Seized water pump anyone?

TDIBENTZEN

New member
Joined
Aug 26, 2007
Location
Issaquah, WA
TDI
Beetle, Dodge Cummins
Bought a 2000 TDI beetle a few months ago. Just had the water pump seize, which of course caused the timing belt to fail. Of course the car was used with 98k on it. I checked with the owner and hea had records to show that he had the timing belt replaced at 63k, I didn't even think to check about the water pump as I didn't know it was turing via timing belt. To make a long story short.........I was told by the mechanic that he didn't know how it was that I didn't trash the motor...........that I was extremely lucky.
 

rauldejalapeno

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 27, 2006
Location
Durango, CO
TDI
2006 Golf GLS 5-door
TDIBENTZEN said:
Bought a 2000 TDI beetle a few months ago. Just had the water pump seize...
Not uncommon if it's not changed with the T-Belt. I've also seen the impellers crack or break off entirely. In my shop, that's why I insist the pump & all rollers/tensioner are also changed with the belt. No worries that way, great insurance. Also, be cautious of cars that have had the factory coolant replaced with green or so-called long life stuff. This tends to make the plastic parts brittle & prone to failure, including the pump impeller. I just finished a pump on an '02 Jetta with 120kmi where the customer complained of overheating going up hills. In town & cruising it was fine. No impeller at all left...none! Just the bearing & shaft remained. He didn't have the pump replaced with his last belt. Oops!
 

naturist

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2001
Location
Bro Jerry's hometown, Virginia
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI, 2005 Jeep Libby CRD, 2012 BMW X5 35d
I can't believe you didn't trash the motor, either. How does your mechanic conclude you didn't? I wouldn't draw such a conclusion without taking the head off to look for damage.
 

Drivbiwire

Zehntes Jahr der Veteran
Joined
Oct 13, 1998
Location
Boise, Idaho
TDI
2013 Passat TDI, Newmar Ventana 8.3L ISC 3945, 2016 E250 BT, 2000 Jetta TDI
If the belt failed you are buying a new head...Your mechanic is Full of $hit if he says otherwise.

You bent at least 4-8 valves, rest assured!

DB
 

paramedick

TDIClub Enthusiast, Vendor
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Location
Versailles, Kentucky
TDI
2015 Audi Q5 TDI
Sorry for your loss. Very typical story. Timing belt and maybe the tensioner were changed. Nothing else.

Have it towed to me. I'll fix it right.
 

rotarykid

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 27, 2003
Location
Piedmont of N.C. & the plains of Colorado
TDI
1997 Passat TDI White,99.5 Blue Jetta TDI
Did a T-belt change on a 99.5 Jetta TDI a few weeks ago that had a water pump that was warn to the point where you couldn't turn the pump by hand after the T-belt was removed . Scary



The water pump bearing & shaft had warn to the point that the pump was binding up on the housing due to wear . A lucky find that saved my friends engine , if he had waited much longer that engine would have been toast .
 

turbotorq

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2013
Location
Kingston, ON
TDI
04 Jetta TDI
I bought 2002 tdi engine with a broken belt. I could not turn the engine over by hand. I stripped the engine down and when I removed the head. to my surprise no damage to the pistons or Valves. Only the lifters were mushroomed. I timing belt wrapped around the crank pulley preventing the engine from turning.
I'm planning on rebuilding it.
Fred
 

whitedog

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2004
Location
Bend, Oregon
TDI
2004 Jetta that I fill by myself
I bought 2002 tdi engine with a broken belt. I could not turn the engine over by hand. I stripped the engine down and when I removed the head. to my surprise no damage to the pistons or Valves. Only the lifters were mushroomed. I timing belt wrapped around the crank pulley preventing the engine from turning.
I'm planning on rebuilding it.
Fred
The valves are damaged. They are compressed and there are tiny fractures in there that will grow until the valve breaks off and ruins the head, piston and probably the block as well.
 

jettawreck

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Location
Northern Minnesota-55744
TDI
2001 Jetta and 2003 Jetta
The valves are damaged. They are compressed and there are tiny fractures in there that will grow until the valve breaks off and ruins the head, piston and probably the block as well.

