Hi All,
Next week im changing the water pump on my Defender 300tdi (the current one is leaking like a faucet). I have a Quinton Hazel one as have heard they good and have got a new P gasket to do at the same time (as with thermostat, housing gasket, new bolts and belt etc).
Before I attack it, anyone have any tips before i do it to make it easier. I'm no stranger to this sort of work as I owned 2 Diesel jeep cherokees before this and have done lots on them.
I have a M8 tap to clean the threads and have heard silicone sealant on the bottom 3 waterpump bolts are a must.
Anything im missing? Also, how likely are these bolts to snap off? the Jeep was pretty bad for it!
Thanks all
QH parts are OK, but I was never fond of them, their reliability wasn't great - Airtex is the one you want for OE. The QH should last a couple of years though.
+1 for metal P gasket. A metal P gasket has a rubber inner lip which seals well and will withstand a new water pump being fitted without needing to do the P gasket again because the paper/card ones can tear or de-laminate when disturbing the pump (although many will do the pump without touching the P gasket with no issues) so when you torque down the new pump they often will not make a good seal again, however the metal ones can withstand separation and will then reseal when the new pump is torqued down due to the rubber - it's like a big P shaped Dowty washer.
Slacken the pump pulley bolts BEFORE you remove the belt.
The long bolts that go through to the block can be stuck badly and break off, so take care when removing or you will have a bigger job on your hands - an impact gun is actually a good idea to help shock them off - winding off a long stuck bolt can be a disaster as it twists you think it is coming loose but actually it is breaking! If no impact driver is available to you slightly tighten them all before undoing them - when you tighten a stuck bolt it helps to separate the corrosion as the treads will tighten slightly compressing the corrosion in the thread thus helping to reduce it's volume thus it should then be easier to wind the bolt out against it.
Cleaning the mating faces carefully is very important - don't be tempted to get screw drivers and blades onto it carelessly or you will develop a leak. I always carefully clean u the faces then use some 2400grit or scotchpad to clean it up further. If you do create a score or lip you need to buff it down.
The silicone on the bolts... never heard of that before and never done that either - unless of course someone was telling you about a silicone based anti-seize? Some anti-seize compound (nickel based for these multi metal connections is best, but copper works well) to stop them corroding and getting stuck is a good idea, you will see what I mean when you remove them.
It is a simple enough job, should take about 40 minutes taking care but taking longer if need be and doing it carefully is more important.
