Color-Coded Vacuum Hoses
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 120
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Why are we not allowed to have colored vacuum hoses?
While getting my truck smogged I was told that I had to have black vacuum lines and couldn't have colored hoses. Isn't California law made by a bunch of *******? We (the USA) could destroy every major city on the northern part of the globe with just one of our submarines. But we can't control our politicians. They have nothing better to do than look under the hoods of our trucks and see what color the vacuum lines are!
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 134
Likes: 0
I have seen silicone hoses that are pricey.
All my hoses that were protected by wire wrap are still in good shape.
I am going to try and use colored shrink wrap to mark the lines and replace them with the black hard vacuum line. i will then use wire to protect as much of the line as possible.
I have a 1992 F250 4x4, most of my colors are white, green, red and black.
I was able to buy rolls of shrink wrap at harbor freight for .99 cents.
When finished I will try and post a picture.
All my hoses that were protected by wire wrap are still in good shape.
I am going to try and use colored shrink wrap to mark the lines and replace them with the black hard vacuum line. i will then use wire to protect as much of the line as possible.
I have a 1992 F250 4x4, most of my colors are white, green, red and black.
I was able to buy rolls of shrink wrap at harbor freight for .99 cents.
When finished I will try and post a picture.
Old School Hot Rodder
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,472
Likes: 11
From: Exmore, VA
While getting my truck smogged I was told that I had to have black vacuum lines and couldn't have colored hoses. Isn't California law made by a bunch of *******? We (the USA) could destroy every major city on the northern part of the globe with just one of our submarines. But we can't control our politicians. They have nothing better to do than look under the hoods of our trucks and see what color the vacuum lines are!
Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 8,786
Likes: 28
From: Northern California
I've even told him to turn the smog shop in for being incompetent, or to go to a different Smog Shop. Factory lines were color coded, so you can have them colored.
Told him on several different occations.
Seems to fall on deaf ears, so I don't respond anymore.
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 134
Likes: 0
Yeah, I was so excited to have found colored-stripe tubing for sale:
that I didn't really evaluate what kinds of tubing actually came in colored stripes. That McMaster-Carr site is pretty impressive with lots of choices, technical information, and a reductive product searching engine that really lets you narrow down your choices. They alse sell tubing by the foot, for reasonable prices I thought. I wandered around in that interesting website for an hour. Temperature, UV, ozone, chemical resistance, bend radius, it can all be known for the various tubing products on that website. Even "military grade" with FED standards #'s etc. Interestingly, "Gum Rubber" meets military vacuum tubing standards.
If you select "vacuum tubing" your choices really narrow down, with no colored stripes. But what McMaster-Carr considers to be "vacuum tubing" means industrial grade vacuum tubing, they give vacuum and pressure ratings, etc. I wonder what the vacuum ratings are for the chinese tubing available at my local Auto-Mart. I don't know if that tubing pictured above would really work for vacuum, it might collapse, although you can choose different wall thicknesses.
I think someone who really knew a lot about tubing and polymer characteristics could probably find good stuff there that would closely approximate the OEM stuff our trucks came with originally. For me it was a bit much, information overload. But I was impressed with the ratings for Silicone tubing given on the website, it is really heat resistant (+500 F), flexible (works with barbed fittings, good for automotive applications), and comes in some colors and a variety of I.D.'s and wall thicknesses. It's weakness seems to be it doesn't react well with gasoline or oil.
that I didn't really evaluate what kinds of tubing actually came in colored stripes. That McMaster-Carr site is pretty impressive with lots of choices, technical information, and a reductive product searching engine that really lets you narrow down your choices. They alse sell tubing by the foot, for reasonable prices I thought. I wandered around in that interesting website for an hour. Temperature, UV, ozone, chemical resistance, bend radius, it can all be known for the various tubing products on that website. Even "military grade" with FED standards #'s etc. Interestingly, "Gum Rubber" meets military vacuum tubing standards.
If you select "vacuum tubing" your choices really narrow down, with no colored stripes. But what McMaster-Carr considers to be "vacuum tubing" means industrial grade vacuum tubing, they give vacuum and pressure ratings, etc. I wonder what the vacuum ratings are for the chinese tubing available at my local Auto-Mart. I don't know if that tubing pictured above would really work for vacuum, it might collapse, although you can choose different wall thicknesses.
I think someone who really knew a lot about tubing and polymer characteristics could probably find good stuff there that would closely approximate the OEM stuff our trucks came with originally. For me it was a bit much, information overload. But I was impressed with the ratings for Silicone tubing given on the website, it is really heat resistant (+500 F), flexible (works with barbed fittings, good for automotive applications), and comes in some colors and a variety of I.D.'s and wall thicknesses. It's weakness seems to be it doesn't react well with gasoline or oil.
