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Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) New Vacuum Pump Seals DONE!

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BigPapa

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Today I replaced my VP seals. I separated the VP and PS pump before removing the VP using these instructions that someone else posted on another website:



1. Remove four nuts securing Power Steering Pump (PSP) to Vacuum Pump (VP). Studs may back out of PSP. Just thread back in. Leave all PSP hoses connected. There is a spring aft of PSP on the injection pump that can get in the way. Disconnect and let hang. Do not separate PSP from VP yet.



2. Remove VP supply line and oil line at the bottom of VP. You may need to back up the fitting (7/16) at the bottom of the VP and then remove the oil line (9/16). You will get some oil drainage so be ready with a small pan.



3. Remove lower bolt attaching VP to gear case. Loosen but do not remove upper bolt completely as this will allow the whole assembly to hang down at an angle providing more room to separate the assy.



4. Gently separate PSP from VP taking care not to scar the sealing surface becoming visible attached to the PSP. Rest PSP on engine mount.



5. Remove upper bolt on VP and remove from vehicle.



6. Keep things clean. Remove two bolts and separate VP halves.



7. Set the PSP side (four legs) of VP face down on bench. Fit a deep socket (large as possible) through the hole in the center and drive the center section holding the seal from the outer housing.



8. Remove old seal and press in new. Clean all o-rings and lightly lube with grease including inside diameter of new seal and sealing surface on PSP.



9. Install center drive star and seal center section into housing. Assemble both halves of VP making sure there is no dirt inside the VP.



10. Install components in opposite order of removal. Clock drive fingers on PSP to VP to help in mating PSP to VP.



11. You just saved yourself $1000!!!!!



I had read all the threads I could find on the TDR and the general consensus was to remove both pumps as a unit and put them back in as a unit. This method involved removing or cutting the PS hoses which sounded awfully messy and alot of trouble. I removed the driver side battery and the turbo pipe between the intercooler and the intake horn and the bracket for the spring that is mentioned above. The biggest problem I had was getting to the upper bolt closest to the engine that holds the PS pump to the VP. Both the bolts on the engine side were easiest to get to from below. If you had a stubby 15mm box end wrench you might could get it loose from above. I had read that the oil line for the VP had caused some people some major problems so I had a new line and fitting on hand just in case but mine came loose very easily. I used a standard open end wrench on it from below. I don't see how you could get a line wrench on it. I put the two pumps back together before bolting the VP back on so that I could turn the gear on the front of the VP in order to line up the drive dogs on the PS pump. Never spilled a drop of PS fluid. All in all it was a pretty straight forward job. It took me a little over 3 hours but I feel I could probably cut that in half if I had to do it again.



Don't be scared!

Scott
 
Today I finished installing my vacuum pump with the new seal and "o" rings purchased from Pete Gould. I took two days to do the job, one day to clean the engine of the leaking oil and removal of the vacuum pump and finally to clean and rebuild the pump with the seal and "o" rings. The second day I installed the pump using your instructions posted a while ago. The one thing I did that I believe was somewhat different than what you may have done, was that the gasket used between the vacuum pump and engine flange was glued to the flange on the pump with Red RTV. This was done in order to keep the gasket from moving around when I went to reinstall the pump. I used very little sealent on the flange, just enough to hold the gasket flat on the flange. By doing this it was easy to install the pump without having to worry about the gasket moving. I applied the sealent to the gasket the day before so it would have time to dry and hold the gasket in place really well. Thanks for the info you posted, I really do appreciate the help.
 
Thanks for that idea. I have my rig all apart and have been studying on how to get that booger back together without wrecking the new gasket. I think I'll try what you suggested.



I'm also trying to solve a PS fluid prob at the same time and found the rubber o-ring on the pressure line was cracked and bad. Hope this all works. Wal Mart wants to designate a special parking space for me so I don't oil slick the whole lot.
 
I did this two years ago from the kit from Pete Gould and it has worked great with no leaks, you will be glad you did it.
 
It sounds like I may need to find this Pete Gould fella... My driver's side psp/vp/frame/engine/etc is an oily mess. Is that likely caused by these o-rings? I cannot even begin to tell where the oil is coming from.

Also, I have managed to come up with a hydroboost to replace my vacuum brake booster and would like to install it. Can a later model ps pump with the addtional return line fitting be mounted in place of my current ps pump?
 
SRath - I finished mine yesterday. I can tell you this leak on mine was so bad (oil everywhere) that I was very concerned there was more than one problem. It solved them all. It's not a fun job, particularly working in the mess, but you'll be glad you did it.
 
I bought the kit from fixingrams.com and it was really easy to put on and I did the KDP at the same time. If I remember right the kit included a DVD stating how to make the repair, I don't know about the later model PS Pump. The 12 valves are known to leak in the vacuum pump and the Gould kit fixes that correctly also you might get the kit at Geno's garage.
 
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So is this seal repair kit just a replacement parts kit, or does it improve on the stock design? Will I be dealing with another leak eventually?
 
It is a double lipped seal. From what I have seen the higher priced kits from fixnrams and others are just repackaged Cummins parts. Seals are wear items. I have to replace mine about every 150k.
 
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