I called the numbers into VW and to a Bosch shop. VW said that the pump was for a manual transmission car...068 180 107 AG as noted earlier in this thread by tolive31(Thanks).

The Bosch tech said that the difference between pumps is not much. He said that they are calibrated so close to each other that they are interchangeable.
The tech also said that if the Timing gear was worn that it would cause these symptoms. That is a possibility in this case. I have noticed that it is hard to keep the sproket locked into position when tensioning the timing belt tensioner. Seeing how I already have a manual tranny pump on the car I will use the other pump I have and see if it makes a difference.

Thanks for all your help even though it is not a MB. This forum is easier to navigate and read than the VW forums I have looked at. I guess I am just used to this one and more comfortable with it. I also ASSUME that some of you are like me and got your first experience with a diesel VW. They are great to get an education on. MB's rule!

Kevin

Great, you seem to have got your answers. Let me know when you are back on the road. I would drive all the way to south carolina just for the opportunity of leaving You behind in the dust with my 240d. You may possess the only vehicle in north america that I have that possibility. Unfortuinatly the above statements only apply until you get the thing fixed i imagine.

no difference in the pump itself.although setup specs for automatic indicate small difference in timing to give a little more advance.the other difference would be some sort of bracket/lever for the modulator cable for auto tranny.owned lots of vw"s till the rabbit died.at that point needed a bigger platform

I went to change the pump and when I removed the pump sprocket I saw that the keyway on the sprocket was boogered up. It appears that the sprocket was forced onto the pump shaft at some point and time. I just wonder if the small amount that the keyway was off if it would cause this kind of trouble? I mean really, would that cause me to have to advance the timing to the max just so it will run?

From what I see it appears that the pump shaft is okay so I will just install a different sprocket and key to see if that will help the ol' gal...or should I just go ahead and replace the whole pump?

Oh well...

Kevin