Club 80-90 Forums

Weekend before my MOT and the van starts playing up! Perfect timing as usual!

The van started juddering and backfiring while driving, I also stalled at a junction and couldn't get it to start without dying again straight away. I've had this issue in the past, but not experienced it for a while.

Long story short, my mechanic didn't do the emissions test as the van was running like a pig and he noticed water dripping from underneath the engine and didn't want to overheat the van.

I've traced the leak to the water pump, where it is coming from a small machined hole on the bottom of the pump. Does anyone know what this hole is for? And... would this leak have caused the van to run crappy?

Danny (1988 T25 1900 watercooled)

That is the bearing breather hole.

Failed bearing seal and if left the bearing won't be far behind...needs a new water pump. Rob

Time to replace it..

as for the other issue, it reads like a fuel issue,
1. Maybe the filter needs renewing or the fuel pump is calling time.
2. You have developed an air leak

Thanks for the swift replies!

Any idea if this would cause the van to judder and backfire? The van runs fine for about 2 miles before it starts playing up...

Danny

I had a similar problem, mine was the old worn vacume pipes
David

dannyjwood wrote:Thanks for the swift replies!

Any idea if this would cause the van to judder and backfire? The van runs fine for about 2 miles before it starts playing up...

Danny

the water pump is not part of your fuel delivery and ignition timing.

After two miles the choke is coming off. So it would suggest a vacuum pipe has come off or something else is leaking air

Water pump not such a bad job on late vans, even my early one was ok and its lots more fiddly.

Haynes quotes that you need to drain the system for the water pump. Which involves bleeding the system one way... then jacking the front of the van up 4ft off the ground and bleeding the system again.

Is this essential? as I don't have a ramp!

cheers for all the help guys!

No...
Just follow the guide on brickyard.
You don't have to drain it all, when you pull the pump off catch the spill in a container
Then you will know how much has to go back

Preferred method is . to use a multitude of pipe clamps to in order to loose as small amount of coolant as possible.
I can see where raising the back end may help minimize this coolant loss and help access to all the bolts etc.
Invariably, you will still need to bleed out any air in the system but at least this should be kept to a minimum if all the main arteries are clamped off.

Martin

Thanks for the replies! Great help!

Both water pipes either side of the pump were replaced last year along with new bolts... so I'm hoping this will be an easy-ish job for the weekend, once I source a water pump... only ones I've seen so far have an extra coolant outlet/inlet (which doesn't match my van).

Danny

dannyjwood wrote:Thanks for the replies! Great help!

Both water pipes either side of the pump were replaced last year along with new bolts... so I'm hoping this will be an easy-ish job for the weekend, once I source a water pump... only ones I've seen so far have an extra coolant outlet/inlet (which doesn't match my van).

Danny

The 'extra' outlet is for the oil cooler/warmer fitted to injection models, they supply a bung with a new pump to plug that outlet.

http://www.brickwerks.co.uk/index.php/t ... -late.html

The job took me 2 hours with a coffee break last time I did one, another job that's more fiddly than difficult.

Ian

Early water pump change took me all day! Quicker second time round i hope

New pump arrived with a nut to plug the unneeded outlet yesterday from vwheritage.

Got my new pump in today, took 4 hours in total with tea breaks and a fry up... I've not bled the system yet, I will leave that for tomorrow! Any tips or advice for the bleeding process??