24V Waterpump DIY

[apstguy]

This primary waterpump replacement was performed on a 2002.5 VW GTI 24V (BDF) VR6.

Took me about 1.5 hours. Disclaimer: I’m not responsible for you harming yourself, use common sense! Don’t blame me for anything!

Important note>>> I left out detailed descriptions of some parts (such as removing the dogbone and fender well) as I expect that if you are attempting this you are experienced enough to not need directions for those. If you do, they are all covered in the MkIV DIY section so go look there!

Tools needed:
T-25 Torx Screwdriver
Phillips & flathead screwdriver
Floor jack
Piece of wood (2X4)
10mm, 13mm, 16mm Metric sockets
Socket Wrench
Socket wrench extensions (long and small)
M8X45 Bolt for de-tensioning your serpentine belt
6mm Hex wrench
6mm "Internal Wrench" or 12 point bits (a.k.a. triple square)
Oil/catch pan
PB Blaster or similar penetrating oil

Parts needed:
New waterpump
New pulley to waterpump hex bolts (Tend to strip) Part#N10526802 (Qty=3)
(Optional) New waterpump to block triple square bolts Part#N90544203 (Qty=3)
(Optional) Passenger engine mount to body bolts & Pendulum mount bolts Part# N10516701 (Qty=2)
G12 Coolant - 1 jug or 2 to be safe
Distilled water 1 gallon or 2 to be safe

Make sure your car is COLD and disconnect the battery before working on it!

1. Remove your engine cover (just pull) and your underbody pan/sound dampener by removing the four T-25 torx screws.

2. Drain the coolant by removing the lower radiator hose. Use a screwdriver to remove the clip that hold the hose on, then yank really hard! Coolant will spill, use your oil/catch pan so you don't make a mess.

3. Remove the washer fluid bottle by removing the two 10mm plastic speednuts, the tank level sensor (by squeezing both sides and pulling) and removing the fluid line(s) (two for GTI, one for Jetta/GLI) and the electrical for the washer pump itself.

4. Remove the two 16mm bolts from the pendulum/dogbone engine mount that attaches it to the engine.

5. Remove the passenger side wheel well engine bay cover by removing the rear T-25 torx screw then sliding a flat head screw driver between the plastic and the body under the two speed nuts and pulling.

6. Remove the wire tie-down from the power steering reservoir bolt then unbolt the power steering reservoir 10mm bolt with a deep socket. Remove the two philips screws to the coolant overflow tank.

7. Remove the 13mm bolt nearest the passenger side that mounts the small support bracket that mounts to the top of the passenger side engine mount. Also remove the philips screw that supports the A/C line to the small support bracket.

8. Unbolt the passenger side engine mount 16mm bolts(the two bolts that go from the mount to the body).

9. Jack up the engine using a piece of wood (2X4 piece) on the oil pan getting as close to the passenger side as you can. Be VERY careful, the aluminum oil pans are fragile!!!
Ready to jack

Jacked up

10. Soak the pulley bolts with PB Blaster and let sit for a bit, then remove the three hex head bolts that attach the pulley to the pump. (The belt might not give you enough grip, I suggest you take a second socket wrench and shove it in one of the holes in the pulley to get some leverage - My bolts all stripped out even after soaking in PB Blaster. I used a torx socket and hammered it into the stripped hex bolts to remove them.)

11. Using the M8X45 bolt, un-tension the serpentine belt and remove it from the car. I removed my tensioner to make it easier (3 6mm hex bolts).

10. Remove the three 6mm triple square bolts that hold the waterpump to the block.

12. Pull on the pump to remove. Lots of coolant will spill. I couldn't find a good place for the catch pan with the floor jack in the way, so I let the coolant spill and got it off the floor with my shop vac.

13. Prep the new pump by wiping coolant o-ring with coolant, then pushing the pump into place. The mounting holes only fit one way, so you can't put it in wrong. Tighten the 3 6mm triple square mounting bolts to 20 Nm (15 ft-lb).

14. Push the pulley back on the new waterpump, making sure it faces the correct way (shallow side towards the passenger side). Thread the three 6mm hex bolts in and tighten to 20 Nm (15 ft-lb). You will need to shove a tool in a hole in the pulley to get leverage to tighten them.

