Vacuum pump rebuild kit -who has them
 

I have been looking for a rebuild kit for my 87 300td and can't find one. Do i have to go to the dealer? I think it would still be cheaper then a new or rebuilt pump.

Click at the top of the page where is says " fastlane' and ask Phil to send you one....

I tried searching up there but only came up with the whole pump $310.

Call and ask. Phil can get lots of stuff that isn't listed on the web site.

Yes, calling Phil will certainly get you one, but I would NOT buy a kit before removing and inspecting the pump. You want to ensure that the roller is solid in its mount and rolls smoothly. If it is not, REPLACE THE PUMP. If that roller comes loose, it can very easily find its way into the engine and destroy it.

It's not worth saving a few hundred dollars only to lose a few thousand dollars worth of engine.

Good luck,

The Pierburg pump for my 602 was about $240 or so from epsparts.com last year. I believe Pierburg is the OE supplier for these things. Replacement was not too tough, use the blue hylomar as a sealant for the gasket. If you get the "old-style" metal gasket with a large area that is designed to act as a dam for the oil, you can "update" with a tin-snipper.

From what I hear, the gasket the dealer sells is not metal and does not have this "dam" feature. I was too lazy to run and the "special" gasket, just modified the one I got in the box.

i just put a new vacuum pump in my '86 SDL. I had read here that it is a very good idea to change the vacuum pump in the 603 engines if they are older than 185,000 ish miles. There were horror stories of pumps breaking apart and spitting metal parts into the rest of the engine.
After looking at the condition of my pump I believe it. The bearing that rides on the wave shaped cylinder and surrounding housing were badly pitted and cracked and small parts were gone from the housing. The wavy cylinder is still very worn, it is not so wavy anymore. I would guess that some metal hunks have found their way into the engine, I don't know when, and they dont seem to have done any harm, but I see how it could be major trouble. Other posters seem to be correct when they advise changing the pump as soon as possible. I would at least pull the pump and make sure it is in good shape on the inside. I have rebuilt a 617 pump and it was cake - but the pump guts were in good shape.
When I got the new pump the directions noted that it is an updated part. Also true. The guts are different.

On a related note - does anyone know if the wavy cylinder from a 617 vac pump is the same as the one on the 603? I am talking about the cam-like thing that drives the lever inside back and forth.