Beap52 2,253 #1 Posted yesterday at 03:00 PM Nothing like the slapping of vacuum wipers on a deary day. Drove the '47 Chevy to town and began to sprinkle on way home. Don't get to use the wipers much. 20260522_093425.mp4 4 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 78,783 #2 Posted yesterday at 03:09 PM Only seen those in-person once. A friend of my Ole Man's had a cabover Freightliner with vacuum wipers. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 46,528 #3 Posted yesterday at 03:29 PM My 61 Falcon had them. Touch the gas and they stopped! 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 12,092 #4 Posted 23 hours ago My 57 Chevy 210 had them. As they say, vacuun sucks. They were "adjustable" to a point for swipes per minute.... almost non existant while struggling up a long incline, and they try to beat themselves to death going on the down incline. Much worse with a worn engine that did not generate good vacuum. I do NOT miss them... 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 66,017 #5 Posted 19 hours ago Adding a vacuum reservoir to the line going to the wiper motor would help. 5 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ineedanother 2,321 #6 Posted 16 hours ago One of my first trucks was a '48 Chevy. Wipers were for downhill runs. Uphill, not so much. 3 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lynnmor 8,821 #7 Posted 14 hours ago I had a Rambler station wagon with vacuum wipers, they were assisted by the fuel pump with a diaphragm vacuum pump incorporated in it. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 12,092 #8 Posted 5 hours ago 9 hours ago, lynnmor said: I had a Rambler station wagon with vacuum wipers, they were assisted by the fuel pump with a diaphragm vacuum pump incorporated in it. Kelvinator to the rescue! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Racinbob 12,932 #9 Posted 4 hours ago 14 hours ago, 953 nut said: Adding a vacuum reservoir to the line going to the wiper motor would help. When I was in high school my mom drove a 1960 T-Bird. I remember it having a reservoir on the vac wipers. It looked like a sealed coffee can with two vacuum hose fittings and was painted Ford engine blue. I just looked at a bunch of engine compartment pictures and couldn't find one. I wonder if it was aftermarket or homemade. It must of helped but I remember countless times when I needed to nail the gas in the rain. Not good. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 66,017 #10 Posted 3 hours ago 1 hour ago, Racinbob said: I remember it having a reservoir on the vac wipers. It looked like a sealed coffee can with two vacuum hose fittings and was painted Ford engine blue. They are made of plastic now and have a check valve on the input line. A few years back my wife was complaining about the AC cutting off and switching to heat while she was driving. It never occurred when I was driving, we took it to two dealers since it was under warranty and neither one could find the problem. Johnny, the mechanic at our Goodyear store, went for a test drive with me, then we swapped sides and he drove putting the pedal to the metal and sure enough, the AC changed over to heat. Guess the wife is a bit more aggressive behind the wheel than I am. The following day Johnny had the new reservoir and it was off to the races with cool AC for the wife. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 46,528 #11 Posted 31 minutes ago The "coffee can " resi was indeed oem back in the day but they rusted out. Went to the shot put style tank. My Falcon wipers were off the fuel pump. The HVAC system defaults to defrost with loss of vacuum so that explains why it was switching. And for some reason, mice liked to eat the colorful vacuum hoses under the dash of Chrysler 5th Avenues! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 16,568 #12 Posted 6 minutes ago Have modern vehicles switched to electric actuators for redirecting airflow? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
