coolant leak

[pinback2001]

Drove to work this morning in the Maestro van ( nasp diesel), parked up and as I was walking away I glanced underneath the engine (like you do!) and noticed a steady trickle of coolant coming from the timing belt end of the engine. Being dressed for work I couldn't really climb underneath to check it out properly, but the hoses all seem dry and the water is dripping off the pulleys on the side of the engine. This looks horribly like the water pump, and I'm guessing that the timing belt needs to come off to replace this! Please someone tell me I'm wrong!

[darrenandsarah]

Love to tell you you're wrong, but you aint, just had mine done and after being told prices ranging from 300 - 600 I found a mechanic who changed the water pump and cam belt for £150. The pump was about £60 timing belt kit £45 and rest for labour.

[darrenandsarah]

Any joy on this?

[pinback2001]

Hi darrenandsarah
On grovelling about under the van it certainly looks like the water is coming from the water pump. I have managed to obtain a new pump (well, it's on its way!) and once the weather warms up from -5 it will be fitted. There's a tin of Barrs leaks in the system at the moment to keep the van useable!
Cheers, Phil

[Jack]

I drove around for about 5 months with mine leaking like this. I think the collant comes from the "weep hole" which is a hole at the bottom of the pump. Not sure why it needs to weep and I did consider just ramming a piece of cork up it to seal it but changed the pump in the end (it was costing a fortune in anti-freeze too!)

General procedure and shopping list from memory is as follows:

1. empty coolant (unclip bottom rad hose)
2. Remove expansion tanks from inner wing (couple of bolts and hose clips)
3. Support engine with a jack under the sump (I used a brush from a dustpan / brush set thinking that the bristles would spread the load and prevent damage to the sump - you could do even better an make up some wooden blocks which fit to the bolt flange on the sump and so push on the engine block rather than the sump base. I didn't dent it by the way).
4. Remove engine mounting - this is actually quite easy with just some bolts / nuts to remove (four on inner wing part and four on the water pump I think).
5. Remove tming belt covers (you may have to do this earlier, I can't remember)
6. Use the Laser tools timing pin kit (shopping list!) which cost me £10 but I think I got it very cheap and it is normally up to £20 (see laser tools website for the part no as you'll no doubt have to get your laser dealer to order it). You turn the engine to a certain point (see manual) and put a pin in the cam sprocket, the fuel pump sprocket and the gearbox. It is really easy to do and you know that the engine is definately going to be timed correctly this way. The laser tool is cheap insurance!
7. Loosen the cam sprocket and ease the old belt off (and throw away!).
8. Remove the water pump bolts and remove it.
9. In classic Haynes manual style, re-fitting is the reverse of removal! Just remember to put the sealant on the new pump. As usual when doing such jobs I always seem to have difficulty in doing something that Mr. Haynes thought was so easy they barely mentioned it. In this case it was getting the old pump out and getting the new one in. The clearance is quite tight and you have to pull it towards the inner wing to clear the impellor of the pump. I eventually did it by jacking the engine up a bit more to move it over.
10. When tightening the new cambelt, I did it until the belt could only be twisted with moderate pressure by 45 degrees between the fuel pump pulley and the cam pulley. I've had not problems and didn't need the recommended tension gauge.

I probably have not mentioned everything so you'd be best to study the manual. Rest assured that whilst there is a fair bit of dismantling etc. it's not that hard to do and the cam belt was suprisingly a doddle with the timing pin tool.

Good luck!

[Jack]

One last thing for your shopping list. The Haynes manual recommends the use of a tool made from bolts and long pieces of steel bar to remove the crank pulley. You jam the bolts in the gaps in the pulley and lever against them with the breaker bar on the bolt.

I made the tool and it did work but I can't help thinking there must be an easier way to loosen it before you even jack the car up - perhaps in gear with someone on the brakes or something?

Anyway, don't forget some thread sealant on all the bolts and use a torque wrench to tighten.