Vacuum pump rod thoughts / Love the T-shirt

[Brady Moffatt]

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Last night, after reading a million posts in the archives, I came to the co=
nclusion that it was safe to remove the tapping rod from the vacuum pump on=
 my 4ksq.

It was sticky on the sides and had the expected wear (shiny) areas on both =
ends (cam lobe and spring bolt on pump). It also had two sets of wear marks=
 on the sides of the rod. Now if there's some wear on a hardened steel rod,=
 then there must be a lot more wear around the hole in the alumin(i)um head=
. So, it's logical to assume that the hole is getting bigger by the day, an=
d that eventually, no matter how many times you clean and lubricate the rod=
, you won't be able to quieten it.

So, now that the pump is disabled, the brakes on my 4kq are like every othe=
r car's out there, with the booster driven off intake vacuum only. The car =
has just lost that source of open throttle vacuum. The cruise still works a=
nd the diffs still lock, and, oh yeah, the brakes still work.

Basically, WHY IS THE ^%#* PUMP THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE?
And, if I really might need under certain specific conditions like road cou=
rse track days etc, is there a PERMANENT way to fix the rod ticking?

Obviously way too much time to think last night.....

Brady Moffatt
86 4ksq 278,000km
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