1984 water pump replacement

[TONYT25T25]

Hello, I recently tightened up the aux belt on my camper and noticed the following day I was losing coolant which seems to have come from the water pump. I have read a few forums but am looking at more assistance in replacing the pump (I think this is where the water is coming from). There appears to be quite a few bolts and others to remove. A question amongst others I have is the top pipe which leads from one side of the pump to the other end of the engine, It looks as if it slots into the thermostat but I cannot work out how it is secured and prevents water from getting out?? Rgds

[jrt]

Hello and welcome, looks like you've got a job to do that a few of us have done over the years. Mine was a pain in the a*** due to the studs being stuck fast in the pump and thermostat housing. Loads of plus gas prior to starting and good luck with it. That pipe fits in with an o ring. Some helpfull links here- http://volksweb.relitech.com/19wpump.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=130628" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=107804" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
David

[what2do]

Crickey jrt, I'm not sure I'd expose a newbie to the link of covkid's water pump woes. We may never hear from again! Luck of the Irish for anyone trying to undo those particular nuts.

[TONYT25T25]

hI, Thanks for info, looking forward to it, was tempted to cut the pipes and bridge with a hose and jubilee clips, not sure if this would go down well but thought if I cannot undo the bolts this maybe my other option. Tks Tony

[jrt]

Crickey jrt, I'm not sure I'd expose a newbie to the link of covkid's water pump woes. We may never hear from again! Luck of the Irish for anyone trying to undo those particular nuts.

Hopefully you'll be one of the jammy sods whos studs and nuts aren't a problem
David

[what2do]

Have had a new spare pump from BW in the van for over a year. Mine has a 'bit of a wobble', just haven't got around to changing it yet. I suppose it wouldn't harm to try the bolts in advance though.

[TONYT25T25]

Hi, one of the studs nearer the water pump pulley would not move, the allen key I used was to long and could not fit, cut it down a bit but that made matters worse, eventually had to resort to a file for a couple of hours before it was flush with the pump allowing me to remove the whole item. Not looking forward to putting the new one in, also anybody got any recommendations for suppliers of pumps and coolant pipes. Tks Tony

[CovKid]

Someone call?

I've since written a WIKI for this now (may help you if you have the metal housing). If you end up close to tears, I can at least sympathise...

https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/Co ... overhaul_3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The pipe you refer to is a push fit with a rubber O ring although I used proper sealant afterwards too - to make sure!

Everything you need to know to do that job is in my WIKI piece. Read it well and approach as I have suggested. No way is it a quick OR fun job, but at least you'll be armed. I wasn't.

If you have limited tools, expect to have to buy a few you may never have encountered before.

[TONYT25T25]

Tks, good advice, trying to source new pipes but If I stay with the existing ones, I will add the sealer along with the O ring in the thermostat housing, any recommendations on what sealer to use, also when fitting new gaskets to the other areas intend to use a sealer there also. Tks Tony

[TONYT25T25]

Hi, further to my last, just read the link and some good tips, was a bit wary of the O ring being the only sealer in the thermostat, rgds Tony

[CovKid]

I just used a high temperature sealant/liquid gasket as some of the pipes bolt directly to heads etc. Halfords do it. They all seem to be around £3 - £5 a tube.

Yes the O ring does seem very basic and it clearly does do the job, but like you I was sceptical and used sealer too.

[dodec42]

I replaced mine 5 days ago, the day before going on hols, not the best timing....but if you take your time it's not a difficult job. The best advice i'd give is soak all the nuts and bolts in WD40 or silicone lubricant for at least a day before you start the job, keep them wet with the lube and hopefully they'll come free easy enough. I also replaced my nuts and bolts with all new, got them from a local nuts & bolts store once i'd removed the others. One of the thermostat housing to water pump bolts sheared off, thankfully in the water pump.

As mentioned above, use a gasket sealant on both sides of the paper gasket, loctite 5699 is the one to use. One of the Allen head bolts is a pain, but as long as you accept that it's going to take you 20mins to unscrew/do up one bolt you'll be fine.

I also looked to replace the pipes, i couldn't find a replacement for the pipe with the 'O' ring, but the other pipe (2 sections) can be bought in s/s from JK or Gunzl, Gunzl is about half the price.

You can pick up a cheap pump from Euro parts and GSF, but i went with VWheritage.

Make sure once you're done that you fill and bleed the system properly, there's a few posts relating to that on here and on brickwerks.

[CovKid]

In the end, luck plays a part as well as time. The longer the pump has been on, and the more the engine has been subject to damp and possibly high temperatures, the greater the likelihood of problems shifting bolts on items associated with the pump. Lack of attention to detail (ie new bolts and working with care) on the last refit also count.

WD40 or Plusgas? Both will play a part although WD40 is generally regarded as better at dispersing water whereas plusgas is a dedicated penetrating fluid and tends to work its way into gaps faster. If you do hit a problem, going at it like a bull in a china shop can leave you with greater problems.

The pump I used came from GSF but no matter what pump you use, a badly adjusted belt can ruin a pump in no time. Squealing that might normally be associated with a slipping belt and compensated for by tightening the belt, may just be loading the water pump pulley. It shuts up the noise for a time but the pump won't last long at all - and that goes for new or old pumps.

With bleeding, when you set the revs around 2,500rpm high to do this, if the neighbours are getting twitchy, its about right. Brick partly on the throttle helps.

[TONYT25T25]

Hi, thanks to all above for information. I have eventually replaced the pump after damaging a gasket which came with the pump, bought some gasket paper from a local motor factors and ended up making my own, which worked fine with some blue gasket sealer and nipping up the bolts as required. Thought I had problems bleeding the system as the temperature gauge stayed hard right for what seemed ages. Eventually hot water came out of the rad but nothing out of the bleed screw in the engine bay. However the temperature dropped and have since driven it and all appears ok as temperature remains below midway. Bit concerned about nothing coming out of the bleed screw in the engine bay even though it unscrewed. Rgds Tony

[CJH]

Eventually hot water came out of the rad but nothing out of the bleed screw in the engine bay. However the temperature dropped and have since driven it and all appears ok as temperature remains below midway. Bit concerned about nothing coming out of the bleed screw in the engine bay even though it unscrewed. Rgds Tony

Do you mean the bleed screw on the plastic 4-way junction up against the engine bulkhead? I've been looking for the post but can't find it - apparently you shouldn't expect water to come out of there, as it just opens up an internal bleed circuit to allow water/air to circulate.