Vaccum pump resolved

I was having trouble connecting up the vacuum pump for the power brakes.
Actually, it worked fine - it was just working too often - constantly cycling on and off, which indicates that there is a vacuum leak somewhere. The pump is mounted under the passenger side of the top rack beside the motor, so I have to pull out a couple batteries out of the rack to get to it. Most people connect the pump to a vacuum reservoir (essentially a tin can with a check valve and a hose fitting) which stores a little more vacuum than the booster alone. I've used one of these on a gas car a while back and am skeptical that they make any real difference, so decided to skip this piece and connect the pump to the vacuum switch and to the booster. I had a T fitting to hook this up and, it looked good, but, as I mentioned, didn't work real good.

One great help when dealing with this is having the right tools. I don't. But AutoZone does. They are a car parts retailer in the US and they have a great tool loaner program. Last week I drove to one of their stores and, after leaving a deposit, walked off with a hand held vacuum pump complete with a gauge.

I quickly found out the pump leaks! When it shut off the vacuum drops to zero. I got a check valve from Kragen (sorry AutoZone, but Kragen is in walking distance...) and after plumbing it in, it made no difference. After a few checks it was clear that the check valve didn't stop the leak. A little more testing and it was clear that the check valve was defective.


Later, while working on wiring up the charger, I had an epiphany. I didn't need another check valve, I just needed to move the stock one to the other side of the vacuum switch. The stock check valve is inside the hose that comes off the booster. So I pulled it off and replaced it with a regular hose. The check valve hose got moved to between the T fitting and the pump and voila. Works fine.

DC\DC converter and vacuum pump

Back to work.

I hated to remove some of the batteries to do the Iota wiring and install the vacuum pump, but they were in the way. I switched off the breaker and carefully removed the 3 cables that connected to the passenger side batteries on the top rack and put the covers on the posts.
One bad habit I've gotten out of is laying tools on the car. I recommend using your pockets or a tool belt or just dropping them on the floor near by. Even if you lay a wrench on a rubber fender covers (mine ironically says Isky Cams on it), it can still find it's way into your battery pack. Same applies for the extra nuts and bolts in your hand as you tighten a nut.

I bought some one red and one black 60"4 gauge wire at a Kragen for $7.99 each. It already has lugs crimped to it and the 60" should cover my needs for the Iota and the Zivan. Most people use 6 gauge, I think, but 4 is 2 better, right? and they didn't have 6 at the Kragen.
I bolted a red cable to the big positive lead that had gone to the starter and bolted the black negative cable to the chassis as a ground. Too easy. I cut the AC cord and crimped on a lug for the most positive lead on the battery pack and extended the negative lead ('cause it was 4 inches too short) and crimped a lug on it and connected it to the switched side of the contactor.
Problem is, I can't test it until I reinstall the two batteries I pulled, so I'll need to wait until the vacuum pump is working.

The Vacuum pump bolted up to my bracket nicely and I wired it up to the vacuum switch (which turns the pump on when the vacuum is low) and hooked the hose up to a T fitting to connect the pump, switch and the brake booster. When I turn the key on the pump runs (yay!) and then turns on and off repeatedly (ugh). Must be a vacuum leak. I checked and retightened the fittings, but there was no change. I added a check valve(left over from another car project) in line after the switch which helped a little but not much. Back to Kragen for some new vacuum lines and the problem persists.
Hmmm.
Later I checked my add-on check valve by blowing and sucking on it (the things you have to do!) and it leaked. If that doesn't fix it then it may be the switch.
I'll deal with this later...