It's the T-stat housing gasket as far as I can tell. But by the time I get
that apart, I might as well replace the pump too.

Stuart

From: SDF ( aka ;jim lahey' - Scott ) [mailto:scottdaniel@turbovans.com]
Sent: Monday, December 01, 2014 6:32 PM
To: Stuart MacMillan; vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Horror of horrors-coolant puddle!

if that area on a 1.9 has not been apart for a long time...
be super careful ..
as the long bolts through the t-stat housing get very badly rusted in place
commonly.

you're sure it's the water pump o-ring ?

I am a huge believer in taking things apart FIRST ..
as then you might find out the exact part/s that need to be replaced..
and other parts as well that you can't prior to taking things apart.

could it be the t-stat cover o-ring ?
sometimes that cover will come off in place without removing the whole
housing.

On 12/1/2014 12:44 PM, Stuart MacMillan wrote:

How to ruin your day.

It's been in the mid 20's here for a few days, and I noticed a drip under
the van, which has not been driven for a month. You know how cold shrinks
things.

Upon closer inspection, I can see it is coming from the T-stat housing/water
pump connection.  There is no drip from the pump's weep hole (or heads,
thankfully).

It's not the original pump, but it looks like it has several thousand miles
on it.  The van has 150k, and I think these pumps only last about 80k at the
most.

So, I may just tighten up the connections, but I'm thinking I should put a
new pump on.  My experience with aftermarket 1.9 pumps has not been good,
but the dealer offers nothing.  Does anyone have a recommendation?

Prices range from GW's $75 Graf to Rock Auto's $44 for a Bosch pump.

Any experiences?

Stuart