2004 S60 D5 – Jerking and Blue Smoke After Vacuum Pump Seal Replacement

[mateqh]

Hi everyone!

I recently replaced two seals on the vacuum pump of my 2004 Volvo S60 D5 (D5244T, 120kW/163hp): the small O-ring and the pear-shaped one on the engine side. Unfortunately, I couldn’t replace the seal on the other side of the pump because I couldn’t find a replacement anywhere.

After reinstalling the vacuum pump, I started the car, and it ran for about 30 seconds before it started jerking and emitting blue smoke. I checked the seals, and they seemed fine—no oil leaks anywhere. I disconnected the turbo circuit from the pump and measured a vacuum of around 0.5 bar, but it was fluctuating.

At first, I didn’t replace the small O-ring, so I removed the pump again. I didn’t use an OEM O-ring but found one from a kit that seemed to fit. After replacing it and starting the car, the issue disappeared, and I measured a stable 0.8 bar at the pump. I thought the problem was solved, but after 4-5 days, it came back.

Interestingly, the issue only starts about 30 seconds to a minute after startup. The engine begins to misfire and emit blue smoke, but if I start driving and keep the RPMs higher for 1-2 minutes, the problem disappears. It happens with both a cold and a warm engine. If I turn off the engine for 5-10-15 minutes when it’s still warm and restart it, the issue happens again.

Could a faulty vacuum pump cause this? Unfortunately, I can’t measure the vacuum pressure right now. Could the small O-ring be the culprit?

It’s important to mention that I had no issues before touching the pump!

Someone in a Volvo Facebook group suggested replacing the vacuum pump with a new one. Could this solve the problem?

I’d appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance!

[jonesg]

replacing the seals with the proper ones would fix it too.
Try IPD but you shoud be able to find them in europe.

https://www.ipdusa.com/?_vsrefdom=adwor ... v3EALw_wcB

[mateqh]

So, can a bad seal cause such a problem?