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why remove vacuum pump

P

pitsingerk

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Alright guys, now that my burban is running good, I'm looking into the maintenance / upkeep. I see a lot of posts about removing the vacuum pump, but when I did a search as to why to remove it, I did not find anything. I'm not a patient guy, so I quit looking and started typing. I know with the Fords, you have to have the pump for brakes, heating controls, etc. Why is it that we can remove these from the GM's and what is the bennefit of doing so.

Another question, why do my wipers not always return to the home position?
 
the 8th digit of your vin will tell you what engine you have, S vin or F
on the 'S' vin trucks it operates EGR(emissions) and wastegate actuator
on the 'F' vin trucks it only operates the wastegate actuator

If you want to remove it, you'll have to convert to a mechanically (spring) controlled wastegate actuator, such as the turbo master, to manually control boost. You can do this with an F vin without any problems ( i did it myself ) but if you have an S vin you will need to bypass the EGR as well
 
Last edited:
chris4521 said:
the 4th digit of your vin will tell you what engine you have, S vin or F
on the 'S' vin trucks it operates EGR(emissions) and wastegate actuator
on the 'F' vin trucks it only operates the wastegate actuator

If you want to remove it, you'll have to convert to a mechanically (spring) controlled wastegate actuator, such as the turbo master, to manually control boost. You can do this with an F vin without any problems ( i did it myself ) but if you have an S vin you will need to bypass the EGR as well
Click to expand...

It's the 8th digit. If you have an F engine you can remove it and go with a turbo master to control your boost. On an S engine you have to have a custom chip or flash to remove it or else you will throw codes. Since you have a BURB you have an F engine.
 
And as far as the wipers go, it's probably the small circuit board on the wiper motor itself, in the engine compartment. I don't think they are very expensive, and if you are handy, easily repairable. There's probably a thread here somewhere about it.

Art
 
4:10 gears on a suburban? there is some low end grunt on that burban!

I would recommend the vacuum delete and go with the mechanical wastegate actuator. It is worth the $$$ and very easy to do yourself.
 
The mechanical wastegate actuators are very popular, and a lot of guys like them.

As you may know, the wastegate is the 'valve' which permits the total boost pressure on a turbocharger to be controlled. In the 6.5, it was designed to be controlled by computer, with independent control of the boost. This is theoretically superior, because it allows you to boost the pressure when needed for performance, but to back off on boost when you don't need it, thus reducing pressure and wear on the engine.

The problem is that GM's strategy was to use a vacuum-controlled wastegate, and has had reliability problems, with the vacuum pump, vacuum tubing, and solenoids, all of which are prone to failures.

The reason why people go to a mechanical wastegate controller (which simply uses a spring which releases when the mechanical pressure on the spring exceeds its preset limit) is that people report that the boost pressure is more consistent and predictable. Others say that if you have a good, operating vacuum system, that you can get a ECU which gives more aggressive boost when properly programmed.

My opinion is that the manual wastegate controllers are by definition more reliable since they have fewer parts and complexity. However, if your goal is ultimate control of boost under all conditions, then theoretically the best method is some kind of system which is independent from other contributing factors, such as engine speed, etc. Therefore, the vacuum system is theoretically better for independent control of boost. The problem is that I don't think that ECUs have really been programmed to operate with the stock system as a cohesive unit. In other words, the best ECUs (Heath?) don't advertise that they have been programmed for use with the stock system. The marketing materials say to me that they work OK with the stock system, but they really recommend that you go with a manual control. They don't explain WHY. Because to me, you should be able to use the factory system to get just as high a boost as with the manual controllers, and you could also automatically back off on boost if it is getting too high, since you have a sensor for boost pressure in the system.

I do agree this doesn't have a definitive answer.

-Rob :)
 
Another main reason we ditch the V-pump which hasn't been covered here is less things to break.

The V-PUMP will fail. So why not eliminate it to prevent that fail. You are also taking work away from the crank, as little as it may be.

I noticed DRAMATIC decrease in EGT temps by a few hundred simply by going to manual boost. However, may have lost a mpg. I'll trade MPG for longevity/reliability any day of the week, even Monday.
 
I never had a manual wastegate actuator. I kept the vacuum actuator and it worked just fine as long as a line wasnt cracked or broken, but easily fixable.

I have an Engh Motors chip, and it worked awesome with the vacuum setup. I would hit 17+ psi boost, but still have only about 4psi while cruising 70MPH. Like said before that is the benefit, adjustable levels.

Now I have the A Team Turbo with no wastegate so no need for any actuator and I removed the vacuum pump. Now its one less thing to worry about.

So although the vacuum system can work just fine, its up to you. If getting a Heath tune best to go with manual controller.
 
buddy said:
I never had a manual wastegate actuator. I kept the vacuum actuator and it worked just fine as long as a line wasnt cracked or broken, but easily fixable.

I have an Engh Motors chip, and it worked awesome with the vacuum setup. I would hit 17+ psi boost, but still have only about 4psi while cruising 70MPH. Like said before that is the benefit, adjustable levels.

Now I have the A Team Turbo with no wastegate so no need for any actuator and I removed the vacuum pump. Now its one less thing to worry about.

So although the vacuum system can work just fine, its up to you. If getting a Heath tune best to go with manual controller.
Click to expand...

I agree. I contemplated putting my factory system back together after I possibly noticed the truck being less peppy, and tad loss in mileage.

The dramatic drop in EGT's due to more airflowing through the engine (more consistant boost) didn't make me think again about it.

The fact that the computer can adjust boost is good, however the system isn't as good as it could have been. It seems to find the desired boost by constantly fluctuating the vacuum, instead of fine tuning it.

Given modern computers and updated technologies, if this system was designed today, it probably would result in a great MPG boost by fine tuning the desired boost to the desired amount of fuel.
 
You wiper motors issue, where do the wipers stop? Mine stop in a home position higher than how far down they go when wiping. This is different on my other vehicles, where home for the wipers is lower than when wiping.
 
The vacuum system works great when running a custom tune designed to work with the vac system. Will the pump fail? Mine failed at 170k, but my alternator failed at 75k, should I remove my alternator? I chose to go with the A-team turbo instead of replacing the vacuum pump, but I had the money set aside, and I tow, so it seemed like the best choice. It wasn't because I was unhappy with the performance of my vac controlled waste gate. It is nice to have less parts to worry about now, though.
 
Vacuum pumps suck...uh, performance when needlessly turned and can fail taking out your serpentine belt.
 
Pulled mine off today because I was afraid it would fail and throw the belt. Playing with it, it feels like a simple diaphragm type pump. So, correct me if (and when) I'm wrong, but wouldn't a failure just cause the diaphragm to leak by, not allowing it to build vacuum? I don't see how it would seize the pulley, it looked to me more like it would just freewheel.
 
Detroit Dan said:
Pulled mine off today because I was afraid it would fail and throw the belt. Playing with it, it feels like a simple diaphragm type pump. So, correct me if (and when) I'm wrong, but wouldn't a failure just cause the diaphragm to leak by, not allowing it to build vacuum? I don't see how it would seize the pulley, it looked to me more like it would just freewheel.
Click to expand...

Must be bearings of some sort there?
 
Mine failed a few years back and made a hell of a racket. And I mean a lot of noise. I don't think it was bearings as the belt was running true. Anyway, I have since deleted it. Anyone need a good used one? :smile5:

Art
 
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