For everyone in the forum, please read!

[lsmalley]

thanks for the intel.....but my ps is leaking and I would like to seal it. I'm gonna try to get a diagram of this job, wp replacement do I at least know where to begin. any other advice us welcome. thanks ps2cho

[Gilly]

Originally Posted by tjts1

So how do you add coolant to your system?

By removing the pressure cap from the pressure tank. The expansion tank is inside the lower part of the right front fender, out of sight. It's where the hose leads to from the filler neck of the pressure tank.

You need the hose that connects the wp to the block, you won't typically find that at a local parts store, very important.

Also not sure what the silicone is for, you you mean silicone sealer or silicone spray? Sealer you could use to hold the o-ring in place.

Oh speaking of o-rings you need one of the gray ones for the end of the heater hose pipe where it enters the wp, they usually are hard and or cracked and need to be replaced since it's removed anyways.

You're replacing or assuming you need to replace a bunch of stuff i wouldn't bother with, although most of it is stuff I'd like to know I could get to right away in case I needed it. Especially what you call the expansion tank, which must be the pressure tank, I hardly ever replaced those. Why? The expansion tank I replaced in the case of blown head gaskets where there was a load of oily crap in there because it's about impossible to clean.

Gilly

[lsmalley]

yes, I did get the 2 - 3 inch hose connecting the wp to the block. I also have a box of different sized o rings. anything else.

[latief]

Originally Posted by lsmalley

I'm sure it is a straight forward job for someone that has some experience with cars, but this is my first time. I have never done it, never read a book on it, never seen it done before....doing cosmetic surgery is easy to me, but I'm sure it would be a little challenging for anyone of you that has never done it before. I just need a little guidance, I'm pretty much going in blind....anything can happen that I wanna be prepared for like stripping a bolt, breaking a piece off of something that I need to move to get to the water pump, etc. I'm already aware that I need to get a new belt tensioner since I heard that they tend not to re-tightened once removed. Two of you are arguing about the use of silicone for this application, I do not know which one of you are right. I only planned on putting it around any adjacent parts as a precautionary purpose, but should I or should I not? Input from someone that has done this job before on the same or similar model would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

For the water pump job, No silicone involved anywhere..yes I have don't it on my car... factory service manual also does indicate the usage of silicone anywhere.....it does not really add any additional protection, and could cause an unnecessary mess

The only time you need some silicone like compound is if you are resealing the front timing cover...but that is not what you are doing...

The water pump itself is an easy job. getting to it is not too bad if you keep track of what you did. it has 4 allen bolts, the lower two are tricky to get out without the right tools.....spray bolts with PB blaster a night before to make breaking them easier...they might be a bit rusted as was the case with mine..

I am not really sure what you are doing with the PS pump, as i have not touched that...

good luck

[tjts1]

Originally Posted by Gilly

The expansion tank has no cap.

So how do you add coolant to your system?

Originally Posted by Gilly

By removing the pressure cap from the pressure tank. The expansion tank is inside the lower part of the right front fender, out of sight.

Your car must be completely different from everybody else.



To the OP
Let me know if you need the cooling system repair PDF. I can email it to you.

[tbomachines]

Originally Posted by lsmalley

try reading the original post

I did, its mostly take-off-and-replace type stuff. I'd recommend taking it easy on WP and thermostat housing bolts as they can get brittle and snap if you torque too hard. Replacing them would also be a good idea.

[lsmalley]

tjts1 could you email me the diagram please! i wish u would've mentioned that u had a pdf in the first place....I was panicked about going in blind. thanks

[TylerH860]

Why does everyone on the forum have to read this?

[ps2cho]

Originally Posted by tjts1

Your car must be completely different from everybody else.



To the OP
Let me know if you need the cooling system repair PDF. I can email it to you.

I think we are playing word games here...

There is a tank hidden behind the passenger fender. I don't know the name of it...but there is one. Is it where the black hose goes to at the top of the coolant reservoir. You can see the hose in the picture above. It circles around and down into the fender.

