Changing Waterpump

[ChefTSI]

Well I'm in the middle of my 97-99 front bumper swap and i noticed a little coolent leaking around the waterpump. 15k ago i had all the belts and pulleys changed, but not the waterpump (I know, money was an issue) and it looks like its kicking my ass now. So my Q is I'm not super handy with a wretch but i do OK, how hard is it to change a waterpump or anyone have a guess on a price for a shop to change it.


Thanks Chris

 

[steve]

Study the timing belt VFAQ for the 2G. The water pump isn't hard but you have to take the timing belt off first to replace the pump and then get it back on correctly.

Steve

 

[TotalEclipse112]

Unless the water is coming out of the weep hole (it looks like a ball bearing sticking out of the bottom side of the pump) Don't worry about it. If it is coming out of there the sealed bearings are bad if not it should be fine.

 

[Staytuned]

It's not too hard to do. The toughest part is getting the belt on and setting up the idler pulley and making sure your timing marks line properly. I actually did it without removing the whole belt, I just zip tied it to the cam sprockets and then used little clamps to hold the belt to the oil pump sprocket and crank sprocket. I also used the timing belt tensor tool thats seen in the Vfaqs. Just take you time and read the Vfaqs pages to get a good grasp on what is going on. It wouldn't hurt to print out a copy of the pages from a CD manual if you have access to one.

 

[ChefTSI]

Thanks guys, im going to take a good look at it, and make sure its coming from there, and then decide if i want to try it, or buy a pump and take it to a shop.

 

[steve]

If you do take it to a shop make sure they really know how to do the timing belt on a 4G63.
For some reason lots of them can't seem to get the balance shaft phasing correct.

Steve

 

[TotalEclipse112]

Yeah I've noticed that about certian shops forgetting the balance shafts even exist.

 

[Spoolin4Ever]

Some can't set the tensioner correctly either.

IMHO, if you don't want to spend about $1000 for a shop to do it, just do it yourself.

 

[TalonD27A]

The pump itself is not hard to change, it is all the other stuff you have to get out of your way. Make sure you have a manual to give yourself a detailed breakdown of the timing belt and the torque specs needed. If the timing belt isn't done right you play the gamble with your motor. Check all the timing belt components for wear. If the timing belt hasn’t been changed recently then now is the time to do it. Replace the belt, auto tensioner, idler pulley, tensioner pulley, & the balance shaft belt and pulley if you still have them. Its best to do all the components while you're in there.
Back to the pump... you'll need to remove some brackets to get it out. Make sure you inspect all the bolts for stretching, clean the block of any gasket or silicone, acetone or alcohol both the block or water pump, make sure you have a new O-ring for the water pipe and put a little WD-40 on it to ensure it slides into the water pump during instillation or else it will rip or leak. Now the tricky part is to make sure the block surface stays clean of coolant. If you don't then the pump may not seal with just the gasket. What you can do to make sure it seals is use some RTV Grey Silicone on both water pump and block with the gasket in the middle. Make sure both surfaces have silicone where the gasket will touch. This is what I do to eliminate any chance the water pump might leak and have to redo the process over again. Torque the bolts down in a cris-cross-patern and do not over-tighten them since these bolts stretch easy and will break off in the block. You could always do what I did and get some grade 10.9 ARP stainless bolts to hold it in. If you need more info just PM me. Let the car sit overnight to let the silicone dry and then fill with coolant.

 

[steve]

What you can do to make sure it seals is use some RTV Grey Silicone on both water pump and block with the gasket in the middle. Make sure both surfaces have silicone where the gasket will touch.

If your going to use RTV then use it without the gasket. One or the other but not both.

Steve

 

[ZachM31]

i threw the gasket that napa gave me away and cut my own gasket out of a thicker material (it's blue and said it should be used for waterpumps) then i siliconed the side that touched the waterpump and set the waterpump down on it, don't put a huge glob on, just put a little on your finger and get the gasket sticky, then it will dry and stay in place when you are trying to get the pump on the engine.. i painted the waterpump bolts too so that i knew that they were for the waterpump, just something that i do to make sure that it is right...

 

[TalonD27A]

If your going to use RTV then use it without the gasket. One or the other but not both.

Steve

If there are inconstancies in the surface of the block or water pump the gasket with RTV will solve the problem. The RTV by itself doesn't always work. I use my own car as an example of this using the gasket with RTV Grey and have more than 30k on the car since it was done. Also have done other cars as well without any problems. The RTV should work by itself as well, but I still had a leak around one of the bolts.
So I agree with you, but my experience dictates both.

 

[Defiant]

RTV on gaskets can also serve to lubricate them, so they can slide out of place more easily.
I like using copper spray on water pump and similar gaskets, just because it's so much easier to put on an even, light amount.
However, as posts will prove, it really doesn't matter. That Mits gets away with that O-ring setup is miracle enough.