diagnosis of water pump

[andyli]

hi, guys, my Vn 91 currently leaking coolant from the front of Engine. happened several times, not much, sometimes a small leak together with Oil which scare me. last week got a big leak of coolant. I basicly have to fill it up in one month with 5 liter. the car goes fine. any advice? some say it is water pump which could cost 300, do I ahve to fix it? many thnaks.

[Shortstuff]

If it's the water pump it will need to be fixed eventually. If the S1 and S2 engines are the same in that area it would be fairly easy to replace the water pump yourself if it is that.

If you take your car to a mechanic and get them to pressure test the cooling system they should be able to find exactly where the leak is coming from and you can take it from there.

[xcop5l]

If it's the water pump it will need to be fixed eventually. If the S1 and S2 engines are the same in that area it would be fairly easy to replace the water pump yourself if it is that.

If you take your car to a mechanic and get them to pressure test the cooling system they should be able to find exactly where the leak is coming from and you can take it from there.

as said here^^^
take it to a mechanic and find out what it is, if its the water pump get it done asap, when they leak it usually means the bearings in the water pump have worm bad and are close to dying, if they die your drive belt will come off and usually all the coolant is dumped out of the engine in a hurry....then the engine usually dies

[potshots007]

take it to a mechanic and find out what it is, if its the water pump get it done asap, when they leak it usually means the bearings in the water pump have worm bad and are close to dying, if they die your drive belt will come off and usually all the coolant is dumped out of the engine in a hurry....then the engine usually dies

perfect answer right there, also when the belt comes off it can do a bit more damge to everything else, idler plleys and stuff,

[andyli]

Many thanks for the reply. I will go to ultratune next week before it blow up. have to keep this car till I finish my study. I recon commodore is pretty reliable if you put couple of hundreds for repair very months.

[savage1987]

You can change the water pump yourself in half a day with the right tools, gaskets etc. Save a couple of hundred in labour. Be ready to replace 2 gaskets (one either side of the plate behind the pump) and have a paint scraper to get all the old rotten corrosion off the gasket faces. New pump cost me under $80 with a discount from repco . . .

[andyli]

many thanks for the advice. I am afraid I could not make it myself and it might be too complicated for me any way. have to let the mechanic rip me off again. I called repco they quoted 95 for a GMB water pump. but my friend said it may be the welch plug. what the hell is that. being a poor student I could not afford blowing the engine, but my son would love to, because then we have to buy a new one.

[stmcomms]

The same thing happened to my VP, I changed the water pump and the problem was fixed. Easy to do, 2-3 hours and $100 you will be away !

[andyli]

many thanks. I changed the serpentine belt last night. the mechanic charged me 60 for the parts and labour last time. so I got a little bit confidence and wonder maybe I could change the water pump myself. Autoone has the new parts for 80 GMB made in Japan. could I find the process in how to?

[Fu Manchu]

I would suggest useing a series one VN water pump as they flow slightly more. A guy who does V6 conversions told me that

[savage1987]

Really? They flow more? lol I love series 1 VNs
(^-^)

[nsladden]

Me & my dad did the waterpump in the VP 5.0L today. We used GMB ($80 from Repco). Took a couple of hours with the assistance of a Gregorys manual. Try grabbing a hold of the fan & if you can wiggle it around heaps best bet waterpumps stuffed. I spose i could do a tutional if i could be bothered.

[crocko_05]

Me & my dad did the waterpump in the VP 5.0L today. We used GMB ($80 from Repco). Took a couple of hours with the assistance of a Gregorys manual. Try grabbing a hold of the fan & if you can wiggle it around heaps best bet waterpumps stuffed. I spose i could do a tutional if i could be bothered.

Big difference in replacing V6 & V8 waterpumps. If replacing V6 water pump yourself have a w/shop manual with you and do as it says, especially when refilling and bleeding cooling system, THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!!! Water pump problems on V6 engines are a very common problem.
(mechanic by trade, 12 years @ a Holden Dealership).

[andyli]

hi, I got the GMB for 80 at auto one and spent 115 at ultratune for the labour. they said they put new coolant in , but I do not know if they flush it or not. should I flush myself if they just mix it up. they said it is volvelin something.