I think it is an overflow tank so if you put too much in, it won't blow the reservoir cap off.

[Gilly]

The hidden one is the expansion tank. If the pressure cap releases coolant, instead of going to the ground, it EXPANDS into the expansion tank. Later when the engine cools off, the excess coolant will get sucked back into the pressure tank, all through the hose connected to the filler neck. It works like many cars, specificaly like most US cars, except it is hidden. The pressure tank is an unusual system compared to most US cars. The pressure tank is connected directly to the engine cooling system. The level does change according to engine temp, but it's not an expansion tank. The expansion tank handles the overflow from the system.

You don't state when the coolant was last replaced, so of course you'd want to pick up some good coolant. I'd recommend either the MB stuff or Xerex G05. I'd also recommend getting some good water, the cheap stuff you see at the grocery store that['s either distilled or "drinking" water would be fine, better than what you'd get at the tap and cheaper (less additives like flouride in the store-bought drinking water, but check the label).
The silicone sealant will hold the o-ring in place on the waterpump while you install it, it is helpful for that. The new pump should come with the o-ring. And then as i mentioned the other o-ring is the one on the end of the steel heater pipe that connects to the side of the waterpump, the pipe that crosses in front of the upper timing cover.
On the pwer steering pump, if it's leaking I'd recommend picking up a reman pump. Pretty involved.
Gilly

[Gilly]

Just checked my 201 disc, they DO refer to the bottom tank as the overflow tank. In the work instructions they DO refer to the pressure tank as the expansion tank, referring to it once as the "reservoir", which actually I do see a lot in the owners manuals.
Gilly

[Gilly]

Just checked my 201 disc, they DO refer to the bottom tank as the overflow tank. In the work instructions they DO refer to the pressure tank as the expansion tank, referring to it once as the "reservoir", which actually I do see a lot in the owners manuals.
The OVERFLOW tank is often overlooked (as you can not look at it at all!) after a headgasket job, where there has been oil mixed in with the coolant. The job will seemingly be all done and the cooling system flushed and all seems well. Then the car starts getting oil into the coolant again so the owner thinks the job was botched, when the real problem is the overflow tan was never emptied, and actuall for what it costs should have just been replaced, as they are about impossible to clean. No cap, just a nipple where the hose from the pressure tank connects, and a small spigot which will let the coolant spill out if the overflow tank completely fills.
Gilly

[tjts1]

Ok, everybody, lets pratice together now. Say it with me:

Overflow tank


Expansion tank


Now repeat.

Any question? Good!

[lsmalley]

Ok guys heres a status update....the leaking got to the point where I could only drive about 2-3 miles before I had to pull over and fill the radiator and all my parts come in on thursday so this is what I did: I got the radiator off, not completely, just out of the way, I took the front fan blade off, got the belt off and had access to the wp, but the only bolt I could get off was the hex key bolt in the front. The other two are behind the damn waterpump and the intake manifold is blocking it! Damn Germans! what were they thinking?! Anyways, while I had complete access and couldn't remove or get to the two bolts behind, I decided to add some water directly into the wp to pinpoint the leak and it was coming from a tiny hole that I could not see, but I could feel with my finger and see water pouring at a steady stream. Only having one car and needing to work tomorrow I decided to do a temporary fix. I slathered some high-temp resistant silicone over the hole and let it sit for a few hours. I put everything back together and let it sit for a few hours and when I added the water, BINGO! no more leak! Not competely satisfied with the water holding, I decided to test it out and drove around for a while and what do you know, its fixed! I don't no for how long, but so far so good. I'm tempted to leave it as is until it starts leaking again because I could not even get the damn pump off. The belt tensioner tightened right back up as well, no squeling at all on the initial start. What do you guys think of this quick fix? Is it ok to see how long the silicone holds for? Is there any risk in that?

[Rahulio1989300E]

Does/did the water pump pulley have any play to it if push or pulled in an up and down motion relative to the ground? I think these water pumps start leaking when the main bearings inside of them are wearing out. If that is the case, then your pump may have a very limited life.