Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2007 11:56:33 -0500
Reply-To: Sam Walters <sam.cooks@VERIZON.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Sam Walters <sam.cooks@VERIZON.NET>
Subject: Re: Water pump replacement
In-Reply-To: <4C47C3A1-DE6D-4AD4-AE0B-2FCEC9C2B0D1@pottsfamily.ca>
Content-Type: multipart/mixed;
Greg,
It has been bad enough trying to do work lately down here in Baltimore.
I have numerous splits on my hands from when they got too cold. I am
sure it is worse up there.
There are excellent write ups with pictures on Tom Carrington (1.9) and
Ben Huot's (2.1) web pages on how to do this job, maybe on others. Which
ever one of these is appropriate for your van is probably all you will
need to know - much better than Bentley.
http://volksweb.relitech.com/19wpump.htm
http://www.benplace.com/water_pump.htm
Every person on these lists should have these two web sites (and quite a
few others) book marked in a bookmark folder for Vanagon repair tips so
you can check them for a write up anytime you have a problem. The
amount of time that Ben has put into building a web page that can help
us through many problems is incredible. Tom's is great also though just
not as extensive as Ben's. Both deserve our appreciation.
I think it varies slightly between the two engines though I think you
are talking 1.9 but can't remember.
Time depends greatly on just how many stuck bolts you encounter. I did
this job on a 2.1 and spent at least 1.3 of my time fighting one 6 or 8
mm Allen head bolt that is notorious for being stuck. It is way down on
the left side of the engine around / somewhat behind one of the large
pulley wheels and can only be reached by a shortened Allen head bolt.
Mine stripped and I ended up cutting a notch in it somehow and blasting
away on it with a chisel until it finally broke loose and turned 1/4
turn or so.
There is sometimes a problem with one of the holes in the replacement
pump not being tapped deep enough and washers being needed to properly
tighten it up. NAPA replacement pump - see the attached file which has
a couple of posts - happened on both types of engine.
Start now and put PB Blaster or some other superior penetrating oil on
every bolt, nut, etc. Do this a few times before hand even if you are
going to give it to a shop to quicken the process.
Sam
--
Sam Walters
Baltimore, MD
Water Pump Replacement (1983-1991 Vanagons)
From: huff@dg-rtp.dg.com (Jerry Huff)
I replaced the water pump on my '84 back in June. My pump had a slight
leak from the drain hole as well as an intermittent jangling kind of
metallic rattle.
Slide under the back of the van and look at the under side of the water
pump just above the oil filter and see if there is any evidence that
there has been a discharge from the drain hole. If there is, that
indicates coolant is getting to the bearings and failure is eminent.
The replacement was fairly straight forward. I did not drain the cooling
system as described in the Bentley. Instead I just siphoned the reservoir
empty and then placed a pan under the pump to catch the rest. I did have
a problem with the NAPA replacement pump. There are two bolts that pass
through the thermostat housing and anchor inside of the water pump. One
of those bolt holes was not tapped deep enough in the water pump, so the
bolt bottomed out prior to doing its intended job. A few spacer washers
took care of the problem, but what a pain in the ass to hear coolant
splashing on the garage floor when you are sure that everything is tight.
The only tool I had to purchase was a metric allen wrench to remove the
metal cross pipe that connects the two heads. Other tools used were a
3/8" drive, metric sockets, universal joint, various extensions, siphon
hose, catch pan and pliers for the hose clamps.
P.S. I paid $81 for the NAPA pump. VW wanted $137.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996
From: "Dan Soiney" <soineydg@mail.milwaukee.k12.wi.us>
I just changed the water pump on the 87 syncro. A few tips...
1. Loosen all the belts, don't take them off, just move them out of the
way.
2. Use two ratchets in opposition to remove the pump pulley bolts, use a
long bolt that will catch somewhere to remove the last bolt.
3. Upon re assembly, make sure the new pump has the coolant line bolt
holes are machined to the correct depth, or they will feel tight, but
won't seal. Use washers if necessary
4. When reassembling pulley,use the long bolt to get the 2 bolts tight,
and then use loctite to hold the third in, as it is difficult to really
tighten.
5. Check belts carefully before starting up engine!
