AUTOMOTIVE VACUUM PUMP

A vacuum pump for pumping a gas includes a pump housing which defines a pump cavity, a shiftable vane, a pump rotor body, a separate axial rotor retaining arrangement, and a radial friction bearing. The pump housing includes a closed housing wall. The pump rotor body includes a vane slit which supports the shiftable vane to define rotating pumping chambers, an axial low-pressure end which is axially supported by the closed housing wall so that a gas pressure inside the pumping chambers is present at the low-pressure end, and an axial high-pressure end. The pump housing is fluidically open at the axial high-pressure end so that atmospheric pressure is present. The axial rotor retaining arrangement includes a retaining sheet body arranged in a transversal plane which axially in part blocks the axial high-pressure end. The radial friction bearing is arranged axially between the vane slit and the axial high-pressure end.