What Vacuum pump to buy?

Garbage_Mechanic · Mar 18, 2015

Going to replace before it fails and make it a spare have 100k known miles on it now. Only thing in the belt system not yet replaced. My thought is quality over price, so the only choices I see are Motorcraft BPRV6 @ $171 and Delphi NLVP5041 @$129. The Motorcraft has a 24 mo warranty. Both are new. Any thoughts?

ghohouston · Mar 18, 2015

Garbage_Mechanic said:
Going to replace before it fails and make it a spare have 100k known miles on it now. Only thing in the belt system not yet replaced. My thought is quality over price, so the only choices I see are Motorcraft BPRV6 @ $171 and Delphi NLVP5041 @$129. The Motorcraft has a 24 mo warranty. Both are new. Any thoughts?

Get rid of the belt driven pump, and go to a super duty electric pump.

Magnum PD · Mar 18, 2015

What do you put in its place on the engine?

kramarj · Mar 18, 2015

Motorcraft all the way. It is more expensive, but they last. We had one replaced with a Napa(I think) and it didn't last long at all, like months. The Motorcraft lasted a few years before I had to replace it again. I don't know how many miles were on them, but I will only run the Motorcraft vacuum pump from now on.

7.3obs · Mar 18, 2015

Motorcraft. I've gone through two of them in one year that I got from autozone. Last one went was when I was just about to hook up to the boat at the truck pull. It didn't stop working it just blew up, bye bye belt. Autozone didn't have one in stock so off to the junkyard. I'm still running the one I got from the junkyard. I did get a new one for a back up if this one ever goes but I regret going with autozone.

ghohouston · Mar 18, 2015

Magnum PD said:
What do you put in its place on the engine?

Let me state, that I haven't personally done this, BUT, a member ID be inclined to believe, don't remember who, stated with the original obs belt, IF you delete the vacuum pump off the belt drive, and have the SD dual tensioner upgrade, the belt fits. I can count on one hand the number of sd electric vacuum pumps I've replaced in 5 years of working on a fleet of over 400 super duties. They are pretty damn reliable imo.

jngreen · Mar 19, 2015

ghohouston said:
Let me state, that I haven't personally done this, BUT, a member ID be inclined to believe, don't remember who, stated with the original obs belt, IF you delete the vacuum pump off the belt drive, and have the SD dual tensioner upgrade, the belt fits. I can count on one hand the number of sd electric vacuum pumps I've replaced in 5 years of working on a fleet of over 400 super duties. They are pretty damn reliable imo.

I'm not sure that I would want an electric pump for my vacuum assisted brakes. That electric pump was designed to run a super duty's hvac system and auto lockouts. Remember that a superduty has brakes assisted by the power steering pump.

ghohouston · Mar 19, 2015

jngreen said:
I'm not sure that I would want an electric pump for my vacuum assisted brakes. That electric pump was designed to run a super duty's hvac system and auto lockouts. Remember that a superduty has brakes assisted by the power steering pump.

True. I have switched my truck over to hydroboost. I got REAL tired of that awful vacuum booster. Braking feels 75 percent better. But the same can be said about a belt driven pump. The truck won't immediately die if the belt breaks, or the pump seizes, then you're DEFINITELY left with no brakes.

Garbage_Mechanic · Mar 19, 2015

Have you done away with the belt driven pump alltogether? If so how did you handle the belt routing?

ghohouston · Mar 19, 2015

Garbage_Mechanic said:
Have you done away with the belt driven pump alltogether? If so how did you handle the belt routing?

No I personally havent. Id imagine you route the belt the same way. Like I said, you have to delete the belt driven vac pump, and switch to the SD dual belt tensioner, with a stock obs belt.

gnxtc2 · Mar 19, 2015

IMHO - if you eliminate the vacuum pump altogether, there is a chance that the belt might slip on the AC Compressor and P/S pump. There will only be about a 90* contact on the pulleys vs the 180* contact with the vacuum pump in place. Now if there is a way to make an idler pulley, then it's a different story.

Here is a routing of the dual idler pulley conversion (TSB).

Billy T.
[email protected]

ghohouston · Mar 19, 2015

I'm sure some sort of idler pulley could be put in place, kind of like an a/c delete pulley, but that's still one more bearing to seize up on the belt drive. The whole concept is to have one less thing to potentially leave you stranded.

I totally see your point on the belts contact points though. Someone should try it, or post up if they've done it. I KNOW some have done it, just don't remember who.

gnxtc2 · Mar 19, 2015

I think someone on PSN did an idler set up.

Even with an AC delete pulley, there is a bearing involved.

Billy T.
[email protected]

ghohouston · Mar 19, 2015

I had been planning on trying it out for myself, my old vacuum pump sounded awful, but didn't have the time to jack with it, so bought a ford replacement. I do still want to eventually do away with the belt drive, since I swapped to the f super duty booster. I don't plan to put anything where the vac pump was. It's worth a try.

hinesfeet · Aug 4, 2024

Garbage_Mechanic said:
Going to replace before it fails and make it a spare have 100k known miles on it now. Only thing in the belt system not yet replaced. My thought is quality over price, so the only choices I see are Motorcraft BPRV6 @ $171 and Delphi NLVP5041 @$129. The Motorcraft has a 24 mo warranty. Both are new. Any thoughts?

Word is. Because of the relationship issues between the United states and Mexico Motor craft quality has been dropping. Delphi has been a positive experience for me. May as well purchase 2 or more of a person needs for their vehicles before our government makes the parts unavailable