Brake vacuum pump replacement costs range from $542 and $570. The part itself is around $400, which is not cheap.
Your vehicle's brake vacuum pump is responsible for providing additional vacuum to your diesel engine vehicle. By providing this additional vacuum, your vehicle will be able to engage the assisted braking from your ABS system.
Without a proper brake vacuum pump, your vehicle will not be able to engage the assisted braking system, which would cause your vehicle to slip or skid on icy roads.
This article provides you with all the necessary details you need to know about brake vacuum pump replacement costs. We also provide you with a step by step guidance on how to replace your own brake vacuum pump. Finally, we will help you decide whether it's worth fixing your vehicle or selling it to Cash Cars Buyer instead and using the payment towards your better new vehicle.
What is the brake vacuum pump, and what does it do?
Break vacuum pumps are usually associated with diesel vehicles that have diesel engines. It is known that diesel vehicles do not have the same amount of vacuum necessary as the guess we engines.
As a result, they will always need an additional vacuum supply from a separate component: the brake vacuum pump.
The brake vacuum pump is responsible for providing this necessary additional vacuum which helps engaged the assisted braking necessary to stop your vehicles whenever it tries to skid on icy roads.
Thus, the brake vacuum pump is an important safety feature for any diesel vehicle. Without it, you will not be able to engage the assisted braking, and you might get into dangerous situations that might affect your life and your passenger's life.
How much does it cost to replace a brake vacuum pump?
Replacing the brake vacuum pump is not a cheap repair; It costs between $542 and $570. This range can be split into labor and parts costs: from $141 to $278 on labor costs, and the rest is for parts costs.
As you've noticed, the brake vacuum pump is an expensive component which means that no matter how much you save on labor costs, you will still need to pay a decent amount of money for getting the part itself.
What are the symptoms of a bad vacuum pump?
Since replacing a brake vacuum pump is not cheap, one might wonder What happens if the brake vacuum pump fails?
Well car there aren't very common results or consequences for riding a vehicle that does not have a proper brake vacuum pump, including:
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Problems with stiff braking
Since your vehicle's brake vacuum pump is responsible for providing vacuum to help the engine engage the assisted braking, you will immediately notice an issue with the braking itself once it fails.
This issue usually requires additional effort from you to press hard on the braking panel to get your vehicle to stop.
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Issues with erratic power brakes
Another less common consequence of a bad brake vacuum pump would be issues with erratic power brakes. If your brake vacuum pump problem is coming due to the wiring, the pump will continuously be connected. Therefore, it will be supplying the necessary power intermittently.
If you've noticed any of the mentioned symptoms, you need to get your brake vacuum pump inspected and replaced immediately.
Can you drive with a bad vacuum pump?
According to automotive experts, it is never recommended strategy about brake vacuum pump. Although the vacuum pump will provide the necessary power to engage the assisted braking, which you might not use all the time, there are some vehicles where the defroster, heating, air conditioning systems might be affected if the vehicle has an issue the brake vacuum pump.
Also, it is never recommended to drive a vehicle with a bad vacuum pump if you're driving during a rainy day or a heavy snowy day. There is a high chance that your vehicle might skid or slip, which could affect you and the other people on the road in huge danger.
How long do vacuum pumps last?
In most vehicles, the brake vacuum pump is designed to last forever. You don't even need to replace it at any point. However, there are some situations where the pump might fail by itself.
Some people might think that's driving in harsh conditions could reduce the vacuum pump's lifespan; however, that's not the case.
Your only method would be to keep an eye on any sign of a bad brake vacuum pump that could indicate to you it's a time to replace this pump.
How do you replace about brake vacuum pump?
Before we dive into the details about how he can't replace your vacuum pump, it is recommended that you evaluate the situation and make sure that you can do it on your own.
You don't want to save on labor costs while causing any major damage to your vehicle braking system. You need to make sure that you have a certain level of mechanical skill sets needed to replace the part properly.
To do so, you can look on to some YouTube tutorials and see how complicated the problem is. If you found yourself comfortable replacing it's, you can go ahead. However, you need to keep in mind that most DIYs don't go well the first time you do them. Thus, there is a high chance that you might cause some damages to the braking system if you or not very comfortable, you can do the job.
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Look at several online tutorials
As we mentioned earlier, you need to make sure that you know how the process is done.
You can either look on to YouTube tutorials or use your own vehicle's owner's manual.