Yep, listen up. It's been done a bunch (or more) times. Valves "look" fine and after repairs the engine runs flawlessly for a while, maybe even 10k miles, then dies. Valve stem breaks and falls inro cylinder traching the engine.
Complete head/valve rebuild/replacement a MUST.
 

whitedog

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2004
Location
Bend, Oregon
TDI
2004 Jetta that I fill by myself
Time to drag it out again...



This happened after a timing belt had broken and the valves not repaired. The owner said that the engine had run for about 10,000 miles. the valve stem clearly shows the beachmarks where the crack slowly worked it's way across the stem until it all ended in tears.
 

marshalldanielp

Veteran Member
Joined
May 27, 2011
Location
Otisco, NY
TDI
2003 Jetta Gls Wagon auto
Agree you have damage and will need a new head or have your remaned. If no damage is found you better play the lottery.

I personal had the belt break I'm my wagon. I thought no way could there be damage, everything appeared fine. Luckily I thought about it some more and had the head reworked by frank06. He found bent valves.
I would speak with frank and suggest remaching your head. My .02 cents from a guy with experience.

I also doubt the ability of your mechanic when it comes to tdis.
I would find a guru recomended on by the forum if you plan on keeping the car.
There are a lot of helping hands on here and a lot of information if you are mechanically inclined and willing to learn. I did just that.

The car will last you forever with proper maintenance this is just a curve ball to learn from.

Sorry that it happens to you and I'm not trying to insult. I have been there and feel for you.

Great people here that are always willing to help.
 

jasonTDI

TDI GURU Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Apr 26, 2001
Location
Oregon, WI
TDI
20' RAM 3500 CCLB dually HO/Aisan. 2019 Cherokee 2.0T
Listen to these guys....I'm one of the "gurus" They are right. It ends expensive.
 

jettawreck

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Location
Northern Minnesota-55744
TDI
2001 Jetta and 2003 Jetta
My '03 I bought after a broken TB. Franko6 did the head refubish and 35k miles later it's great, but you will have valve damage whether you (or most others) can "see" it or not. Don't assume all is fine just because it "looks" ok. The second failure when the valve stem fails is the end of it.
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Happened to my cousin's 98 NB................ ran fine for a little over 1100 miles and then one of the lifters disentigrated.............. Yuk!

Happened to a Jetta my brother purchased from a used VW Car Lot ............. almost 12,000 miles later it ate a valve ............ the head looked just like the pic that Whitedog posted. The failure was with #2 cylinder. But, old damage was extremely obvious in cylinder #3 and somewhat in cylinder #4.

............ listen to those who know!
 

pruzink

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2004
Location
Granbury, Texas
TDI
GLS, 2004, silver
The original water pumps on this car had a plastic impeller. If that impeller makes it to 100K miles consider yourself lucky. They really need to be changed to a pump with a metal impeller if you want to avoid this type of a failure.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Since the original post on this thread is six years old, odds are either the engine survived, grenaded and was fixed, or the car has long since been sold or wrecked.
 

Franko6

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
May 7, 2005
Location
Sw Missouri
TDI
Jetta, 99, Silver`
As recently as yesterday, we got a sad little case into the shop. Another local shop did a minor repair and retiming the engine. During the repair, somehow a small piece of the front seal flange cracked off and over the next 2,000 miles, cut the belt nearly in half. All the frayed belt pieces blew around the timing belt until it finally made the engine jump three teeth. Customer brings it back to them and they claimed," ...belt failure..." Just check compression, install a timing belt and put it back on the road.

He called me for my opinion. That was lucky for him. We pulled the cam and found three cracked cam followers and a valve that is .035" shorter than the others.

If the only thing done was a timing belt, the followers would have quickly exploded, requiring major repair. That is only if the valve didn't fall off first and end up looking like whitedog's picture. A destroyed cylinder head...
 
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