Vacuum Headlights

[NicolasB]

In my ‘69 Toro, the headlights open all the time, even when the headlights are off. For sure, it’s better than having non-working ones, but they never close unless the car is off or when I press the gas pedal pretty hard (I’m thinking it’s a leak for the acceleration issue). I see a plastic piece somewhere along the vacuum lines that has three holes in it (line starts off as one then splits into two), but the previous owner plugged one of them with silicone. Could that be the issue? I don’t have the Chassis Service Manual yet to check, but am planning to buy one really soon (which volume talks about the vacuum headlights?). Thanks.

[Tuco]

Since they open and close you can be assured the canisters are ok. Not sure if they are the same as the 66 but it sounds like you have a plumbing problem. Also they must not be locking open since when you accelerate hard they are fading due to vacuum loss. Sounds like someone hooked them up to direct vacuum and bypassed the switch.

If you search this site for vacuum headlights you can find a vac line diagram for 66. Hopefully that will help.

[Otto Skorzeny]

Nicolas,

Here's the cheapest one out there right now. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1969-Oldsmobil ... SwyhNdEY9j

Don't make the mistake of buying a digital copy. They're worthless for doing actual work on a vehicle. You need to be able to flip through it while you're working.

[NicolasB]

Nicolas,

Here's the cheapest one out there right now. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1969-Oldsmobil ... SwyhNdEY9j

Don't make the mistake of buying a digital copy. They're worthless for doing actual work on a vehicle. You need to be able to flip through it while you're working.

Thanks Otto! I’m going to order it now so I can get to work on all the important things asap. Classes don’t start until next month so I gotta make the most of this summer!

[NicolasB]

Since they open and close you can be assured the canisters are ok. Not sure if they are the same as the 66 but it sounds like you have a plumbing problem. Also they must not be locking open since when you accelerate hard they are fading due to vacuum loss. Sounds like someone hooked them up to direct vacuum and bypassed the switch.

If you search this site for vacuum headlights you can find a vac line diagram for 66. Hopefully that will help.

Yeah I think the previous owner played around with it just to make it work. I found a diagram on the forum, but I haven’t gotten to check my car because it’s hot as heck where I live right now haha

[NicolasB]

Update: So it turns out that RockAuto sells the chassis service manual new for about $45, and it comes with both volumes!

[Otto Skorzeny]

That's pretty good although I think they just split the original manual into two parts. The one for my '66 is 3 inches thick.

[Otto Skorzeny]

Thanks for posting that you bought that from Rock Auto. I never knew they sold manuals, let alone 50 + year old reprints.

I looked up my '56 Cadillac, '79 Ford truck, '64 Galaxie, and some random ones I pulled out of thin air like 1937 Packard.

They had them all in reprints for prices less than you'd pay on ebay for ratty looking used ones.

$20 for the '56 Cadillac FSM which is less than I paid for a somewhat beat up original 20 years ago.

I also noticed they have reprint owners manuals for some cars, too.

[NicolasB]

Yeah they offer some pretty good deals on certain stuff, especially with the literature. I think about 25% of the things I bought for my car so far is from RockAuto. It’s unfortunate that they don’t sell fuel tanks for the Toro (as well as any other place on the Internet) because I need a new one. The one that’s on right now is badly dented and is filled with rust inside.

[Otto Skorzeny]

Nicolas,

There are companies out there that restore fuel tanks. Gas Tank Renu is one of them. https://www.gastankrenu.net/

http://www.gas-tank.com/

There are also products available to repair and seal the inside of the tank. Obviously it won't do anything for the dent. My dad used Eastwood's sloshing compound on the '64 Galaxie 20+ years ago and it's perfectly fine.

I used another product on my Cadillac about 14 years ago and there is no breakdown of the product or rust in the fuel line. I don't remember the brand. It was blue.

You also might try finding a salvaged tank.

Go to the Parts section of this forum and look for John Dorcey. He has 50 1966-1970 parts cars. Also, go to Fusick's website. At the very back of the Oldsmobile catalog he lists several sources for salvage Toronado parts.