Thread: Is The Water Pump ABOUT TO GO!!!!!!!! 300 Tdi

They are under $100 and maybe 30 mins to replace.

Originally Posted by loanrangie

They are under $100 and maybe 30 mins to replace.

yeah not bad, just saw on british 4x4 going at $88. so might give it a go myself.

I got a noise coming from mine its a kind of bearing race type noise its not a noise that I can go oh yeah its that but its around the pump area so I have a new pump in the back of the car reasdy for if/when it starts to fail. cost me 100bux

Originally Posted by dullbird

I got a noise coming from mine its a kind of bearing race type noise its not a noise that I can go oh yeah its that but its around the pump area so I have a new pump in the back of the car reasdy for if/when it starts to fail. cost me 100bux

But when she goes isn't that a bad thing to let it go for that long??? i'm just going to replace it now, dont know when it was done last.

a know a number of water pump including rebuilt ones that have been noisy for years and never given a problem...you will know when its gone the car will get hot! and quickly.

My noise isn't enough that i'm stressing as I cant be 100% its that anyway.. of the noise changes or gets louder then sure I will change it over thats why I have it as intially thats what we though my start up noise was!! i'm sure if it was a problem my garage who had the car for a week would of pointed it out especially as they were working on that area of the car.

they picked up my brake pads being worn.....but I already knew they were

Personally I'd replace it ASAP! Yes they can rumble on for ages but equally I had one that squeaked and then siezed about 30 mins later! Worth the risk? As a rule of thumb I'd pop the belt off and see if there is any play in the bearing. Any play or roughness to turning and I'd replace. Annoyingly we only pay about $30 for a pump with gasket back in the UK so it's cheap to have a spare in the back. Very easy to do as long as the P gasket reseals.

Agree with everyone....just change it now.
The last thing you want to do is have to change it on the side of the road somewhere.

You normally get a crappy paper gasket with the pump, try and source a better one as I believe the paper ones leak quite easy.
Also use a bit of gasket sealant to help the seal.

Don't worry about changing the P gasket unless it is leaking.
This is the gasket between the engine block and the housing that joins to the water pump (not the actual water pump).

Since you don't know when it was changed last time, you might as well change the thermostat too.

if you want to check the bearing, you can always try the 'screwdriver' trick...

get a long screwdriver, and with the engine running, place it around the area where the bearing is located on the pump - KEEP IT CLEAR OF THE MOVING BITS!!!
Put your ear on the other end, and any mechanical (bearing) noise will be transmitted MUCH more clearly than through the air. It'll probably have a steady whir, but be much louder than you'd expect - like it's full of sand or something. You can try it on any other rotating item to see what a good bearing should sound like... Obviously works best on rolling element bearings...

Anyway, that was how I confirmed my water pump was shot, and replaced it straight away. Small amount of money for piece of mind... If my wife was driving the car when the pump died, I doubt she would notice... (no offence, she just doesn't understand that sort of stuff)!!!