[voxmagna]

Nice pics so keep them coming!

It helps others if you give the EOS model, year, mileage and engine type (there are many, mine is diesel).

Many auto parts are made of plastic these days - light and non-corrosive. I first thought of the water pump seal and bearing, but wasn't aware it was a plastic housing.

 

[voxmagna]

I was wondering how you gt so much space in front of the motor, then I saw your first photo with the front of the car pulled off!

If you took off the front plastic fender, how did you unhook/unclip the top fixings? I had my plastic unbolted and hanging on some kind of interlocking part of the molding at the top, but never did figure out how it was released.

A few notes on what you did there would help others. I can't even see daylight at the front of my Tdi!

 

[voxmagna]

Thanks, that write up is a good contribution for others.

I still can't figure out why I had a problem so I'll use your syntax from above to explain.

I needed access to the washer bottle pump. Service procedure is to remove the front grills and bumper cover as you said.

slide the two bumper cover latches that hold the cover in place on both sides of the vehicle just above the turn signals. slickest thing i've seen holding bumper covers on.

Where are these latches and which way do they slide, are they easy to see? Are they plastic/steel or molded into the bumper plastic? I had everything else undone and the bumper cover was just hanging at the top which must have been these 'latches'.

 

[voxmagna]

What type of gasket is that? Is it a Buna-N O ring type cord? It sits in a groove so I can't believe it shifted after the assembly. Is it a cord formed into that shape split and joined? Is that what I see in your photo on the left?

Nitrile rubber doesn't have a very high temperature overhead. It's around 130 degC and silicone rubber gasket materials can be used for sealing water pump flanges which have a higher working temperature.

I know the tool you are talking about, I bought one (or 2) to replace the cam belt. The main issue is making sure the camshaft and drive sprockets do not move, which is what one of the tools does. Remove the belt when a cam is partway over a bucket and click, your relative sprocket timing just shifted a couple of teeth!

Just keep moving forwards! Search the web to see if the gasket seal is an issue on other vags. Sometimes aftermarket companies throw out the German engineering and bring in a fix. Don't just replace a part with the same again if you think the problem will come back.

 

[voxmagna]

I think most modern cars seeking lowest weight, height, highest mpg and with emission controls and built in factories by robots will not be easy to maintain. There's no space to work. The power unit is fitted as a complete unit in the factory.

If they want to build a car that way, they should make it easier to disconnect as little as possible, then allow the complete motor to be lifted with a hoist or lowered on the sub frame. Even lifting the bodywork up and over the engine and transmission wouldn't be so bad. Their computer designs to fill all available space. This makes high costs of future ownership for repairs, parts and labor. When you look at what they have done, they designed the power unit to 'drop in' but fastened far too much stuff to the body.

I'm just looking at how I get to the EGR and cooler on another vag group vehicle. When I first started looking into it I thought the vehicle didn't have it as the parts could not be seen. Then I found it is all on the back side next to the DPF and turbo. There is no way you can get to it without 5 hours labor removing 'extraneous' parts, which includes water and oil hoses.

I would invest in an engine hoist if I thought some of these jobs would be easier with an engine lift, but you still have to disconnect drive shafts and other paraphenalia to access parts. I'm willing to have a serious look at that. Some jobs are definitely easier with a 4 post garage type lift, although I've worked on my back for years.

On some older cars you can step around inside the engine bay. I had a truck once that had the engine mounted for and aft inside the cab with a big lift off hood for engine access. Unfortunately, we have been told rear wheel drive isn't good for us but transverse engines with integral gear boxes and front wheel drive are.

 

[voxmagna]

changing the spark plugs on a Bentley W16 engine

I would accept that procedure if they designed their spark plugs with platinum or harder electrodes to run for 100K miles. But modern mass produced cars are now developing faults in electrical, engine management and emission control components which are as inconvenient and expensive as dropping a valve or holing a piston.

I guess we just have to wait for affordable electric vehicles with a practical power source and hope the electronics designers don't get carried away with complex features. That won't be a self driving google car sprouting cameras and complex collision avoidance devices.

 

[voxmagna]

I don't understand the plastic housings, either. Sometimes cheaper isn't always less expensive.

I do PC enthusiast water cooling projects. The 'coolers' which carry water through a block to fit over chips were often copper bodies and machine milled. Now they sell cheaper 'equivalents' which are a copper plate with a clear acetyl (plastic) cover and O ring.

Manufacturers want light weight, non corrosive, easily formed into shapes and cheap so plastic injection molding ticks all their boxes. That may be fine for automotive use whilst everything is working normally. Get a coolant leak, consequential engine overheating fault and the plastic and rubber seals are not always the best stable materials.

