The rigid vacuum lines are getting very brittle in our 1995 F150 5.0 liter automatic. I've already had to splice in a patch using flexible vacuum tubing but I don't want to start chasing my tail though. What are most people been doing when it's time to replace the hard lines? Are they available as a complete kit? If so, can you point me towards a vendor?

Thank you.

 

Like you, I've spliced in rubber vacuum hose. It's funny, but it seems like the white ones go first. I spliced one near the blower motor, that goes back to the control on the dash. The symptom was the A/C air being directed to the defroster vents.

 

im very interested in this too because i had to splice the line going to my egr solenoid because of me being clumsy when doing the valve cover gasket

 

Sure there is a kit for this!

Rolls of various size tubing, multi-colored electrical tape (to maintain proper color coding, because I'm **** like that), and a free utility knife with every purchase!!!

Obviously that was a joke. It would be nice to keep that original look the hard lines came with. A kit would be nice!

@sharkins, You're right about the white ones going first. What's up with that?

 

Dunno why that is, but I also noticed the white lines disintegrating first. Also I agree woth Zorfox's way of repairing them vacuum lines - 5/32" hose is my weapon of choice, along with multi-color electrical tape, this way I can re-route the lines away from most heat or vibration sources and they don't look bad either.

 

Are you guys suggesting rubber or plastic vacuum lines? And are you reusing the original connectors and slipping the splice over the plastic tube?

 

I've done it both ways - if I'm about to run new plastic lines I'll pull the old ones off the rubber ends and insert the new line in them (I ran this in my old car). If I'm about to do all-rubber then I discard both the damaged plastic line and its rubber ends, and plug the rubber line directly into what the old line plugged into (this is how I did my truck). I've done a few rubber patches on plastic lines in a pinch, but that's only for customers who don't wanna pay for the entire line replacement (as cheap as that often is), but on my own vehicles I don't do it cause if the plastic line broke at one spot who's to say it won't break again at another location?

 

I guess I'm not the only one to do it either way then. I want to replace the entire vacuum tubing system with good ole fashion rubber (or something more durable, i.e. silicone) and perhaps route them the same as the factory did. I've been on the look out for some colored hoses that will mimic the ones we have on our trucks.

Just so I won't look completely ignorant when making the purchase, what size rubber tubing is needed to replace the rubber ends?

My Toyota Camry has aluminum vacuum tubing with rubber ends that make the attachment to the components; looks to be more durable and tidier.

 

the ford tech that moonlights at oriellys here in town said its very common, he recommends 1/8th inch fuel line......thats what we replaced the hard line to my airbox with and its performed flawlessly ever since.....

i think the white goes first because that is actually the natural color of the plastic, the red and blue ones have added pigments that i think help with ozone/heat degradation a bit

 

IIRC 5/32" is what I used...

 

You are probably correct, makes sense to me.


I found some vacuum line stock with colored stripes. I might go this route if I can figure out where to buy bulk lengths.

 

gchavez, that looks like a promising find. Can you share the link when you find a supplier?

 

I like the idea of the color coded hose.

 

The factory actually used color-coded hose just like that for the MAP sensor, so if anything using such hose everywhere will still be way more factory-looking than anything else.