how do i know if my vacume advanced is working properly

[martin53]

I finally got my 53 dodge truck going but having trouble with air my buddy said it might be my vacuum advanced i was wondering how to test to see if it's good and where to get one

[Plymouthy Adams]

timing light..or vacuum hand pump and visual observation..

[pflaming]

Define / explain visual observation. Does the vacuum move/advance the distributor according to 'sudden' needs? For something to be visual, something must move.

[Young Ed]

If you hook a vacuum source up to the dist and apply it you can watch it move. No movement = bad advance. This needs to be done with the dist cap removed of course.

[Plymouthy Adams]

gee Ed...you beat me to it..I would like to ask instead of define what moves..explain why one would think something would not move inside a sealed vacuum chamber with an actuating rod of course with vacuum applied..in reality what I am saying, is that one needs to understand the function of the individual parts of the many systems that make up the controls and operation of the engine/car..only with knowledge of how it works can you come to understand how to go about the fix. The repair manual should be read cover to cover in my opinion prior to even driving your car..if you have a question..sure you can come to a forum but more precise explainations can be found using a search engine than most here take the time to type in reply...fewer words entered into the search engine also..little left to the imagination..which often is the sole ingredient in confusion..

[Don Coatney]

Define / explain visual observation. Does the vacuum move/advance the distributor according to 'sudden' needs? For something to be visual, something must move.

Connect a hand vacuum generator (as pictured below) to the advance pot. Pump it up and observe the plate the points are bolted to to see if it moves and if it holds vacuum. I have posted the correct way to set the advance curve several times (do a forum search) and the specific curve for your engine can be found in many books and perhaps on the main web page supporting this forum.