There's another counter argument. On the Tdi the water pump is in the timing belt loop and a failure of the water pump bearings could potentially wreck an engine. How poor of VW not to put the water pump on the alternator belt(?) A prudent DIYer looking at a cam belt change should think about replacing the water pump at around 60k miles anyway. Conversely, having to dive in to replace a pump might make you consider replacing the cam belt and idle roller, depending on history and mileage.

Criteria for German design and engineering may not be the reliability, low emmissions and longevity you expect! I wonder how the influence from VAG group manufacturing has affected newer Bentleys or do Bentley operate behind a corporate firewall?

 

[voxmagna]

I've had 90% of my front body work off until I hit an irritation and unable to figure out how to release the fender clips without damage. I think I know what to do now. There are several EOS service ops which require the front body work off.

Think carefully if you think the Stealer is wrong about a part. VW's come with a plethora of engines and engine variations and the year is no longer a reliable identifier. One letter different in a part number can be a different part!

The Stealer takes your VIN then gets the actual factory parts list used to build your car which is almost like a custom build to the VIN number. An Ebay seller may offer you a 'compatible' part but they cannot cross reference your EOS VIN in the same way as the dealer. Then there are the Asian clone parts which always have a number different (I think it's a copyright thing).

The engine type used is always part of the long VIN number. If yours is a newish VW these later engines can be a pig to access parts and the clue will be an expensive dealer labor charge for what might seem a simple repair. If you think the part no. for a water pump is confusing, wait until you need new pads and rotors. Buy your parts from somebody that will take them back if they are wrong. I've used EuroCarparts in UK. They had 3 attempts at getting the correct rotors, but did take back the incorrect one's. EOS Front springs are another nightmare part from aftermarket parts suppliers.

 

[voxmagna]

I think they use plastic for water pumps because it doesn't corrode. If they put an aluminium cover on a steel engine block, there's the possibility of creating a 'battery' across the gasket interface.

The best cover seal is usually an 'O' ring in a machined groove as you have, with a depth that sets the O ring about 20% above the surface. But unless I'm not seeing your photo correctly, there appears to be a break or damage to the casting where your O ring has deformed making a seal impossible. If you haven't done anything about it then over time with pressure and no support from the groove, the O ring will bulge out and stop sealing. I would worry more about the integrity of the O ring groove than the left over machining marks you have smoothed out?

You don't say which engine this is on, but here's a thumbnail from a parts seller which shows the O rings as I would expect to see them with the lifting tab nicely sat in a slot. Has some cowboy driven a screwdriver into the side of that pump to lever it up and caused damage?

Other German engines I've worked on use a lot of liquid silicone gasket applied in situ where that type of left over rough machining can help hold the gasket in place and both surfaces are smooth. They do it a lot on timing covers. The problem however is DIYers don't know the rules for applying the gasket. Both surfaces must be meticulously cleaned of any oil or grease and when I've used it, I've applied it to one surface only, let it cure then fasten on the cover.

 

[voxmagna]

You cannot do this kind of work without a manual. There can be twists a & turns at every corner and things you might never have thought about. Although I am fairly well resourced for info, I did buy a PDF factory manual of about 6000 pages from here: They are cooked to your VIN and take a couple of days for a download url to come through after a quirky signup:

Factory Repair Manuals | Factory Service Manuals: Triple M FZCO

Get your automotive factory repair and service manuals from Triple M FZCO. We have the best selection of factory repair and service manuals to help you tackle any repair job.

www.factory-manuals.com

There may be a molding weakness or design issue but it surprises me that it just 'chipped' but then if it's a thin section there could be a manufacturing weakness? Perhaps you feel there's no choice but to go for aftermarket ali and that could work if internally it was coated and sealed with something like epoxy or polyester. Marine engines are mixed metal with ali cooled by raw salt water - worst scenario. People like Mercury and Johnson use a protective paint coating on their motor internals in contact with salt water. The bees knees of course would be stainless steel. I would never want to fix a coolant leak with goo, only to rely on it then have a boil up and overheated engine.

Your engine is used in many other V.W models and I would have expected V.W to have fixed the problem since overheated engines can cause a lot of damage and expensive warranty repairs for them?

 

[voxmagna]

It would be nice if the 20% and 3 months was always covered by a used car warranty, but these days there seems to be so many exclusions I wouldn't rely on it. I accept batteries and tires are often left for the new owner and I don't mind that. But it's the hidden expensive mechanicals and bad roof problems that can bite into the wallet post sale.