15. Make sure to wipe off all spilled coolant from pulleys and any surface that might touch the serpentine belt. Reinstall the serpentine belt and remove the M8X45 bolt to retension the belt. Make sure the belt is on every pulley correctly! (This is a great time to replace the belt and to also lubricate the tensioner pulley, as they often squeal)

16. Lower the jack until the passenger side body mount touches the body again (but don't lower the jack all the way down yet). Reinstall the 2 16mm pendulum mount bolts, using the jack to help you align the
holes (raise and lower the jack, and shove the engine with your hands, it is only mounted to the body in one flexible place as of now) Both pendulum mount bolts need to be torqued to 50 Nm (37 ft-lb). These are stretch bolts and VW says they need to be replaced every time they are removed, but I don't.

17. Reinstall the 16mm bolts to the passenger side body mount. They need to be torqued to 40Nm (30 ft-lb) plus 90 degrees (or 1/4 of a turn). These are stretch bolts and VW says they need to be replaced every time they are removed, but I don't. Just make sure you tighten a little extra.

18. Reinstall the passenger side body mount bracket. That 13mm bolt needs to be tightened to 20 Nm (15 ft-lb) plus 90 degrees (or 1/4 a turn). Reattach the A/C line strap with the philips screw.

19. Put the coolant reservoir back into place and tighten down with the two philips screws. Reinstall the power steering reservoir with the long 10mm bolt. Place the wire tie-down back onto the bolt.

20. Reinstall the lower radiator hose making sure to moisten the o-ring with coolant before pushing the pipe back on. Slide the clip back into place to secure it. Fill cooling system with a 50/50 mix of G12 and distilled water.

21. Reinstall the passenger side wheel well engine bay cover by pushing it back into place, making sure the front clip slides in smoothly then pushing onto its support screws. Tighten by taking a small diameter deep socket (like 8 mm) and gently tapping it on the speed nuts on the support screws. Replace the rear T-25 torx screw also. Reinstall the engine cover and the underbody pan/sound dampener.

22. Reinstall the washer fluid bottle by pushing the fluid tubes back on, followed by the level sensor, last replace the two 10mm speed nuts.

23. Start her up, check for abnormal sounds and leaks. Add coolant/distilled water 50/50 mix as needed as the car warms up.

Done!!! Give yourself a pat on the back. You just saved tons of mulah!

IMPORTANT NOTES: I did not remove any other parts while doing this. It may be advisable to remove the air-box lid and other hoses and wire to avoid damage to them, but I did not feel the need. You may also need to loosen the driver’s side engine mount, but the stock mounts have enough play in them that I found this unnecessary. I found that the engine could be raised about 8-10 inches without binding.

If just using this for a DIY for just the water pump pulley, omit steps 2, 11-13, & 19. If you are upgrading your pulleys like I did, use these revisions:

Tensioner pulley:
11a. Remove the three hex bolts that hold the tensioner to the block. Remove tensioner from car. Use a bench vise to hold the tensioner while you remove the pulley bolt. THE TENSIONER PULLEY BOLT IS REVERSE THREADED! Remove pulley bolt by turning clock-wise. Remove old pulley and replace with new one, make sure if the pulley has a lock-ring (like the Gruven parts one) that the lock ring faces towards the tensioner, the side without the lock ring goes on the bolt side. Put loctite on pulley bolt and tighten. Factory torque specs are not available for the tensioner pulley bolt. (Should be pretty tight, use loctite to make sure it doesn't back out. Just be careful as the tensioner is made of aluminum!) Place tensioner back on car, tightening the three hex bolts to 25 Nm (18 ft-lb).

Waterpump pulley:
14. Push the NEW pulley back on the new waterpump, making sure it faces the correct way (flat side towards the passenger side, dished side towards engine). Thread the three hex bolts in and tighten to 20 Nm (15 ft-lb) {For aluminum pulleys, add an extra 1/6-1/4 of a turn). You will need to shove a tool in a hole in the pulley to get leverage to tighten them.

