Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2012 21:53:36 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Diesel Westy Water pump replacement.
In-Reply-To: <1341190510.91503.YahooMailNeo@web45310.mail.sp1.yahoo.com>
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Yes....remove water pump in one piece with the water pump housing ..
leave the timing belt untouched.
I 'suppose' a leaknig water pump could cause failure to hold pressure in
the cooling system .
but of hundreds of water pumps I've replaced, that was never an issue
associated with a leaking water pump.
Is your pressure cap holding pressure like it should ?
Here's a simple test. From stone cold, run the engine one minute, even
half a minute,
shut is off, remove cap, watching for pressure there as you do.
There should not be any. If there is in that brief running you start
thinking about perhaps exhaust gases are getting into the coolant at the
head/head gasket . That is not uncommon.
Head gaskets are under significant stress in any engine, many heat
cycles etc. It's amazing how well they do last.
Diesels more so. I'd say 'valve job and head gasket every 80,000'
miles even.
Anytime you have pressure oddness ....
and it's not the thermostat, or the water pump or a leak somewhere ...or
the pressure cap ...
or a leak in the pressure bottle....you think about the head gasket.
A good ole basic system pressure test would be good ..
though if the w. pump is really leaking, that would be a good thing to
fix first.
Sometimes a compression test will reveal head/head gasket weakness too.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
On 7/1/2012 5:55 PM, Poppie Jagersand wrote:
> Continuing story on the hot running Diesel westy.
>
> Confirmed drips from water pump shaft through running a few times with a white cardboard under. This must be why it doesn't keep 15psi pressure in the cooling system. From cold it builds pressure first, pressure caps opens and relieves coolant to the pverflow tank, but during extended running it then drips slowly and pressure goes slowly down. That *might be* why I haven't noticed it during short trips. It culd also bhe it started or got worse just yesterday on the long trip.
>
> So time to replace water pump.
> Removed pulleys from the back.
> Removed timing belt covers. (The 1.9TD has a lower one also)
> Realized the idler pulley is in the way of some of the water pump bolts.
> Don;t want to mess with timing belt so
> I guess the alternative way is to take off alternator, alt bracked and water pump housing.
> Used to do a lot of Vanagon D water pumps, but it was 15 years ago.
>
> Back to the driveway unless someone has any additional tips.
>
> (Bentley only shows an exploded view of cooling components, but doesn't say steps.)
>
> Martin
>
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