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Old 04-26-2004, 07:31 PM
lrg lrg is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 1,163
Joe,
The pump is pretty easy to remove and replace. If it's making noise as you describe it's unlikely it can be rebuilt. The later OM603 ('86 and later 6 cylinder) engines are almost always destroyed when the vac pump lets go but the earlier 5 cylinder OM617 engines (as standard on the '85 300D) have more of the pump body outside the engine so you have a sporting chance a total pump failure won't take the engine with it. That said, Wes is right, there is still a very good chance when the pump goes it will spit parts into the timing chain, breaking the chain and causing damage beyond what the car is worth. The fix may be as simple as installing a new vac pump or a bit more complicated. There is a concentric cam that runs off the injection pump that actuates a lever on the pump. Sometimes (fortunately not often) these cams can get damaged and need replacing. While not terribly expensive, it turns a simple pump replacement job into something more complicated (setting the injection timing and harder to access parts). As an experienced mechanic you should be able to make any repairs (including the cam replacement) without major drama. Don't, however, wait for the pump to totally let go because there's a good chance the next stop will be a junkyard. If you buy the car have the seller drive it to your location (that way if it blows up it's his problem). Then buy yourself a shop manual CD and fix the pump before you drive it again. Good luck.
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LRG
1987 300D Turbo 175K
2006 Toyota Prius, efficent but no soul
1985 300 TDT(130K miles of trouble free motoring)now sold
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