[bishopts]

I dont have a LTG camaro but i do have one in my ATS. ive been pretty much questioning why GM went this route with mechanical vacuum pumps for their common engines when electric is better in most every way.
works when the engine dies, no engine drag from its operation, can be mounted most anywhere..
so being a mechanic i have seen them fail on most anything GM has put them in.
well i knew my time would come eventually so i started planning ahead to just do away with the part when it fails. i did some tests to see how my brakes will feel when the vacuum pump is out of the equation. disconnected the hose from the pump and used a plug to seal it off so i can go for a test drive. i happened to notice the vacuum pump wasnt making a sucking noise while the hose was off and the engine was running so before my drive i checked to see if it was pulling vacuum. turns out its dead. its been dead since ive owned this car and i just didnt know. so since ive had no problems with the brakes i guess it will feel the same without the pump.

[bishopts]

I took the pump off today

[bishopts]

This is a picture of a 2.5 impala pump mount area.
The camaro and ats will have the same 3/8 hole and 1/2 hole.

[bishopts]

if you have a short tap (npt ideally) you could tap it blind and use plugs with sealant on the threads to block off the two oil holes. the drive hole i just found a fender washer that fit in a pump seal and welded the center of it then siliconed it into the seal.

[bishopts]

Ideally a steel plate in the shape of the outline of the stock gasket would be the easiest method. I'm surprised no one sells one but I've looked all over and i can find videos all day of people changing them but none about eliminating them.
I modified an old pump to make a block off plate for now. I made a flat gasket to cover the center holes to keep oil from trying to go through the ports.

[bishopts]

the brakes work normally, the only time ive seen a difference is when i first start it and go into gear instantly. if i wait maybe 10 seconds after ive pressed the start button to shift to drive then there is no problem. the factory check valve in the booster works just like it would on any other turbo car that doesnt use vacuum pump. the vacuum line has a T that you have to cap off the side that was going to the vacuum pump. its made of crappy plastic so i will probably get a silicone hose to replace it down the road, just have to make a straight shot from the back of the intake over to the booster.

[bishopts]

This is closer to the worst case scenario that i see on the pump failures. The pump seizes but the cam doesn't, the cam breaks the pump drive lug and usually the housing but the reluctor for the cam sensor gets damaged in the process. Most of the time the cam will need to be replaced because you will have a cam sensor performace code that won't go away. It's really not hard to swap a cam out but it's avoidable if you don't have this failure point waiting to take the engine down.

If you do end up there, pull the valve cover roll the engine over to where you have a little slack between the cam gears, find a wedge you can feed down between the chain guides and force pressure against the tensioner guide, make sure it doesn't interfere with the cam gears. Break the cam gear bolt loose but leave it in the cam. Losen all the cam cap bolts to where they can come off by hand. Get your new cam ready to swap, hold the cam gear with one hand and remove the cam caps with the other. Pull the cam bolt back and pull the cam out. Slide the new cam into the cam gear making sure you engage the dowel. Move the cam bolt back into the cam and start putting everything back together.

[bishopts]

Just wanted to update this thread about brake operation. It's coming up on a year since i deleted my vacuum pump and i actually looked into why I'm having a weird loss of assistance on initial startup. Original i thought it was taking longer to pull a full vacuum by just using intake vacuum, i was partially right but the actual loss felt in the pedal isn't from the booster its from the abs activating prematurely because its seeing low vacuum on the brake booster sensor. I noticed if i start to move and shift to neutral while rolling down my driveway, then i will have normal brake assistance backing out.
And again once im to my stop sign i will have normal braking for the rest of the day.

[HaloTechnology]

Have you thought about using the LT1 vacuum pump ?

There is a relay for it in the fuse box

[bishopts]

Originally Posted by HaloTechnology

Have you thought about using the LT1 vacuum pump ?

There is a relay for it in the fuse box

ideally i would rather not have a vacuum pump at all. the engine makes vacuum naturally so i can just use that.

if i ever find a vacuum pump on my LT1 i will take it off too. so far i have not seen one.

[Archfx]

There is a very nice writeup about VP delete process and converting it to electric in the terrain forum.

Link: https://www.terrainforum.net/threads...version.34403/

I just wanted to share it here!

[bishopts]

Originally Posted by Archfx

There is a very nice writeup about VP delete process and converting it to electric in the terrain forum.

Link: https://www.terrainforum.net/threads...version.34403/

I just wanted to share it here!

Not bad. Still has the ability to leak from the seals but at least it won't break his cam.

I'm currently building a 2.5 stroker engine for mine and i was planning on tapping the oil feed and return holes to put plugs in them. So that I'm completely done with the mechanical vacuum pump.

[Archfx]

Originally Posted by bishopts

Not bad. Still has the ability to leak from the seals but at least it won't break his cam.

I'm currently building a 2.5 stroker engine for mine and i was planning on tapping the oil feed and return holes to put plugs in them. So that I'm completely done with the mechanical vacuum pump.

That sounds cool. I’d definitely be interested in seeing how it turns out