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Write Up: Easy 97-01 Vacuum Ball / Canister Relocation

freerider15

NAXJA Forum User
Location
FoCo, Crawlorado
Like many, I needed to relocate my vacuum ball (I like my heat and A/C) in my DD.

I purchased a new ball off Amazon for ~$10, since the two that came in the parts pile of the Jeep were broken.

I wanted something clean, and actually mounted versus just having it "float" around in the engine bay.

After about 15 seconds of looking around, a location dinged on me.

This can be done in 5-10 minutes, is clean, and takes all of 6" or so of vacuum hose to do.

First step: remove the tee near the cruise control actuator, and plug it directly into the feed line. You'll notice the white tee sitting on the PDC, with a black adapter nipple.

48324881686_0c69ced555_b.jpg


From there, there are two bolts on the firewall that are where the HVAC box comes through the firewall (10mm nuts)

It just so happens, the vacuum ball bolt spacing fits these studs. Bolting the vacuum ball there is the part that takes the longest (bottom bolt is a little bit of a paint to get to once the ball is in. Since my XJ is dark blue, pictures of these studs and the ball mounted don't show up the greatest, but see below.

I removed the top nut, and loosened the bottom to where the ball would slide on. Then affix the top nut:

Notes:

1.) Make sure you bolt it oriented the correct way. I wasn't paying attention and bolted it in the first time with the vacuum nipples facing down.

2.) You'll want to push the A/C accumulator towards the passenger side a little before completely tightening the bottom but, to ensure the accumulator and the vacuum ball don't touch (and thus end up in cracked plastic from vibration). The bottom nut it what secured the accumulator in position.

From there, there is another tee that sits just up under the firewall lip, that is another HVAC controls line that runs to the interior.

Take the white tee you removed (remove the black adapter nipple) near the PDC, a small section of the old vacuum ball plastic hose, and splice it into the vacuum line next to the existing tee there like so (new tee on right):

48324881631_7c1e634cc3_b.jpg


Take another small section of the old plastic vacuum line, and push it into the bottom of the tee. From there, simply connect a piece of vacuum hose from that tee, to the vacuum ball (the ball can be seen in the picture below).

48324881556_d126cca743_b.jpg


Then tuck it all back up under, and voila...all done.

48325005052_8829259e86_b.jpg


It's like it was meant to go there :D
 
some years will have the charcoal canister in that location. I just deleted the vac ball all together.
 
On the 97+, the charcoal canister if right in front of the gas tank.

That's what I thought till I found a 97 5 speed in the junkyard with the charcoal canister in the engine bay, now I dont know if someone had relocated it there as they had an air compressor under the jeep by the gas tank and airbags in the jeep. But it looked rather factory and had the round early style can in it.
 
That's what I thought till I found a 97 5 speed in the junkyard with the charcoal canister in the engine bay, now I dont know if someone had relocated it there as they had an air compressor under the jeep by the gas tank and airbags in the jeep. But it looked rather factory and had the round early style can in it.

my 97 was under the hood.
buddies 98 was by the gas tank.
 
1988 vacuum ball was in the front bumper on passenger side. Now zip tied under hood by oil filter.
 
Nice! Unfortunately, my charcoal canister is there on my 97.

Relocated mine to the pocket against the firewall on the passenger side. Cut the hard plastic line nearby (which was cracked near the battery anyway) and plugged it in. Fits tight enough that I didn't even bother securing it to anything as there's nowhere for it to go with the hood down.

While you're in there, don't forget to replace the check valve on the manifold as well. Mine had failed and the vents would cut out after a couple of seconds of WOT. Now I can climb most grades and never see the vents go away.
 
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