Re: coolant pump/aux

[Igor Kessel <e6941tb@ix.netcom.com>]

Mark&Michelle Sousa wrote:
> 
> I'm working on replacing my coolant pump, I found that my rattling noise is
> coming
> from the pump housing. I recieved two price quotes  one for the water pump
> and
> one for the auxillary water pump, can anyone shed some light on this, I
> thought
> theres was only one.

Mark,
you have (quite fortunately - just ask any pre-'86 turbo owner) two water pumps.

1. The main one, front of the engine block. That's the one that rattles and leaks.
I usually buy a German replacement, made by Graf. It's aound 40bux and serves very well.
I always machine the O-ring groove to 5mm and use an oversized Viton O-ring, that solves 
the ubiquitous housing leak problem for good. I've done 3 cars so far, the first one back 
in '92 -- still no sign of leaking.

2. The aux. turbo cooling pump. It's a small (~60mm x 150mm) metal cylinder, mounted on 
top of the ABS unit via 2 rubber loops. It has two ~20mm O.D. plastic nipples, that are 
notorious for snapping off (same sh*tty design as in our plastic radiators. Same nipple 
snap-off problem - will they ever learn?). When that pump fails, it does so without a 
warning/weeping. It just goes BOOM! and you have a miniature Island geizer under the 
hood.
This pump would've worked forever, if it were not for those nipples. The best price, that 
I had found, when I did mine 2 years ago, was $145. Ouch.

-- 
Igor Kessel
'89 200TQ - 18psi (TAP)
'97 A4TQ - on the boat
Philadelphia, PA
USA