Hey all,

Any of you experienced vacuum pump excessive noise on an om606? I've been chasing a loud cackling noise from the front area of the engine. Used a stethoscope, and it seems as those the clanking marbles sound is coming directly from the vacuum pump (it appears to be loudest right on the body of the pump).

I'm curious as to what these pumps typically sound like when they start to fail and make loud noises, or if this is even a common occurrence. I guess the next step would be to remove the pump and check the internals

-rob

Sooner than later might be better for an inspection.

Sounds like you've found a problem. Hopefully you've caught it before the driving face of the IP timer has been destroyed, that will double the cost of the repair.

__________________
Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

If you've isolated the noise to the VP, STOP DRIVING THE CAR! If it takes a dump on you, you may be engine shopping. Seriously.

Pull the VP and check the condition of the roller and the face cam. If the face cam is chewed up or has flat spots on it, it must be replaced. VP failure can be serious.

__________________
Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

Thanks for the responses, all. I parked the car last night after it became apparent that the noise was coming from the pump! Not going to take chances. I'll take it off today and report back

Any of you tried an electric vacuum pump solution? I feel as though that would end up being a much safer alternative to the marble destruction device that is our vacuum pumps....

Given the lifespan and extreme reliability of the mechanical vacuum pump, I don't think an electric one will give you anything above and beyond what the original system provided. Add in the amount of metered "leaks" that Mercedes uses in the A/C, boost, transmission, and EGR controls and the electric pump is going to run nearly constantly when the car is in operation. Doesn't sound like a recipe for a long lifespan to me. Most of the cars that use electric pumps are for the brakes and maybe a couple of vacuum pods in the HVAC system.

__________________
Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

I did a test with an elec vaccum pump for a few weeks in my 85 300D. My conclusion was that it is a viable solution with the caveat success or failure depends on how leaky your VCV is. I forget the duty cycle mine was running at, I think it was around 50%. I wrote a post on my test. Unfortunately photobucket pics in my posts no longer works.

__________________
85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

[IMG][/IMG]

Ohhh god.....well, found the problem! However, not sure where the bearings went :/
By the way, never run the engine with the vacuum pump off. I learned the hard way in my haste that there is an oil jet pointed right at the vacuum pump housing...made a mess lol

Anyways, are there a grand total of 12 small ball-bearings I should be looking for? So glad nothing has come in contact with the timing components yet...

Umm.....the chunks missing from the bearing carrier sure indicate that SOMETHING was dragging against the roller-coaster cam......better go back and take a closer look!

__________________
Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

Ahhhhhhh! Well I took a look at the IP gear...it looks OK, I guess. I didn't see any chunks missing or gouges

What year OM606? I think they redesigned the pump in '97.

As for the chunks and bearings... They are HOPEFULLY in the oil pan and not somewhere else going to reek havoc.

__________________
Only diesels in this driveway.
2005 E320 CDI 243k Black/Black
2008 Chevy 3500HD Duramax 340k
2004 Chevy 2500HD Duramax 220k

1995 - same pump as the previous om60x engines, correct?

You need to be looking at the face cam (the roller coaster part in the center part of the geared part). If it is damaged (which it appears to be from the material missing on the pump), it has to be replaced before you replace the pump or you'll be right back here in the same boat in a very short period of time.

__________________
Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

Ok. Thanks for the info. I'll take a look at the cam section of the gear again. I did before, and it looked ok. I didn't feel or see any damaged areas of the cam, but I'll make absolutely sure