Is there anyway I could use a piece of metal screen and put it behind the vacuum pump to prevent the bearings from getting into the timing cavity if it let loose? There is no way I could spend $300 right now to buy an updated vacuum pump. I know what can happen if the bearings came out but how often has it actually happened?

I put an ad in the parts discussion looking for a used updated pump though I bet no one will have one they'd spare. I offered to even send them my old one, but we'll see what happens.

Thanks
David

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2000 Honda Accord V6 137k miles

1972 300SEL 4.5 98k miles

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Ask Dean (deanot442) if he has the newer style pump in the SDL that he is parting out. I was over there last Thursday, but, I don't recall which pump was in it.

go to your local bearing specialist store & purchase new bearings
have fitted many sets of bearings to mb vac pumps over the years
just take your time in dismantling & rebuilding. a good vice is a must!
usually replacement bearings are only a couple of £ / $ a piece
hope that helps

I'll try looking for a bearing specialist then. maybe I should put 4 rivets into the cover for future reference if I ever sell the car.

Thanks
David

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2000 Honda Accord V6 137k miles

1972 300SEL 4.5 98k miles

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The inside of the pump is different you cannot just put new bearings in. You really wouldn't gain anything. Just inspect yours and see if it looks good. Then when you have the money replace it.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I think that's the right idea. If you inspect the pump bearings and they are still tight with no real signs of wear you should be OK for a while longer. The rotating cam that actuates the pump lever makes it virtually impossible to make a catch screen. It's not that ALL of these pumps fail, it's just that a fair number of them do and when it happens it makes a mess of your engine. For most of us replacement is easier than regular inspection but IMHO if you have the time and a few extra gaskets doing periodic inspections could allow a lot more safe time on your original pump.

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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

I'll buy a gasket next time I'm at the dealer then. Thanks for the advice guys. I think this thread could be beneficial for the archives so I'll leave it.

Thanks
David

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2000 Honda Accord V6 137k miles

1972 300SEL 4.5 98k miles

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Just to put your mind at ease I found no wear on my original pump when I changed it in the mid 230k's.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

when mine broke it fell into the cam chain, broke that and pistons hit valves and broke the cam and cam towers. it was going to be 1,500 to just fix the damage so i pulled the engine and went through it. $$$... this was 10 years ago. if it happened today i prob woudl just fix the prob. as i have found that the bottom end almost never goes south.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

hat guy is offering the most practical and common sense suggestion here. It's not too much trouble to pull the pump and inspect it. Then if it ain't broke don't fix it, but if it IS broke, I'm sure you can come up with $300 easier than the several thousand that it would take to replace the motor.

Common sense prevails,

Larry, that is what I'm planning to do and is obviously the most logical.

Thanks
David

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2000 Honda Accord V6 137k miles

1972 300SEL 4.5 98k miles

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I'm not sure mileage comes into play. Hattie did not notice any wear on his pump, but my 300SDL's grenaded at 230k and thankfully did not destroy my engine!

turbodiesel, what exactly happened? Just a loss of vacuum from the pump?

Thanks
David

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2000 Honda Accord V6 137k miles

1972 300SEL 4.5 98k miles

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Yes.. didn't even know anything happened, no noises or anything. I just went to hit my brakes and the pedal was rock hard like there was no vacuum. I knew immidately what had just happened. Thankfully I did not have to "panic stop" at that moment. I limped the 2 miles home.

When you removed the pump, one of the bearing/s were missing? Did you drop the pan then? I need to pull my oil pan as the PO hit something and tried to rivet a steel plate to it then seal it with epoxy. It doesn't seem to be holding so I wanted to remove the pan and clean it well then go over the crack or what-not with JB-weld or have it professionally welded. A new pan is $300, yikes. If you did drop the pan, did you have to jack the engine up to clear the cross-bar or were you able to slide it out the front once all the bolts were removed.

Thanks
David

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2000 Honda Accord V6 137k miles

1972 300SEL 4.5 98k miles

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