Diagnosing/troubleshooting As mentioned, a lot of different faults can be found with a vacuum gauge, because the behavior of the needle

is different from one fault to another. Here are the seven most common scenarios (engine idling and warm): 1. Steady needle, at 15-22 inHg: Engine in good condition. (An engine with long-duration camshaft will have a lower vacuum and a less steady needle, maybe 10-15 inHg with a few jerks. Thats still an engine in good condition) 2. Steady needle, lower than normal: Ignition timing too late or vacuum leak 3. Steady needle like in 1. but occasionally fluctuates at idle: Ignition miss or sticking valve 4. Steady needle like in 1. but drops regularly: Valves need adjustment or burnt valve 5. Floating needle, maybe in the range of 10-20 inHg: Carb out of adjustment or vacuum leakage 6. Shaking needle, becomes worse as rpm increases: Ignition miss, blown head gasket 7. Shaking needle, becomes steady as rpm increases: Worn valve guides If Im out driving and suddenly the engine behaves differently, then I first check the vacuum gauge, then I know where to start looking

Many of the tuning actions that I talk about in this book do involve using a vacuum gauge. While a vacuum gauge seldom can tell you the absolutely perfect ignition timing, it can get you close and save you a few test trips at the track. In the example in the chapter Testing I test all the way from 12 degrees advanced to 3 degrees retarded from my baseline setting. Without a doubt a vacuum gauge could have narrowed that down, probably vacuum would drop noticeably outside the 0-10 degree range vs. the baseline, and I would have saved a few test runs. Mostly I adjust carburetor idle mixture and ignition timing simply by turning the screws and the distributor until maximum vacuum is achieved. Thats a real good starting point, and will give me an enjoyable drive to the track where the fine tuning takes place as described in the chapter Testing.