Has anyone here done the vacuum pump seal replacement? FCP Euro has the OEM Volvo kit but it’s $95. Their least expensive option is $47. -For two rubber o-rings, 4 screws and a fitting! IPD has the same thing for $30. Seems like it should be a pretty inexpensive kit and I’m hoping the IPD kit is not garbage.

Pretty sure mine needs it, as there’s a significant amount of oil on the engine right below the pump, so I’m putting it on the ‘to do’ list in the near future. Would be interested in hearing if anyone has good or bad experiences with any of the above…

 

I rebuilt mine with a cheap $30 kit less than two years ago. I just changed the oil and noticed engine oil in the vicinity of the transmission, so I expect the vacuum pump is leaking again.

I had to re-tighten the screws once. I might have been better off using the OEM screws, or maybe it was just my poor workmanship in the first place. Suffice to say, a cheap kit can cause leaks to re-develop, and a better quality one may be a benefit. Perhaps I will be able to identify the failure point when I take it apart again.

I think I will spend a bit more money next time. On the other hand, it's not a terribly difficult job to do - very minor as far as fixing oil leaks go.

 

Thanks for sharing - good info!

Do you remember if you used Loctite on the screws? I imagine they would loosen if you didn’t.

I have to believe a rubber seal is a rubber seal; Don’t know why the Volvo kit would be twice the cost of the others.

I ended up getting the $47 kit from FCP Euro because the IPD kit was suspect (no mfr listed,) and with shipping it was almost $40 anyway. At least FCP has a warranty.

I hope to find some time to do it this weekend… Will post some thoughts afterwards.

 

Did this job today... Pretty easy fix. I didn't take any photos or video because there are plenty of YouTube videos out there.

A few notes:
1) I recommend cleaning around the housing before removing it; Any debris which gets into the orifice while cleaning it with the pump off could enter the engine unfiltered and cause serious problems.
2) The bracket which holds the A/C compressor doesn't need to come completely off to reach the front bolt; Just remove the two lower bolts and loosen the upper bolt. It moves far enough out of the way to reach the bolt.
3) The fitting to which the vacuum hose connects wouldn't go all the way into the housing and 'click' no matter how hard I pushed, so I removed the O-ring from the new fitting and put it on the old fitting. Seemed to seal fine. Maybe this is the difference between the $47.00 Professional Parts Sweden product and the $95.00 OEM Volvo kit. The PPS part looked like it was a hair longer than the OEM piece; presumably why it wouldn't click into place.
4) Inner seal where the housing meets the engine is where it was leaking; old seal was dry and hard. Outer seal was still good with no signs of leaks, but I replaced it anyway.
5) Not sure why the kit comes with new screws; the old screws were fine. In fact, I re-used them because the new screws didn't thread well and I was worried about cross-threading the housing. Old screws did not have any evidence of Loctite so I didn't apply any. I'll check them periodically to see if they back out at all...

Hope that helps anyone else doing this job.

 

Came here with this question. Surprised about the concern over IPD kit's quality, they usually have great stuff and often upgraded materials such as this kit and the price is even lower than PPS
https://www.ipdusa.com/products/2363...01556-31401249
haven't ordered from them in a very long time, have things changed?

 

My question was based solely on my lack of familiarity with IPD. I was new to Volvos and didn’t have much personal experience with IPD, but I heard later from other friends that they make / sell good stuff. Their price was just significantly less than that of FCP Euro, so I questioned it. I don’t remember where I ultimately bought that kit. Looking back through my email, I don’t see any order confirmations for it from IPD or FCP. I did make the repair though, so I know I bought it somewhere.

 

Just looked back through this thread and realized I did in fact buy it from FCP Euro. (Strange that I don’t have an email confirmation or history of it in the ‘past orders’ section of my FCP account.) The PPS stuff seems like it’s decent quality. Don’t know how that compares to IPD.