[Ambiwlans]

My 08 wouldn't even buzz and the brake pedal was always hard at start up. I pulled a pump from a yard and now the problem is sorted. I have since pulled 4 or 5 more of these. I took my old one apart and it's just a cup with two magnets and coiled wire that spins a plate with little square like pieces in order to generate a vacuum. What actually falls on these? Surely they can be refurbished?

 

[salth2oj]

In my case, it was the motor brushes not making good contact with the armature.
I was able to clean the armature and refit the brushes. Worked fine after that.
I did look for new brushes and even emailed the manufacturer, I wasn’t able to find them.
I also found a OEM VW pump that is a direct fit, All that had to be done was to swap the relay (Black square box) from the old to the new. It was a good amount cheaper.

 

[Ambiwlans]

In my case, it was the motor brushes not making good contact with the armature.
I was able to clean the armature and refit the brushes. Worked fine after that.
I did look for new brushes and even emailed the manufacturer, I wasn’t able to find them.
I also found a OEM VW pump that is a direct fit, All that had to be done was to swap the relay (Black square box) from the old to the new. It was a good amount cheaper.

Got the VW part number? I saw a Chrysler one that was very similar but never got around to digging it up.

 

[salth2oj]

This is the part number i ordered and used, remember to swap over the relay.
1K0612181F

eBay listing

more info, forum

 

[MadRomeo]

Well, I dropped $500 a while back for one, should've done more research.

 

[Ambiwlans]

Well, I dropped $500 a while back for one, should've done more research.

I wouldn't blame your self, I looked into this myself and had no clue they were compatible! This should be a sticky somewhere.

 

[Ambiwlans]

Update, bought one of these new off a reputable VW seller on eBay. My brake pedal is still hard at start-up sometimes and instead of a "buzz" sound from the pump, I get a "whirr" or a sort of groan. The pump itself looks IDENTICAL to the one normally used. I've replaced and checked all vacuum lines and the only used the existing connector from the Saab. Anyone else run into this?

Edit: I can probably try a spare vacuum line I have with the connector but the one in the car looks intact, all other lines either check out or have been replaced.

 

[okcrum]

Did you swap the relay board from your old pump to the new one? VW pump works backwards from Saab.

 

[Ambiwlans]

Did you swap the relay board from your old pump to the new one? VW pump works backwards from Saab.

Yep, kept the existing black connector and put on the new pump.

 

[Ambiwlans]

Here's what it sounds like

 

[salth2oj]

This is what I would do

remove the left side pipe off this tee (see picture)
Put key in and turn to on, no need to start car
At this point the pump should be on and creating vacuum on the pipe you removed. Feel it using your thumb, if it is..close it off (using your thumb again) and after about 5-10 seconds the vacuum pump should turn off.
if no vacuum is there and you hear the pump the problem is with the hard line going down to the pump

if it is creating vacuum and after blocking the end of the pipe, the pump doesn’t turn off you have an issue with the vacuum switch

if it is creating vacuum and the pump turns off when blocking the end of the pipe, reconnect the pipe into the tee and listen for the pump. If it is still running you have a broken pipe (hard line) or leak on one of the other side of the tee connections ( very common).

 

[Ambiwlans]

Thanks for that, I saw a video somewhere running this same process. So I pulled the left line going to the pump from the T connector. The pump whirrs until I block it off with my finger. I can feel it pulling vacuum every couple of seconds until it stops. Perhaps the line has a crack I can't see. I'll have to swap the lines and report back.

 

[salth2oj]

When you put the the left side pipe back into the tee, do you hear the pump turn off?
If it doesn’t, I think you can bypass the lower pipe by removing the right side pipe and connect it to the left side. This will help you in figuring out where the leak is.

 

[Ambiwlans]

When I connect it, the pump turns off. It still whirrs but it's not as loud of a build-up. The pump doesn't make the same sounds like the one originally in these cars, they buzz, this one makes a whirr. I was out of town for a week so when I did a couple of test drives, the car started to smoke at the back of the engine near the coolant pipes/firewall! I couldn't see anything dripping or burning and it hasn't done it since but there was a lot of white plastic smelling smoke. The car sat for over a week. Very concerning!

Edit: if the car sits overnight, there is a slow build-up, it's very audible. Similar to the video.

 

[Hus_sho]

 

[Ambiwlans]

UPDATE: The new pump was the cause of the smoke! I have no idea why but when I decided to take my front bumper off and I began to smell that gross plastic melting smell, as I start to take off the bumper, I see smoke coming out of the vacuum pump and it's SCOLDING hot to the touch. It even split apart and loosened at the top end of the pump due to the heat! Did I just get a bogus VW pump? Keep in mind, I used the original connector coming off the Saab, just the pump itself was used.

 

[salth2oj]

Can you post a link to the pump you purchased?

 

[Ambiwlans]

New! Volkswagen Jetta Hella Vacuum Pump 008570021 1J0612181D | eBay

Press 'Read More' for more information.

www.ebay.com

 

[Hus_sho]

Im not sure if the VW pump works for saab actually, Hella is the OE producer of the pump, but the relay has differences between the saab and the VW so i think thats what went wrong

 

[Ambiwlans]

Perhaps the one I got isn't compatible. Salth20j's worked? Could be the one I bought. They look identical but are probably designed for different voltage intervals. Sucks that I probably took a loss on this pump but if I can find a working VW pump, it's still cheaper to buy two than to get a GM/Saab one.