A 24V (BDF) metal impeller waterpump does exist. I bought a Hepu BDF waterpump with metal impeller. Model# P525 "Comparable to: 022.121.011" However, I had a failure after 5000 miles with this model and the warranty unit sent to replace the old one was cast too big, forcing me to grind the three pointed edges so the pulley could turn without binding. Meyle now makes one so I suggest going with them.

Old plastic impeller waterpump and new metal impeller waterpmup:

This is what my car looked like (I was also doing a bunch of other projects)

Gruven Parts Waterpump pulley and tensioner pulley installed:

I want to thank the VWVortex community for all the info, especially Veedub_Junky who supplied me with the bolt sizes and part#s.


Modified by apstguy at 11:01 PM 6-17-2009

[newcreation]

where did you buy the metal impellar water pump.what kind of pricing.guessing this will work on the R32 because i have the same part number for the factory water pump.plus i am putting that same upgraded pulley in that i have had for a couple of months now

[Veedub_junky]

Nice writeup - I'm sure I'll be using this one of these days soon

[GRN6IX]

Pump here...
http://www.mjmautohaus.com/cat...=2697

[Velocity_Sport_Tuned]

Nice write up

[newcreation]

Sweet thank you alot.

[tpotp]

for you sir!

[supavr6lover]

thank you for this

[apstguy]

I'll be posting pictures on this soon, as my waterpump is leaking and is getting replaced as soon as I can get the pump (in the mail). It is only a couple months old, so it is getting replaced under warranty. At least I'll be faster this time right?

[FlyC]

Thank you for this write-up. I just did mine last night and it appears that all is well.

I got my water pump from MJMautohaus.com. I got the metal impeller model made by Meyle pn:022121011MY. Cost me $64.95 with free shipping.

BTW, this is a good time to replace the serpentine belt while you are doing this. Also got this from MJM, made by Continental pn:066145933J or 6DK1320. Cost $34.95 with free shipping.

[Matt@EuroJerks]

How much coolant goes back in?

[apstguy]

You lose almost everything, I think I used an entire bottle of G12 and a gallon of distilled water.

[Chronogoof89]

What size are the 12pt bolts holding the pump on? They are 12pt internal, right, so I need a bit- what size though? I think the 12v says 6mm hex and I am tempted to try that but it would also be nice to just get the right 12pt size..

[apstguy]

Updated with more pics. Hope to have specific bolt sizes here soon!

[vdubsunday]

thanks a bunch
i should be using this sometime soon

[jlsgli89-03]

awsome pics,thanks,this is exactly what i need,

[vwisthebest]

Just linked this to a 24v driver in need. A centralized information source and threads like this are what kept me in a VW when buying a new car. Thank you sir.

[24vowner]

just used this DIY tonight to replace the water pump and install the gruven water pump pulley.
This write up is excellent, it helped a ton

edit: my pump started leaking at abou 82K and i just replaced it at 85.5K. Based on my exam of the old pump the rubber gasket was just worn out and was letting coolant leak out between it and the block. The plastic impellers were still looking ok.


Modified by 24vowner at 11:23 AM 4-21-2009

[apstguy]

Glad everyone is getting use out of this. I'm guessing by the amount of comments now that the waterpumps have hit their original useful lifetime and starting to leak. Luckily it isn't to hard to replace, just time consuming and messy.

[speed6GTI]

Good to see that this is a fairly simple application to task in only a few hours. I wasnt looking forward to doing the waterpump on my 24v after doing it on my 1.8t. This has brought my focus back and will be knocking it out this weekend.

[Veedub_junky]

Quote, originally posted by apstguy »

This primary waterpump replacement was performed on a 2002.5 VW GTI 24V (BDF) VR6. Tools needed: Torx Screwdrivers Phillips & flathead screwdriver Floor jack Piece of wood Metric sockets Socket Wrench Socket wrench extensions (long and small) M8X45 Bolt for de-tensioning your serpentine belt Hex wrench set "Internal Wrench" or 12 point bits Oil/catch pan PB Blaster or similar penetrating oil

I should have read that part in bold more carefully before I started Realized I had a problem with my engine jacked up in the air, and none of the local stores seem to carry them

Looks like it'll sit until I can borrow one (hopefully tomorrow...)

