I have read through a lot of the vacuum pump threads and no one seems to have the problem I do. Maybe it's not a problem though...

I have noticed the pulley for my vacuum pump slides forwards and backwards maybe a centimeter or less, at what seems like regular intervals of a few seconds. I thought it might be a problem. The pulley is wider than the belt, so it has plenty of room to move like it does, and it is not binding or tearing up anything. I still have vacuum, the turbo wastegate seems to be working fine.

So is this a problem?

I just checked mine, i have no feelable endplay. A centimeter is ALLOT of endplay, sounds like something may be coming apart soon.

Definitely a problem. IMO, sounds like it's time for a mechanical waste gate controller.

ya sounds like something let go inside. You DONT want to lose your pulley even at an idle...it will fk up some major crap under your hood.

You DONT want to lose your pulley even at an idle...it will fk up some major crap under your hood.

Funny you mention that. My belt tensioner broke last saturday and took out the vacum pump, water pump pully, and the fan. At least the fan stoped the tensioner from getting to the radiator. :)

If you need to keep driving it, i'll suggest this.

Get a Goodyear belt part# 4061010, remove your vacum pump and install belt. You can drive it around but your not going to have boost till you get your mechanical waste gate controller on there.

Thanks for the info guys. Does the vacuum pump really only affect the wastegate, or are there other things running on vacuum?

Since you have an "F" code, the vacuum pump is strictly for the wastegate. It also provides vacuum for the EGR on the "S" motors.