When I was inspecting cam belt noticed pink crystals around water pump and it’s definitely leaking. Real pig to get to as the air con bracket is attached to studs that hold it in. I’ve snapped one so the remnants will need drilling out. Is it just held in by those four studs or are there other bolts (perhaps behind the horrid pulley or the lower cam cover)?
Never done this, just throwing it out there as a thought... Ideally you'd want to properly fix / replace things but if you're really stuck and can't get it off, could you utilise the existing housing but replace the impeller / gasket etc? Might be remembering wrongly but have I seen impellers available on their own? Even if not, you could cannibalise a complete one?
Thanks for that. Trouble is now have the stud is stuck in the block I won’t be able to clamp the ac bracket properly. So I’ve got to drill it out anyway. Is it just the four studs that hold the pump in?
Can't honestly say all these years later, plus we're different engines which may or may not matter. Maybe 7Zap has a schematic for yours?
This is what I’ve snapped. And the other ones not budging either . Too much damp has got in and it’s basically welded. I reckon I’ll have to angle grind it off and drill that out too. Happy days! Wonder where I can get those studs from? If no where I’ll just put a bolt all the way through the bracket and the pump (once I get it off that is!!
Seems like these studs are long since discontinued and are prone to snapping as only rarely is the housing removed so they stay in forever. I’m in for the long haul here I think.
Apologies if I'm teaching you to suck eggs but wire brush and blowtorch before trying to crack them off.
Happy days got the last one off. Didn’t snap. So just a careful bit of drilling and retap to clear it out. Could have been far worse. I think I have the studs due to need for ac bracket but I can’t recall getting them 20 years ago when installed
Get the various measurements from one of the intact 'bolts', may be able to track the same thing (or at a pinch cut down a longer one for example) through somebody like Westfield Fastners.
Possibly? Google 051260821 and 051260821A, seems to be an upper and a lower. https://www.vwvortex.com/threads/051260821a-is-obsolete.7251203/ https://www.clubgti.com/forums/index.php?threads/water-pump-shoulder-studs.290101/
Got a new pump on way. Obviously the mating surface to the block must be very clean. But do people use any additional sealant or should I avoid? Same for the seal for the thermostat outlet elbow? Never done this before so any tips welcome!
I would use Hylomar Blue on any metal to metal surfaces if there is no gasket (even then perhaps). If there is a rubber o ring which there should be for the elbow (?) then you don’t need any extra sealant. As you say cleanliness and grease free is the key.
Just for any future readers of this post in a similar situation who don't want to risk / can't get the bolts undone... You can get the water pump impeller / shaft and outer plate / gasket as a standalone part and leave the original body in place. Cases like yours might even be why they supply half pumps, it certainly doesn't save you much money over the cost of a complete one if that's the motivation?
I recently did a water pump on mine and the o-rings that seal the pump to the block and the stat elbow to the housing were fine without sealant for what that’s worth. One thing that was a pain for me was that thin piece of metal that forms a guard for the timing belt (in your photo can see it just to the left of the main coolant inlet to the block.) I bent mine a little installing the new pump and so when it was all back together the intermediate shaft pulley was rubbing on that guard and making a scraping noise so had to take it all back apart to fix that. There isn’t much clearance at all so just make sure you’re good with that before putting it all back together.