EDIT: borrowed a 6mm, and it fits my new bolts, but the original ones are 5mm (WTF!?!?!?). Apparently the factory ran out of the 6mm bolts that day or something... Beware guys - your car might have been built the same day as mine

Modified by Veedub_junky at 8:52 PM 5-25-2009

[apstguy]

Added bolt sizes.

[GLI666]

Is there anything that should be watched while jacking up the engine? So nothing breaks.

[Veedub_junky]

I didn't have any problems, really. I left my CAI hooked up, and found that it strained the joint at the TB, so the hose/clamp started slipping off and had to be put back in place. Doing it again, I'd disconnect the intake at the MAF so there's no binding there. I lifted it until the TB was just about touching the rain tray to have enough clearance to slip the old pump out and new pump in.

When setting it back down, keep an eye on the wire protector that runs near the motor mount and bracket for the power steering reservoir. I noticed the motor mount tended to pinch it as you set it down. Get it close and make sure that is clear before putting it the rest of the way down. See the photo in step 7 - just above the bolt - that's the one.

[wagen6]

thanx a million, write-up like these will save my behind, bought my car from the junk yard with 87k on the clock, dunno if anything was changed or replaced- heck i still have the black top coolant sensor - so i waiting for something to happen

[Veedub_junky]

If it's got the black top, plan on doing the crack pipe and t-stat housing while you are at it

My advice - don't wait. When stuff breaks, it tends to cause other damage. I've done my crack pipe, t-stat housing, and water pump now without having ever had a leak. I'd rather do it on my terms than on the car's terms. Much more convenient that way

[GLI666]

How many of you actually replace the motor mount bolts since they are stretch bolts? Have you had any problems? How long ago was it?

[Veedub_junky]

I did - motor mount and pendulum mount bolts all new
It's a few extra bucks for piece of mind IMO, but I understand why others disagree with the need.

[Cpt.Lane]

About a month ago I replaced my coolant temp sender(big suprise!) and flushed the system several times with water before replacing it with G12. I noticed the coolant was low a week later, topped it off and checked for leaks but couldn't find anything. A week later it began spraying coolant from the water pump area.

Now I have to buy one from the dealer$$$$. So don't wait for this to leave you stranded!!!!

I am going to attempt this today. Thanks for the nice write up!

[mactownvr6]

Do you recommend replacing the timing components as well? I have to do the water pump this weekend and kinda thinking I should do it since I will be workin on it already... It has 63k on it. And if there Is a DYI for the timeing chain etc or if someone could explain it a lil that would great! thanks!

[wav3form]

Quote, originally posted by mactownvr6 »

Do you recommend replacing the timing components as well? I have to do the water pump this weekend and kinda thinking I should do it since I will be workin on it already... It has 63k on it. And if there Is a DYI for the timeing chain etc or if someone could explain it a lil that would great! thanks!

I'd say it's usually the other way around. If you were doing the timing chains, you should do the water pump as well. I wouldn't change out the chains at 63k miles unless you're hearing some nasty noises in that area.

That's a much bigger job than just changing out the water pump. I would, however, change out or repack the tensioner bearing, maybe replace the coolant temp sensor if you haven't already, new accessory belt, etc.

[GLI|BRANDON|VR6]

Is there anything that should be watched while jacking up the engine? So nothing breaks.

lol ya dont crack your oil pan!


i just did this today partly in the poring rain and let me tell u its kind of crucial jacking the engine up like that stressing the oil pan. u rlly have to jack it up quite a ways to get the water pump to clear slow and steady isnt goin to hurt in replacing this item =) great write up by the way couple of the steps need some elaborating on like exactly were tyo jack on the oil pan bec some of us are just straight up car noobs like me

[sellindub]

Great write up thanks!!!!!!

[DUB_MANGv2]

what are symptons that this needs to be replaced?

[apstguy]

Noise or leaking. The plastic impeller can break too causing overheating, poor cooling performances, or a cooling system malfunction code.