If you don't have a copy of your manual, you can always request a hard copy from your professional mechanic or install a soft copy from the Internet.
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Ensure that the brake vacuum pump has a problem
Before you go ahead and replace your old brake vacuum pump, it is very important to ensure that the vacuum pump has a problem. You can either reach out to our mechanic and have him inspect the vehicle to confirm that the real problem is coming from the brake pump itself.
Otherwise, you might cause some damages to your braking system just because you're not sure if it's the brake pump that's causing the problem.
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Get your vehicle ready and have all necessary toolsets
Once you're ready to trip, place your brake vacuum pump; it is time to get all necessary toolsets and have the vehicle ready.
Prepare or ranches, screwdrivers, ratchets, etc. The last thing you want to deal with is having your vehicle set and ready for replacement and missing one of the mean basic tools.
Then, select a place where people are not around, and you can work comfortably. Have your vehicle parked in a flat area and make sure that it's not moving.
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Remove the old brake vacuum pump
Once you located your vacuum pump, it is time now to remove it. To get started, you need to remove the entire braking line from its master cylinder. It is recommended that you be very careful about ejecting them out and making sure that you take notes of how things are connected.
Some mechanics like to take pictures of before and after so, it might be handy to take up a picture before you take out the old vacuum so you can find it as guidance once you want to put the new one back.
Remove the master cylinder and then take out the brake pedal by disconnecting it. Once you reach the brake pedal, it is time now to remove the rusty vacuum pump.
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Installed the new pump
Now you remove the old pump, it's time to install your new brake vacuum pump. As we mentioned earlier, you should have some guidance on putting things back because some little components need to be done and put back in order.
You will need to start connecting the new vacuum pump to the battle and then hook it back to the cylinder. It is important to ensure that you clean up any internal components properly before you put them back.
Once all of this is done, it is time to connect the master cylinder to the hoses and reconnect your vehicles' braking lines.
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Perform a test drive
At this point, brake vacuum pump replacement is done. It's time now to perform a quick test drive to see whether the new pump is working properly or not.
Since testing the new pump might make many loud noises, you might need to perform this job in your private driveway where people are not around so they don't complain.
Once you run the engine and check that your vehicle is running properly, you are good to go!
If you've realized that your vehicle is still having problems, it might be time to get some help from a professional mechanic before you cause any major damages to your entire braking system.
Is it worth fixing a bad brake vacuum pump?
It depends on your vehicle's own circumstances.
We all understand that replacing the brake vacuum pump is not a cheap job, and therefore, before you move ahead and pay for repairs, you need to evaluate the situation and make sure that it's the right decision.
To do so, you need to consider all damage is currently in your vehicle and compare them to your vehicle's overall value. For example, if your vehicle is worth $6000 and repair costs are about $5000, it is never recommended to fix this vehicle because it's not worth it.
Think about it this way, will fix your vehicle's problems add $5000 to each value? Will the overall value of your car end up at $11,000? If that's not the case, you don't need to move forward with repairing this vehicle.
Another thing to consider is your vehicle's mileage. It is none than around 100,000 miles, your vehicle will start having major problems, and therefore, you need to be wise about what type of repairs you should perform.
As a rule of thumb, if you've noticed that repair costs are getting close to 75% or more from your vehicle's value, it is never recommended to fix this car.
If you've noticed that it's not worth repairing your vehicle, you might end up selling it and using the money as a down payment towards a better vehicle. The used car market is filled with decent cars to get for a reasonable amount of money.
The bottom line
Your vehicle's brake vacuum pump is an essential safety feature that provides additional vacuum to your diesel engine. Without this feature, your vehicle will not be able to engage with assisted braking, which is very handy, especially when driving on icy or slippery roads.
Replacing the part is not cheap, and it costs you between $542 and $570. Before making a final decision about whether to please your vehicle's brake vacuum pump, you need to evaluate the situation and make sure that it's worth it.
If it's not worth fixing this car, we recommend that you sell it to Cash Cars Buyer. Cash cars Byron guarantees to buy your vehicle even if it has measure problems in the brake vacuum pump or the engine or any major component in your vehicle.
Our company provides you with the top dollars that your vehicle can ever make around your area. Furthermore, we tow all our vehicles free of charge no matter where you're living around the United States.
Our process is very straightforward and doesn't take more than a couple of minutes from your time.
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