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Date:         Sun, 9 Aug 2015 10:08:12 -0400
Reply-To:     Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Never attempt a simple fix right before leaving on a trip
              (long)
Comments: To: Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <01a801d0d226$880f03e0$982d0ba0$@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

This where experience coms to play. I am sure that pump has been replaced before. New high quality hardware and some anti-seize properly applied would eliminated all that grief. Using P.C. 10.9 plated fasteners makes a lot of that rusted broken screw or bolt thing disappear. Stainless can also be an option but can present its own set of difficulties. For some assemblies it is more important to treat the unthreaded part of a screw than the threads.

Dennis

-----Original Message----- From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Stuart MacMillan Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2015 6:07 PM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: Never attempt a simple fix right before leaving on a trip (long)

What can go wrong will go wrong. Why do I keep forgetting that?

So, I finally found my '85's intermittent coolant leak that had been bugging me since last winter, which I thought was the water pump.

It wasn't. Wednesday I spotted the leak at the T-stat housing. Easy-peasy I thought, I'll fix that before I leave on Sunday! I picked up a new O-ring from the dealer ($7!) and immediately broke one of the 6mm T-stat cover bolts off trying to remove it. L

Of course, I could not now get the bottom cap off because it was inaccessible, and the corroded bolt basically welded it on.

So, let's just remove the entire T-stat housing, also easy-peasy. Immediately broke one of the two long bolts holding that on to the water pump, and it's corrosion-welded to the pump. L L L

So, off comes the water pump (about two hours later after removing the alternator, distributor, and power steering pump).

I could not separate the two because the long bolt was completely corrosion-welded inside the T-stat housing, so I had to twist it off the pump. Of course, the bolt snapped of at the pump. Oh well, I had a new pump anyway thinking that was my problem in the first place (along with all the gaskets, O-rings and the two short hoses that should always be replaced).

After getting the repaired housing back from the machine shop two hours later ($50, a deal) I installed the pump and started to connect the crossover pipe that goes on it, and it was so inaccessible behind the pulley that I cross threaded the cap screw. This is the screw that you need a shortened 6mm Allen wrench for because it's so tight.

Off comes the pump, and after cleaning out the threads I loosely assembled the pipe to the pump and was just able to get it installed so I didn't have to start those cap screws in such an inaccessible place.

I was able to get the complete pump, pipe, and T-stat assembly (minus the lower hose heat shield) installed as one piece, much to my relief.

For those of you who have not done a 1.9 water pump, consider yourself lucky. Shops around here charge $500 to $650 for this job, and I understand why.

I'm three days and about 15 hours into this job, including the trip to the machine shop to drill out the corroded bolts, and the store tour to find the replacement bolts. Finished it at 8 PM Friday, and went ahead and flushed out the cooling system and refilled with Zerex G-05 long life coolant.

Leaving on Sunday, and so far all is holding together!

Wish me luck.

Stuart


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