Dave & Kip;

It doesn't need to take two people to purge the cooling system: a standard 
wooden pencil has the right taper and size to wedge between the throttle arm 
and body to hold the RPM anywhere you need it for this process.

I think the 1.9 pumps originally had studs and nuts holding the cross-pipe 
flange to the pump body; but the 2.1 uses socket-head capscrews. There's very 
little clearance to get an allen wrench into at least one of these (due to the 
way the pipe bends over it) - so you need an allen wrench with one very short 
arm. When my '87 first pump went out (104K miles) in nowhere-eastern Colorado 
some years back I just happened to have one in my tool box - don't know how or 
why, but I still keep it there.

The water pump in my '91 also failed at just over 100K - and checking it a few 
weeks before (as I had on the '87) showed no bearing signs or "weepage" - so 
I'd suggest changing at about that interval before you need to.

By the way - I had to buy an Italian pump locally when my '91 failed, even 
though I already had a "German" one on order for a planned engine rebuild. The 
next week I got the mail-order in a box with a small "made in Germany" label - 
but the pump is in all ways identical to the Italian pump - same casting 
markings, same small silver "tested" label on the pully flange, identical 
plastic bag markings, etc. I guess people want a box that says Germany on it.

I've also used a different Italian-made pump that would fit either a 1.9 or a 
2.1 by changing a fitting - seemed to work OK.

Kip - your highway problem may be a small leak between a cylinder & head. 
Highway cruising can let enough gas come through into the coolant to cause 
those symptoms.  During rebuilding it takes a lot of care to keep from 
"clipping" the o-rings that seal the top of the cylinders to the head, which 
can cause this. 

Tom Brunson
'87 Westy (160K)
'91 Carat (102K)
'93 EV MV (91K)
etc.

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> From: Kip Alder <alder@itsnet.com>
> To: vanagon@lenti
> Subject: waterpump replacement & cooling problems
> Date: Friday, June 27, 1997 12:31 AM
> 
> Dave, 
> I have done the water pump on my 84 Vanagon and there were not any major
> problems.   Before replacing the gaskets run a flat stone across the face
> of the two surfaces to make sure they are flat.   There is one trick
> though,  and that is filling up the cooling system afterwards.   It takes
> two people - one to keep the rev's up and one to put in water and close
the
> vent hole in the radiator.  Someone told me to jack up the front of the
van
> at least 18" (to help the air get to the vent).
> While we are on the subject I have at times been driving on the freeway
and
> had the needle peg and the light blink at me.   This happens without
> warning (the needle goes from center to far right in a matter of
seconds). 
>  If I pull to the side of the road and  wait for a minute, everything is
> fine.  
> Maybe my filling tactics are not totally correct.
> Might there be air in the line?   Anyone had the same problem?
> Kip 84 Vanagon
>