# Vacuum pump oil leak cant get it to SEAL!!!



## 07jettaW (May 27, 2013)

2007 2.5 manual
So a few years ago the vacuum pump started leaking from its cover. The rubber o ring in there obviously wasnt doing its job so i threw it out and replaced it with RTV. Later i realized that o-ring is not a part you can buy. So it sealed the leak for a couple months. I redid it again, and again it sealed for a few months. After doing this a few times the torx heads were stripping out so I got big hex heads and washers to tighten it down alot better. I refuse to buy the $200+ replacement pump just for the cover to seal better. I followed the directions on the RTV, apply it thin, let it sit for 10 minutes then bolt it on. I think I may have that sealed as of earlier this year. But now its leaking from where the pump bolts to the block.  So earlier this year I took it off, put new RTV on both sides of the metal gasket since the gasket is not available at the parts store. Didnt seal, still leaks a drop of oil a night and a quart over a few 1000 miles. So this weekend I had bought a new gasket online (expensive) and got the RTV out again. New metal gasket, new RTV, super clean surfaces, first trip it appears sealed. A day later, the leak is back. WTF im sick of this damn oil leak. What am I doing wrong? Its not too hard to get to, I remove the top cover, intake tube, battery and tray and i can get to it very easily, i can get to the bolts without removing any of that stuff but just easier to see if i remove that stuff. Im lost, this is my last resort coming to ask for help here before i pay a mechanic for the first time in 15 years.....


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## TheMKVader (Jun 16, 2015)

When they leak you should replace the pump with the gasket because the pump are known to go bad. If not you could always just replace it with a delete kit.


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## 07jettaW (May 27, 2013)

TheMKVader said:


> When they leak you should replace the pump with the gasket because the pump are known to go bad. If not you could always just replace it with a delete kit.


if i delete it, how will the booster get vacuum?


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## Ronny Bensys (Apr 17, 2014)

Are you sure you are applying correct torque specs?


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## TheMKVader (Jun 16, 2015)

07jettaW said:


> if i delete it, how will the booster get vacuum?












USP has a kit with everything you need ---> http://www.uspmotorsports.com/Engin...a_7cSE_d_095&gclid=CO-UhOnrmskCFZQjgQodXZID6g


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## 07jettaW (May 27, 2013)

themkvader said:


> usp has a kit with everything you need ---> http://www.uspmotorsports.com/engin...a_7cse_d_095&gclid=co-uhonrmskcfzqjgqodxzid6g


beautiful!! Thank you!!


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## 07jettaW (May 27, 2013)

sorry if this kit was obviously available and I did not know about it. I am a GM guy and this is my wifes car. Its been pretty good, shes owned it from 40k miles to 95k miles. We have only had to replace the radiator and major back brake problems. Not bad I would say. This oil leak is just annoying. I will be installing this delete kit as it makes sense and still provides the vacuum the booster needs. Thanks again.


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## cdf2.5 (Jun 5, 2012)

i know you've been trying to avoid the costly fix, however as a vw technician and a 2.5 owner, i see these vacuum pumps leaking... a lot.. If i were you i would go with an oem vacuum pump replacement... make sure you clean the mating surface very well, no oil residue or sealant residue left.. hit the block with some brake clean and wipe everything off after you've cleaned it. but DO NOT grind into the metal. i would put an even line of high temp rtv sealant around the surface and tighten the bolts in a cross pattern. hand tight at first and go over the bolts a couple times increasing the torque slightly each time. but do not wrench them down, just enough to where they are tight... and let the sealant cure overnight.


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## 07jettaW (May 27, 2013)

cdf2.5 said:


> i know you've been trying to avoid the costly fix, however as a vw technician and a 2.5 owner, i see these vacuum pumps leaking... a lot.. If i were you i would go with an oem vacuum pump replacement... make sure you clean the mating surface very well, no oil residue or sealant residue left.. hit the block with some brake clean and wipe everything off after you've cleaned it. but DO NOT grind into the metal. i would put an even line of high temp rtv sealant around the surface and tighten the bolts in a cross pattern. hand tight at first and go over the bolts a couple times increasing the torque slightly each time. but do not wrench them down, just enough to where they are tight... and let the sealant cure overnight.


Sounds like what i did both times. Used brake clean, got off all previous residue til it was bare metal, tightened pretty snug and let sit over night. 1st time i tried this it was spraying oil so i tightened as hard as the little torx would allow and that got it to where it leaked a drop a night. Same this last weekend, brake clean, rtv, overnight, tightened real good and still leaks. Im going to try this bypass.

Speaking of the bypass, is this company in business? I tried their live chat and it didnt work. I tried emailing them and got the mailer daemon back. I started to order the kit and my phone browser froze up and shut down. Kinda fishy.


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## TheMKVader (Jun 16, 2015)

07jettaW said:


> Sounds like what i did both times. Used brake clean, got off all previous residue til it was bare metal, tightened pretty snug and let sit over night. 1st time i tried this it was spraying oil so i tightened as hard as the little torx would allow and that got it to where it leaked a drop a night. Same this last weekend, brake clean, rtv, overnight, tightened real good and still leaks. Im going to try this bypass.
> 
> Speaking of the bypass, is this company in business? I tried their live chat and it didnt work. I tried emailing them and got the mailer daemon back. I started to order the kit and my phone browser froze up and shut down. Kinda fishy.


 The live chat is only available during their business hours i believe, i just spoke with them last month. Try to give them a call. I know many users who have ordered parts from them before with no issues.


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## 07jettaW (May 27, 2013)

TheMKVader said:


> The live chat is only available during their business hours i believe, i just spoke with them last month. Try to give them a call. I know many users who have ordered parts from them before with no issues.


Will do today, thanks


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## 07jettaW (May 27, 2013)

Received the kit today! I was able to talk to a tech there who told me the bolts for the vacuum pump/block off plate should be torqued to 10nm or 7.3ft lbs.


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## Master_P (Feb 10, 2012)

Great info! Thanks for sharing!

I'm looking at this kit too. SWMBO's vacuum pump has a very tiny leak. Needs a quart every 5k miles.

Once you get this kit installed, please post back and let us know how the engine/braking performance changes!!!  The hose routing looks pretty straight-forward. The only pain is accessing the stupid torx bolts!


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## 07jettaW (May 27, 2013)

installation was pretty easy. Followed the instructions and they were perfectly put together to get the job done right. The car has a manual tranny so the pump is easy to get to. But the instructions on the website are for an automatic and there are more things that need to be done there to get it out. Braking is fine, maybe a tad better?, engine runs fine like it always has. Most importantly NO LEAKS. I kind of wondered if i could piece together some hoses and just buy their block off plate for $60, but that big hose has a particular bend to it so it needs to be just right, and the way they put it together its just perfect you cant complain, its worth the money to do it once and do it right.


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## ueww40 (Apr 4, 2015)

I just got through resealing my pump and I hope that it will be good for a while. If it fails again I will then opt for the delete kit, which I didn't know even existed. Found out about it on this thread. But I have a stupid question. Is the vacuum pump supposed to be full of oil? If so, what stops the oil from getting in to the brake booster?


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