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.
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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!