i have a 97 2dr with the 3 button 4wd. ive tried searching all related questions regarding actuator and vacuum issues. here comes mine.

ive located the T on the firewall, seen the line going into the fire wall, seen the "bulb" on the hood, seen the line off the intake mani. ive even found the line behind the block that was capped off from the factory (im assuming). i pulled the battery and the plate underneath, located the actuator. its holds air just fine. the funny part is

THERES NO VACUUM LINE?!?!?!

i have no clue where its at, where it has gone etc. i looked all over, in the bumper, fender, under the motor etc. what can i do now?

can i T tap another line from over by the "bulb" and run a line over?

does someone have a diagram as to where the lines run so that maybe i can pick it up somewhere if its broken?

im in vancouver, right across the columbia from portland oregon. so im on the tail end of this winter storm, but its still nasty snow and ice outside. any help would be fantastic.

 

cmon, someone has to have a recommendation. i really dont want to start fabbing my own solutions if there is a proper way to do this.

 

Lots of threads about this. The line from the actuator runs down to the transfer case switch. If you cannot find the line, then make a new one that goes down there. Done. Of course, you will have to supply the switch with vacuum which is most likely where the other line off of the "T" goes.

And just to cover another question in case you cannot find the threads on the vacuum switch. The switch is located on top of the transfer case towards the driver side. It can be fun to get to. Hopefully it is still there and has the proper 3-hose fitting on the end of it. Or else you will have to go junkyard hopping to get a replacement.

 

ok, when you say "line" are you speaking of the hard line (cable) that goes to the transfer case? if so that is still there. im speaking of the vacuum line that goes into the actuator.

where does this hose going into the actuator come from? the transfer case switch?

can i just T off a vacuum line from the canister straight to the actuator?

i dont want to do this half *** so i want to make sure im on the same page as you.

i did search "vacuum actuator" on here and nothing seems to come close to what im looking for. the HOSE going into the vacuum actuator is missing, id like to trace this hose back to where it came from to see if it was cut off, fell off etc. if so ill run new hose the proper way as the it came from the factory. IF i cant find the line id like to know if i can T off the hoses going to the vacuum canister and run a line along the firewall, down the fender and to the actuator. im all about making sure its done right the first time, so i want to ask as many questions as possible. im very active on the major BMW forums (hence the name) and have built a few of them in my day, i understand forums are valuable and the first rule is to "search" before you ask. every thread ive seen where a actuator is concerned has been a loss of vacuum, a ATC problem or a blown actuator. my question is a bit different.

 

line == vacuum line.

Unless you want your front axle to always be engaged, you need to take the vacuum line to the switch on the transfer case. As I said already, the capped off vacuum line you found off one side of the T you have located off of the intake.

Just to take this all the way, here are a few diagrams for you: