://s1172.photobucket.com/user/ke...bile%20Uploads
Theres the link, (i think) ^

Northern Custom Cruiser

I know how to post pics on here, but my "smartphone" isnt as smart as i like, the pictures i take directly and try to upload almost always fail due to the camera settings for some reason, so i have to screenshot each picture i take, and then it ends up not being good enough quality to actually inspect. Hopefully the link i posted works for you guys. Good luck to whomever dares to click on the link, the engine looks like its covered in black spaghetti with all these vac lines all over the place

MDchanic

Your gallery is set to "Private."

You've got to unclick something somewhere.

- Eric

oldcutlass

That link does not work

Professur

I'd rather miles of suspect vac tubing than similar miles of suspect wires. I've yet to see an intermittent leak on a vac tube. My personal hatred of automotive wiring stems from getting stranded in my '85 Celebrity wagon thanks to cross talk in the wires from the module in the distributor. Dried insulation, and only happened when they vibrated close enough. I got damn lucky to have an old wrench work on it, who'd encountered it once before. Gimme vacuum any day.

You know how you find a leaking vac tube? Propane torch. Start the engine, then take a propane torch, open the gas a little and DON"T light it. Just poke that torch in and about the vac tubes. When the rough running engine suddenly smooths out ... you found your leak.

Northern Custom Cruiser

http://s1172.photobucket.com/user/ke...stom%20cruiser

Sorry, try this one out, it shouldnt be private. There isnt even a setting to make it public, i had to move it all to a new album

MDchanic

Got it.

Northern Custom Cruiser

I agree, i had a headlight problem where they started flickering and then went out hours away from home.. At night... Turns out it was the dimmer switch. However, its starting to happen again when ive got the heat on the floor. Id much rather be dealing with the vac lines, which i am, thats why i havent even brought up the electrical issue yet

oldcutlass

Yup, you have quite the collection of tubing under there. Does the orange tee connect to the breather?

I'm the opposite, I'd rather deal with an old electrical system than the 5 miles of vacuum tube and all the crap that goes with it.

MDchanic

Cursory inspection: A bunch of stuff is not connected that should be.

I can't tell you what just by looking.

I'll look closer.

We need someone who owns one of these to have a look at it.

- Eric

Northern Custom Cruiser

Yes it does, there is a blue one on the breather, that was connected to the vac line coming from...... The breather.. Ingenious. I figured out where i think its supossed to go. The orange tee, used to be a 4 way, connected to that VDV as professur called it and then back into the mix of connections. I deleted it, put in a 3 way and put it back on top of the driver VC connected to what it is in the current pictures.

MDchanic

That's your Air Management Valve.

One down, half a dozen to go.

As we figure out what these things are, you can look at the diagram and figure out what connects to what.

- Eric

Professur

From your doohicky there's a pair of wires running off ... where do they stop? I see an empty dashpot on the back of the carb linkage. Days like this, I wish they made colour coded vacuum hose. Would it be too late to hunt down the guy that sold this to you and do something permanent to his knee caps? This is just criminal. Someone too lazy to put things back where they belong.

Northern Custom Cruiser

If you mean the actual electric wires, they go across the engine, down along side the passenger fender. If you mean the vacuum lines... Stay tuned

Northern Custom Cruiser

The vac lines plug into these locations, and in that last picture of the doohicky itself, i dont know what that orange end plugs into.

I have the previous owners name, address, and know that he has an old Volkswagen camper van he wants to restore as well as an old sky blue mint condition Lincoln mark something with those circular windows in the back and a white vinyl top... Would those count as his knee caps...

Edit
The vac line in the doohicky picture is not part of the doohicky, its part of the egr valve

oldcutlass

No, we do not damage cars... go for the knee caps.

Professur

And sometimes bang his wife.

Northern Custom Cruiser

Hey hey hey... Noone said i was gonna hurt them, just take them on a permanent joy ride to my garage (;

83hurstguy

There are tons of chassis service manuals on ebay for dirt cheap. Example:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1983-Oldsmob...lXCtjm&vxp=mtr

I just took a look at my '83 CSM, and it has an entire section on gas engine emissions systems, theory and troubleshooting. While it's not a pictorial routing of how vacuum hoses are supposed to be connected, it provides a lot of information on what everything is and how it's supposed to work. There are pictures of all the proper wiring routings in there, and tons of other useful info.

These can also be useful when dealing with the CCC system, this is an early one for '83, I used to have an '84 one somewhere...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Oldsmobile-S...JW8vl6&vxp=mtr

Allan R

Aren't the vacuum routings shown in the section that lists all the emissions control labels?