New Vacuum Pump option for OM617

[BillGrissom]

Hopefully P-P isn't offended by this info since I don't see them listing a vacuum pump anymore. Last time I saw a new Pierburg pump on ebay, it was >$500 and even rebuild kits for the 1-tube type ask ~$200. People even ask $100 for a used outlet check valve, why most are missing in the salvage yards. If one of those few remaining original M-B owners here who are fussy and enjoy writing big checks, punch out now. Fellow bottom-feeders, who mostly own these cars now, can read on.

Surprised when a new vac pump popped up in an Ali Express ad for ~$100. Never bought from them so suspicious, but people say OK if you check the seller's feedback. Similar to ebay sellers, with less protection, so be aware of scammers there. I ordered one (~$120 w/ shipping) and it arrived as shown in just a few days, from L.A. area so someone must stock a few. I even thought of buying more to flip on ebay for $250 since clueless might think still a great deal, but not that elonish, plus wouldn't do that without first running one 10K miles on my own car. For now it is just a spare.

It looks just like the Pierburg pump, but laser-burned PN letters w/ no brand name. The rubber parts are different colors than the Pierburg, like a black top rubber seal (instead of green) and orange seals in the check valves. Had the same two springs on the piston and appeared to take about the same force to push in the piston as a used Pierburg on my shelf. I didn't disassemble to see what type of piston-seal is used. Pierburg used a special leather & teflon seal, but doesn't mean a modern design wouldn't work fine.

The risk is that the roller bearing can fail to put parts in the engine. When that happens, you hear a rattling. If you catch early, you avoid big damage. Happened in my 1985 (Pierburg pump) and drove ~100 miles before searching for the source of the tapping noise. By then, the arm inside the pump had worn half thru from dragging on the roller-coaster ramp, so don't ignore. Had the arm detached and slid into the timing chain, it can (has) ruin an engine. In my case, I found most of the ball bearings in the oil pan. Tried to find the others with a small magnet-on-stick, but a few are still in the engine, perhaps sitting in the upper oil pan if haven't come out in a later oil change. Anyway, know your risks and don't blame me if you buy this Chinese pump and it fails. I'm just glad to have an affordable option. I had even collected parts to rig an electric vac pump if orphaned.