Cam belt and water pump advice
 

After a lot of thought,reading through posts and scoobynet members kindly offering advice I have decided I am going to replace my own water pump and cam belt when I get back from my holiday.
I am seeking quality parts at the cheapest price(aren't we all lol)
Any advice on where to buy the full kit including water pump would be greatly received.
Cheers Rich

why you replacing the water pump?

I have a small water leak and am 99% sure it's coming from the water pump,this is the only reason I am replacing the cam belt

ah fair dos, not a normal service item despite what has been claimed by some folks. didnt want you to waste your money :)

Cheers Tidgy,I noticed there are mixed opinions on this and did come to the conclusion that replacing the water pump just because the cam belt is being change is not necessary.

import car parts I was 225 but not including water pump but they do have the full kits probably 300 but youll save loads on the labour charges its a satisfactory job also

Cheers Steve,just had a look on the bay and icp are doing the kit for £193.50 so sounds like a great deal :)

if you find your right foot is a bit more heavier than the usual get the GATES power grip worth the extra pennies

ps make sure you get the tensioners as they don't cost as much as a new engine

I'm getting a cambelt kit for mine for £150, or course extra if you want water pump

From icp jay? Are you fitting it yourself?

did mine not so long ago icp off ebay, couldnt fault the kit, everything seemed good quality, changed belt tensioner and all the rollers. no waterpump for me though

Hi guys, sorry to jump in - how do you know when the water pump is on the way out? I was told by a mate today that he thinks mine might be going? I'm unsure.

it leaks water

Oh, i'm all good then. Doesn't leak.

Check for abnormal play in the roller, I replaced mine as a precaution due to the bearing being slightly noisy when spun by hand.

It never leaked but no point risking using it with a new build.

Siv :thumb:

How would I check for play in the roller? Sorry if it's a dumb question but I don't even know where the pump is located!

Water pump is on front lower right of block when you stand in front of the car, you would need to remove cam cover and timing belt to be able to spin it freely.
My engine was stripped down and water pump was in my hand when it was spun so was a lot easier and for about £70 worth replacing.

If it were my car or if you plan keeping the car long term I would replace belt, tensioners, rollers, water pump, oil pump.
They should all last the life of your ownership and just renew the belt at the advised intervals.
That's just what I would do knowing how much a rebuild costs if it's done properly.
New pumps rollers and a belt are peanuts compared to a good build.

Hope that helps

Siv :thumb:

Brilliant cheers - I'm just onto 70k and the cam belt was done at 40k.

Tempted to get both the cambelt/water pump and oil changed now?

Waste of money getting it all done now? It could not be the water pump, but the paper work says cambelt was done, nothing about the water pump though?

I've just replaced my cambelt at 129000 miles. I'm fairly certain that it was also done around 50k (before I bought the car) so this was the 2nd new belt. I swithered about changing the idlers and tensioners and to be honest, I wish I had. There are 2 ways to assess wear. One is to spin roller and listen ; they should be silent. The cog type was noisy so I replaced it (from ICP). The other way to check is to shake the idler; again it should be silent. Noisy implies dried out bearings so failure is more likely. I learned this after I ordered cog idler and needed to get car back on road so left the others (which were noisy when shaken). The ICP idlers are not officially OEM but they are made by same manufacturer as original so are as good as.

Obviously it's good practise to renew both pumps, tensioners and rollers at the same time if you have everything apart.
Others may just replace what is showing signs of wear but knowing that oil pump failure can smoke your engine why leave things to chance ?
I'm just saying that's the way I do things.
The bolts on the inside of the oil pump have a history of loosening and causing engine failure, my engine builder removed my bolts on a new pump and refitted with engine block sealant.
My thoughts were if I spend thousands on a build and I refit an old water/oil pump and they fail I would be seriously pi$$ed off.

Siv

I've getting a quote today to replace everything, I will get someone to check that is the issue first! I might be over worrying!