> If you've had a water pump problem could you e-mail me with what kinds of 
> noises and symptoms you had and how hard it was to fix?  

I replaced the water pump on my '84 back in June.  My pump had a slight
leak from the drain hole as well as an intermittent jangling kind of
metallic rattle.  

Slide under the back of the van and look at the under side of the water 
pump just above the oil filter and see if there is any evidence that 
there has been a discharge from the drain hole.  If there is, that 
indicates coolant is getting to the bearings and failure is eminent.

The replacement was fairly straight forward.  I did not drain the cooling
system as described in the Bentley.  Instead I just siphoned the reservoir
empty and then placed a pan under the pump to catch the rest.  I did have 
a problem with the NAPA replacement pump.  There are two bolts that pass
through the thermostat housing and anchor inside of the water pump.  One
of those bolt holes was not tapped deep enough in the water pump, so the
bolt bottomed out prior to doing its intended job.  A few spacer washers
took care of the problem, but what a pain in the ass to hear coolant
splashing on the garage floor when you are sure that everything is tight.

The only tool I had to purchase was a metric allen wrench to remove the 
metal cross pipe that connects the two heads.  Other tools used were a
3/8" drive, metric sockets, universal joint, various extensions, siphon
hose, catch pan and pliers for the hose clamps.

Good luck.

P.S.  I paid $81 for the NAPA pump.  VW wanted $137.

-- 
Jerry Huff		huff@dg-rtp.dg.com		(919)248-6277
Data General		Unix Software Development	 RTP, NC 27709