Drip from water pump

Big lumps of metals and spanners. Including servicing and fluids.

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patrickpawsey
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Drip from water pump

Post by patrickpawsey »

I just noticed a puddle under the van why when I stopped and a line of drips down the road. I ran the engine up to temperature and saw a persistent drip from the bottom of the water pump housing. I'm guessing I need to replace the water pump? Is it hard?



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1990 Autohomes Komet HiTop Camper
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patrickpawsey
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Re: Drip from water pump

Post by patrickpawsey »

So I read the wiki and it looks a bit involved... Should I be doing more diagnosis before diagnosing water pump? We are away visiting family in Wales so hoping to top it up and keep a very close eye on the levels hold to England but it's a bit scary

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davidoft1
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Re: Drip from water pump

Post by davidoft1 »

It’s not particularly involved, A few bolts a Belt, an hours work assuming nothing snaps , the minor leak could leak like that for months and not cause an issue other than coolant loss, keep an eye on water loss, check the pump for movement in pulley bearing , change it sooner rather than later

TONYT25T25
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Re: Drip from water pump

Post by TONYT25T25 »

My water pump went soon after buying my Camper, the belt was squealing so i tightened it up and I think I may have overdone it as it probably damaged the impeller and started the leak, it was one of my first tasks to repair, I thought it was quite involved as you have to take off other piping which had been there for ages, undoing the allen key bolts etc, saying that I managed to do it, then came the refilling and bleeding the system. Try and find out where the leak is gasket etc, but if it is the impeller a new water pumps is needed.  In meantime keep an eye on water levels as previously mentioned.
1984 Campervan 1.9DG Petrol WBX

adrian1975
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Re: Drip from water pump

Post by adrian1975 »

Changed mine today, 1.9 dg, it's fairly easy,

I removed the bottom pulley to remove cross over pipe behind as I have a larger oil pump and no flexible join,

About 2 hours work all done

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jrt
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Re: Drip from water pump

Post by jrt »

Take your belt off and give it a spin, you’ll soon tell if it sounds / feels ok. I did mine on our ‘83 van a few years ago and it was a bit of a pain due to the metal thermostat housing. Should be a lot easier on your later van.
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patrickpawsey
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Re: Drip from water pump

Post by patrickpawsey »

Looking at the pump and giving it a spin with the belt off it feels like there is little to no play and it spins freely without squeeling or making odd noises or feeling bumpy.
On closer inspection, it looks like the leak may be coming from the large pipe connected to the left have side of the pump, looking from above. I've tried to take some pictures. The drip falls from the low nut on the pump.

Whether it is that pipe or not, I'm guessing that it is still the right thing to take the pump and the pipes off and clean and reseal it all?

Is there a way to tell if the pump is ok or when it's off the engine or is it a case of remove it, have a look at it, put it back if you think it's ok and refill and test for leaks?



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1990 Autohomes Komet HiTop Camper
1.9 DG on Pierburg 2e3, 4 speed

patrickpawsey
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Joined: 19 Oct 2018, 10:47
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Location: Oxford, UK

Re: Drip from water pump

Post by patrickpawsey »

And the ending of the story is that the pipe attach to the water pump was loose. Tightening up the bolts had cured the leak. Thank you for all the help, I feel much better prepared for a water pump change should it become necessary now!

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Mr Bean
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Re: Drip from water pump

Post by Mr Bean »

Just spotted your thread and was going to let you know that I had the same problem and it turned out to be a pinhole in that big metal pipe which I repaired with silver solder and a gas torch - red heat, bare metal and proper flux required - lucky you with your spanner fix. :roll:

My water pump made a terrible din when the bearings failed but it never leaked presumably due to the extreme range of flexibility of the rubber seal. Must have done hundreds of mile with that did before I sussed that one out! :oops:
 
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