Swelled up vacuum lines?

[jimpl]

I have a '93 Explorer 4lt. V6.
There is a fitting on the drivers side, rear of the engine, with several vacuum ports. All of the rubber vacuum caps, rubber connecters, and the rubber line going to my cruise control, are swelled up, and feel kinda "jellied".
Is there a common reason for that?
My power steering unit has leaked a little for several years, so fluid from that might be getting back there, but it doesn't look like it. It looks like the insides are wet.
I think I can hear vacuum from inside the car. When I pop the hood, I can't hear it. It might be from the brake booster. Is it normal for it to bypass some air?
Jim

 

[jimpl]

I might have answered my own question on the swelled up lines. I searched and someone said it's the "transmission vacuum modulator" leaking.
Well what a coincidence. A few days ago I had to add trans fluid.
Is it possible I could be hearing that from inside the car?
JIm

 

[Roadrunner777]

I could be wrong on this, food for thought. I think there is a vacuum line going to the a/c&heating controls for a inside/outside air door. If I heard a vacuum hiss inside, I would maybe think about that. I can look into that some more later today. Just wanted to throw that out there.

 

[jimpl]

I could be wrong on this, food for thought. I think there is a vacuum line going to the a/c&heating controls for a inside/outside air door. If I heard a vacuum hiss inside, I would maybe think about that. I can look into that some more later today. Just wanted to throw that out there.

Ahh the plot thickens!
So I might have more than one thing going on. (no surprise)
It doesn't really sound like it's under the dash, and the door operates ok.
HMMM!
Yep now that I can hear it, I find myself constantly listening when I'm in the car. Maybe it'll get worse, and be obvious, and easy to fix!

 

[FIND]

Roadrunner is right, your vent controls are run by vacuum. On the vacuum tree leading off your upper intake manifold, usually the outside rear line goes to your heater controls. Just try and trace the lines leading off. A couple should lead under the upper intake manifold, one to the brake booster, one down towards the bellhousing of your transmission, and the last should lead along the firewall, that is the one you want to unhook. Cap off the port you pull that line off of to eliminate any idling problems.

If you hear no hissing after getting the line unhooked, then your problem isn't with your vacuum. To be sure that you have unhooked the correct line, adjust your vent controls to make sure they aren't working. You can sustain a small leak loud enough to hear, but small enough for the doors to still operate by the way.

 

[jimpl]

Now I have an after work, while having a couple brews project today!
Thanks,
Jim

 

[jimpl]

My big leak was the swelled up hose going to the cruise control. replaced it and all the sound went away.
I bought a trans. vac. modulator. I thought it was going to be a piece of cake. Only 1 screw, right?
Well with the exhaust pipe in the way, you can't even see the darn thing, much less the screw. I ended up using a mirror and a flashlight. Then when the old modulator popped out, oil went everywhere, I jerked out of the way to try to stay dry, and lost the little pin on the end of it. After lots of searching a cussing, I finally found it on top of the transmission!
Then during trying to install the new one, I lost it again!
2nd time through, I got it stabbed. That little 10 minute job took me about 2hours!
But it works now, and that's one less vacuum leak, and no more tranny oil going into my engine.
Jim