We lost power to our cruise control on the way home from milford. I decided to see what the problem was last night & found what happened sort of. The cruise control has a green ground wire that connects to the back of the unit. It either broke off or pulled out.


Looks like a screw is missing in the back or the wire was just shoved in.



Regardless what ever was holding it in almost rubbed a hole in the 1" black hose that goes from one side of the engine to the other.
This shows the cruise control unit,black hose,that goes from the drivers side of engine over engine to other side of engine:

This pic shows a close up of what the black hose is connected to on the dr side of engine:

Shows close up of black hose on passenger side:


what is this black hose going from one side over to the other side of engine?

What is the speedometer cable attached to in this picture? It appears it is a speedo extender unit for lack of a better word. We thought it could have been an earlier cruise control because of the smaller cable that comes out of the top of it looks like what you would attach to the throttle for a cruise control but it is not attached see 2nd pic below.
Top of speedo cable extender unit no clue what it really is:

end of top cable folded over just for sake of picture

The speedo cable is attached to this round thing on the bottom, & then beside the speedo cable is another cable that attaches to a sensor & then to the gear vendor over/under drive we have.
4 pics of speedo cable coming into speedo extender thingy & then other cable going out:




speedo extender cable attached to gear vendor over/under drive

Do we have two cruise controls?

I was going to remove one of them to get rid of more clutter in the engine compartment but discovered they both were functioning one as a cruise control & the other as a speedo cable extender thingy.

Your first one is the vacuum control for the throttle cable that is regulated by the cruise control. Standard on all Chevy V-8's of that era. It predated the electronic controls. The green wire is a ground and the screw fell out.

Black hose over the top of the engine is part of a smog control system. Is your cruise control bracket attached to your a/c compressor, or is that an air pump for the smog control? The hoses attached to it don't look like a/c stuff.

I'm trying to remove anything that doesn't need to be there when ever I find it. Of course I won't remove anything until I am actually having to work on something in the area of that which is not being used anymore. Like Rusty says DON'T follow this philosophy "If it ain't broke, fix it until it is". This phrase has saved me from a lot of unnecessary projects.

So, can I someday remove this smog control thing or is it saving me gas or giving me some other benefit!!????
Tere

quote:

Originally posted by Jim and Tere:
I'm trying to remove anything that doesn't need to be there when ever I find it...

I have a saying too... "The hallmark of a great job is having leftover stuff when repairs are completed."

Hopefully, this phrase will help you too.

The smog system supposedly reduces pollution, but has no other benefit I am aware of. The air pump steals a minor amount of power, & though it clutters up the engine compartment, removing it is a hassle with a poor cost/benefit ratio, & of doubtful legality. I wouldn't mess with it unless I installed headers, which would not be strictly legal unless the headers were equipped to accept the air injectors which are those little pipes that "T" off the big horizontal pipe you see in your photo that shows "what the hose is connected to on the dr side of engine."

Though not strictly legal, messing with this is not likely to be a big problem unless your state has strict smog police like CA.

Now, if you were to install a new, modern crate engine complete with fuel injection & headers, you could trash the whole system, & probably some other junk in your engine compartment as well.

Unless you plan this kind of major surgery which is economically feasible only if you're replacing a blown engine; & presuming you're basically satisfied with your performance & economy, the appropriate rule is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

This is something I finally learned about 20 years ago, after 45 years of failing to heed Rusty's admonition to avoid the philosophy, "if it ain't broke, fix it until it is." At that, I've strayed from that rule a time or two in more recent years.

Today, that whole issue is moot for me since I'm no longer physically capable of messing around in engine compartments, etc. (Sigh)

You need to understand the smog pump. The car companies were forced to reduce emissions before the advent of fuel injection and ECM's so they introduced injecting air directly into the exhaust system via they ports installed in the exhaust manifolds. The pump combined the pcv vent into the pump intake and injected it to the manifolds. You can remove it all because it was not required on trucks (P-30) and it is usually ineffective anyway. Almost all 454 applications eliminate it with no impact (other than changing the belts to compensate for the missing pump.) Removal is easy - just put a new pcv in the valve cover and port it to the large inlet in the carb and you are done. No inspector will ever look for it as it was only used for about two years.

Tennessee does not require any vehicle inspection. Will look into removing anti smog system when I know more about it & I'm working in that area on something else.

Tere

My 84 has to have the air pump and the PCV valve to pass CA smog. I just replaced the pump last time to pass, and had to replace the PCV valve a few years back. Even the manifold heat stove and tube have to work (I found out).

Having all the smog stuff working can mean the difference between a sale and no sale at selling time if the prospective buyer is in a state with smog laws.

I have no issues with my smog stuff, as it does not affect performance. But, I am just waiting to leave El Lay so I can put a Weiand high rise manifold on (which happens to have no EGR).

That said, if you remove the smog pump, a Dayco 15460 works. Your smog pump will not be fit for use, as the vanes will freeze up.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim and Tere:
Tennessee does not require any vehicle inspection. Will look into removing anti smog system when I know more about it & I'm working in that area on something else.

Tere

Tere, as you know my engine compartment is a congested nightmare. I will be addressing mine in the near future, I'll let you know what I encounter

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quote:

TomK Removal is easy - just put a new pcv in the valve cover and port it to the large inlet in the carb and you are done. No inspector will ever look for it as it was only used for about two years.

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What does the pump look like? It may already be off. I'll try to take a pic of the belt area to see if you can tell me if you see it.

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quote:

Ol RoyBlack hose over the top of the engine is part of a smog control system. Is your cruise control bracket attached to your a/c compressor, or is that an air pump for the smog control? The hoses attached to it don't look like a/c stuff.

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cc bracket is attached to a/c compressor not air pump

son in law says the air pump is not there

For the time being can I just remove the black hose & cap off ends since there is no air pump?

Thanks,
Tere

Tere, I don't remember seeing a pump on your engine but I am getting old and the memory seems to be first to go. If the hose runs from one side to the other, the pump may already be removed and the hose could be the PO means of addressing the openings left in the air injector tubes.

OH - Wait a minute...are you reading my mind tom. This is scary.

I always have trouble reading my own so I might as well try others.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim and Tere:


What does the pump look like? It may already be off. ,
Tere

Mine is a single one just underneath the alternator. A little later, thy went to two. It has a single pulley mounted with three bolts which take a 10mm wrench. The body of the pump has radial fins around it just behind the pulley. There is a tall casting that attaches with two bolts and sticks up a few inches, with a valve on top. The plumbing from the top of the casting leads to the exhaust manifolds.

Easiest of all, it is driven by the front belt, the same one that drives the alternator.

That is all the memory provides, so holler if you would like a photo.