'96 855 T5 - Vacuum - does it matter where it comes from?

[Sommerfeldt]

I'm moving some things around and trying to clean up my engine bay a little. A lot, in fact. I'm planning to move the battery to the back (it's already "sideways"), and getting an enclosed CAI that can utilize that space. I've installed a new catch can, but it's a right mess in these bays...

So, I'm thinking about getting a vacuum station, and have everything possible run from that. So the question... does it matter where the vacuum comes from? Can I run brake booster, boost gauge, FPR, turbo diaphragm and so on from that same station?
Obviously things like the TCV needs its specific connections to things, and also the vacuum from intake manifold to intake tube, but is there any reason everything else couldn't pick up from the same place?

- S

[abscate]

I think the FPR and turbo vacuum have to come from specific places. The rest won't matter too much.

That's an educated (?) guess

[Sommerfeldt]

Well, the FPR isn't making much of a mess anyway, so that's fine, I guess.
The recirc valve on the turbo is picking up from the front of the engine, above the big port for the brake booster, so I'm guessing that can be moved?

- S

[Ozark Lee]

Engine vacuum is not a constant. It is very different at idle when compared to cruising speed or WOT and many functions, particularly the boost control, are tied to the vacuum level. The power brakes don't much care where it comes from and the booster is like a big vacuum "capacitor" that tries to maintain a vacuum level no matter the driving condition. Throttle position has largely changed the engine performance tuning that used to be vacuum controlled but there are still some functions that actually need it,

If you go back in the "wayback" machine some of the early implementations of windshield wipers were run off of manifold vacuum and they had the neat feature that they would stop working when you floored the car. Worked great at the stop light though.

...Lee