Can someone please explain to me how to change a vacuum pump on my 97 7.3? Also where is the best place to purchase a new pump?

 

This is one thing that I do know how to do. I got stranded on a hunting trip in a Shucks parking lot. You will need a small pulley puller, Strap wrench, and if I remember right a number 10 ratchet wrench and socket. Remove the belt unbolt vacume pump. Set pump on a bench or tailgate use the puller to remove pulley. Now I was told that the pulley had to be pressed onto the new pump but I beg to differ. Lube the shaft get the pulley started then mount the pump use a rubber strap wrench to hold the pulley then start tightening down the bolt into the shaft and the pulley will slowly but surely walk into place. Next install belt and check belt for proper alignment to pulley.
If you want to tighten the pulley down off the rig make sure you set all mounting bolts in holes prior to tightening down the pulley otherwise you will not get two of the in.

Hopefully this helps and not just confusing. I had to figure it out in 20* weather 250 miles from home on a Saturday in a town of like 1000.
If I can do it dont worry you will have no problem.

 

i bought my replacement pump new off eBay...around $70 iirc. the one thing i do remember hearing from the other guys on here was that it is a good idea to replace the pump and pulley as a unit. i got the pulley from ford, about $30. then we borrowed the tool kit from auto zone, and it's been good since.

 

Why was it necessary to change the pulley? A pulley is a pulley unless it's damaged. Of course, you wouldn't need a pulley puller if you installed a new pulley, but the cost goes up.

Please enlighten me if I'm wrong.

Rog

 

I kept my old pulley. I did however buy a pulley taker offer and a pulley putter onner. I think the pulley puller was fairly generic and the putter onner was marketed as a power steering pump pulley tool.

 

You dont need to replace the pulley unless its damaged!! and the puller/installer is a good tool to have around it also takes care of the power steering pump pulleys and vacuum pumps

 

maybe the others will chime in...cuz i don't quite remember since it was a while ago, i just remember to being strongly encouraged to go ahead and do both. but, true to form, my whole vacuum pump was, ummm, not in the greatest shape when it came out, so maybe i had damaged the pulley. the pump kept spitting it out and then the fan would chop up the drive belt...i think there were bearings missing and such. when i break things, i destroy them! lol

 

Thanks for the reply's. Does anyone have a diagram of where the bolts on the pump are and which pulley to pull? I know what the pump looks like just unsure which pulley needs to be removed.

 

Maybe this helps your:
Death of a vacuum pump pictures from trucks photos on webshots

 

I just heated up the pulley with a cutting torch and took it off then put it on the new one.

 

Rog , Its impossible to know how many times the pulley has been removed , each time it is removed & pressed back on ,it stretches a bit each time . eventually wont stay on ...

I decide based on how hard it comes off ...

 

This is what the tools look like ...

The one on the left is the puller , the other is the putter on er...

 

Yea thats sounda about right, on my psd it was a bitch to pull off i was scared the puller was gonna explode!!

 

Pump is on the top driver's side of the engine. It will be the top right-hand pulley as you're standing in front of the truck.

I recollect there are 3 mounting bolts on the front of the pump. Pulley does need to come off because one of the bolts won't come out with the pulley on.

The only other connection is one vacuum hose; it's real obvious and you don't need to do any bleeding or anything. Just hook it back up, and the pump pulls vacuum when the engine cranks.

You might want remove the pulley bolt while the belt is still on, basically use the belt as a strap wrench. I used a long breaker bar to move the belt tensioner... can easily push breaker bar with left hand to de-tension and pull belt off vacuum pulley with right hand. Don't remove the belt totally, just get it off the vacuum pulley. Remove pulley, mounting bolts for pump go through a mounting bracket and into front of pump. Remove bolts & hose.

The casing on my pump fractured, so I would not install a used or rehabilitated pump.

Install the pump BEFORE putting on the pulley... one bolt won't go on with the pulley in place. I recollect just using the pulley mounting bolt to draw the pulley onto the shaft. Attach vacuum line, slip belt over pulley, start 'er up, and check that you have good brake boost.

 

Thanks paddler. I'll head to napa tomorrow for the pump.