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 120
Likes: 0
you lost the page? Don't you log what you do to your rig? It make all the difference and saves money too.
You know when the oil needs changing, when to flush the radiator, and once you have the log in the side pocket or under the seat, it is easy to get in the habit of writing down milage, gas prices, Gallons added, refills, receipts from maintenance and becomes a huge lever if you sell!!!
You know when the oil needs changing, when to flush the radiator, and once you have the log in the side pocket or under the seat, it is easy to get in the habit of writing down milage, gas prices, Gallons added, refills, receipts from maintenance and becomes a huge lever if you sell!!!
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 134
Likes: 0
you lost the page? Don't you log what you do to your rig? It make all the difference and saves money too.
You know when the oil needs changing, when to flush the radiator, and once you have the log in the side pocket or under the seat, it is easy to get in the habit of writing down milage, gas prices, Gallons added, refills, receipts from maintenance and becomes a huge lever if you sell!!!
You know when the oil needs changing, when to flush the radiator, and once you have the log in the side pocket or under the seat, it is easy to get in the habit of writing down milage, gas prices, Gallons added, refills, receipts from maintenance and becomes a huge lever if you sell!!!
Now I have to go through the online catalog to find the items i wanted to buy again.
I do track all items and work done on my truck. I use office "One Note" to save receipts and purchases. I also mark some items with a permanent silver pen like a marks alot in areas where they can not be seen unless the part is removed. I do that especially if the part was taken from a donor or custom designed, or molded by my self.
I keep the engine and under belly free from oil and dirt so leaks of any kind can be detected. When I bought the truck it was very nasty as it came from a auction lot that oiled there dirt. Since this truck was their yard dog it collected a lot of underbelly oily buildup. The good part of that is it kept the underbelly from rusting. Now it needs to be painted to keep the rust away.
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 120
Likes: 0
You don't understand what I wrote. I had not joined (signed up) to the website before checking out with the items I wanted to purchase. So I signed up. After that I lost the page and the items were not in my cart.
Now I have to go through the online catalog to find the items i wanted to buy again.
I do track all items and work done on my truck. I use office "One Note" to save receipts and purchases. I also mark some items with a permanent silver pen like a marks alot in areas where they can not be seen unless the part is removed. I do that especially if the part was taken from a donor or custom designed, or molded by my self.
I keep the engine and under belly free from oil and dirt so leaks of any kind can be detected. When I bought the truck it was very nasty as it came from a auction lot that oiled there dirt. Since this truck was their yard dog it collected a lot of underbelly oily buildup. The good part of that is it kept the underbelly from rusting. Now it needs to be painted to keep the rust away.
Now I have to go through the online catalog to find the items i wanted to buy again.
I do track all items and work done on my truck. I use office "One Note" to save receipts and purchases. I also mark some items with a permanent silver pen like a marks alot in areas where they can not be seen unless the part is removed. I do that especially if the part was taken from a donor or custom designed, or molded by my self.
I keep the engine and under belly free from oil and dirt so leaks of any kind can be detected. When I bought the truck it was very nasty as it came from a auction lot that oiled there dirt. Since this truck was their yard dog it collected a lot of underbelly oily buildup. The good part of that is it kept the underbelly from rusting. Now it needs to be painted to keep the rust away.
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 134
Likes: 0
Hi Old81F100Brown
Here is what I do. I have not found a better cleaner than Purple Power. It is a Industrial Strength degreaser and cleaner.It works best on a dry or greasy surface. Just spray the cleaner where you want to clean and wait about 5 minutes. spray again if the grease is sucking it up. Spray the undercarriage, preferably you can lie down on a dry unused car-wash bin. Spray every thing well.
Then use the hot high pressure sprayer. Remove as much as you can in one cleaning. Purple Power does not work its best while everything is soaked. Just wait another day or hours depending on where you live and the heat at this time of year.
I lay on my back while spraying in a dry spot. If you need to spray the other side move the truck to another dry bin and lay on another dry spot.
Most auto parts sell it by now. You can also get it at Walmart in the auto section.
Here is what I do. I have not found a better cleaner than Purple Power. It is a Industrial Strength degreaser and cleaner.It works best on a dry or greasy surface. Just spray the cleaner where you want to clean and wait about 5 minutes. spray again if the grease is sucking it up. Spray the undercarriage, preferably you can lie down on a dry unused car-wash bin. Spray every thing well.
Then use the hot high pressure sprayer. Remove as much as you can in one cleaning. Purple Power does not work its best while everything is soaked. Just wait another day or hours depending on where you live and the heat at this time of year.
I lay on my back while spraying in a dry spot. If you need to spray the other side move the truck to another dry bin and lay on another dry spot.
Most auto parts sell it by now. You can also get it at Walmart in the auto section.
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