Hi Gang,
A lady friend brought a '86 245 over for me to look at. Her brakes were hard and high but poor stopping power.
I pulled the vacuum hose off the brake booster thinking that the engine would die with such a big vacuum leak but it didn't.
I put my finger over the end of the hose and could feel a little vacuum.
When I pulled the intake manifold end of the hose off the engine died as it should.
The vacuum hose had collapsed on the inside.
"new" junkyard vacuum hose and she was back on the road and she said I was her hero.
cheers
Hank