Cause
Torn bypass valve diaphragm
The rubber diaphragm inside a vacuum-operated bypass or recirculation valve, split so the valve can no longer be held by vacuum. The diaphragm is the moving element — vacuum on one side pulls it against a spring — so a tear means the valve stays wherever the spring puts it regardless of what is commanded.
It is also a vacuum leak, which is the second half of the fault and the part that confuses the diagnosis: the torn diaphragm admits air into the control circuit, so other vacuum-operated devices sharing that supply become sluggish too. A set of vacuum actuators all behaving weakly points at one leaking diaphragm rather than at all of them failing together.
Test it with a hand pump at the actuator. It should hold vacuum indefinitely and move fully; one that will not hold has a torn diaphragm, and one that holds but does not move is jammed. The rubber perishes with heat and age, so this is a wear-out failure rather than a defect, and a valve of the same age on the same engine is usually not far behind.
Typically a moderate job.
Codes this can cause (2)
Codes where this is a likely explanation first, rather than merely a possible one.
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