Water pump leaking coolant..

Driver78

Had a leaking water pump for a while now, losing about a cup of coolant a week and have a new pump ready to install but then I looked at the job ahead and realised the nightmare that awaits me. If I have to take the engine out just for this I had better do the timing chain while I'm there and the mounts too I guess. Any other tips for a job as big as this?
Already removed the egr, precat and modified the inlet a few years ago, had the car for nearly 5 years, got 140000kms on the clock and it runs just fine, always has. For the past 3 years I have done all the work on it myself and if I go through with this job it will be the first time a real mechanic has laid hands on it in quite a while. He has already had talked to some other mechanics who have done the water pump on a z22se before so he has heard the horror stories and is naturally a bit apprehensive. Then he drove the car and realised why I would be keen to keep her going. Hard to find a mechanic in Sydney who gives a dam about an Astra.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers

HarleyPete

@[deleted] is your man. I think that if you do the chains at the same time you can change the water pump relatively easily. There is a tool to hold the pump sprocket in place whilst you change it I believe. I would think that you can do it all with the engine in place as @[deleted] did my chains easily with the engine in.

KevinH

As @[deleted] says above really.

Just to add, replacement of the water pump does not require removal of the engine or any of the timing chains. Vauxhall/Opel service dealers (Holden in your case) use a special tool KM-J-43651, which allows it to be removed without disturbing the balance chain timing, by holding the water pump sprocket in place. Space is still a bit tight though and you have to do some of the work from underneath the car.

The Kent Moore tools are very expensive, however a couple of companies that do equivalent tools are Sealey (part no. VS4769) and Laser (part no. 4791) - not sure if these are available in Australia.

Vauxhall/Opel list the labour time as 2 Hrs for water pump replacement.

Hope this may help.🙂

vocky

very easy to change the water pump whilst changing the chains, no need for a water pump tool as you reset the timing with the new chain kits

patricks

Hi im in Sydney as well and im about to replace my water pump too. The laser water pump tool can be got off ebay australia for $70 delivered. I got the water pump from autovaux in the UK. Ive had a look at it and its tight about a 2 hr job id say. There is a how to on the speedster web site. Yeah these cars are really underrated. My astra has - wait for it - 440,00KM on the original engine lol still pulls like a train too!!! For the regulars here - id like to get the egr blanking plate and cheater what has happened with the shop???

Matt

patricks said:
For the regulars here - id like to get the egr blanking plate and cheater what has happened with the shop???

I no longer have enough time to run the shop 🙁

Dave_Gilbert

Im a tradeclub member now @[deleted]

if you dont mind i could try n supply some egr blanking plates n any other parts for that matter.

but only if its ok with matt.

patricks

I can get them from ebay but id rather get them from here if i can.

Driver78

Many thanks for your replies gents, my mechanic is reliable and honest but does not have any experience with Astras beyond the basics. When I showed him the new water pump I got his response was 'wtf is that'? Then he popped the bonnet and was baffled as to why it would be located at the back of the head. Then he wanted to know what the he'll I had done to the engine, because he had no idea that a 2.2 Astra existed and needed to be convinced that it had a chain instead if a belt. Once I explained the water pump/timing chain relationship to him he he started to catch on and then made some calls to guys who had done the job before. This is where things got interesting, vastly different stories were told from one mechanic to the next, but one thing they all agreed on, that it's a dog of a job and the engine has to come out if you stand any chance if succeeding.
I have the workshop manual and it does say the engine needs to be lifted as high as possible so I figured they probably were speaking the truth. But these other guys must have had some rare experiences, talking about pumps that were seized and left them with a cracked head when they tried to remove them. Apparently the whole thermostat should be removed and every seal replaced, the job can't be rushed and it takes two days of perserverance etc etc. At this point my mechanic was giving me the serious face and asking me how fond I was of it. Then he drove it round the block as only a Greek mechanic can and he realised that it's a keeper, couldn't get over the way it keeps revving like a bloody sewing machine. I decided to go do some research, work out what else should be done if we do end up pulling the engine. He will be happy to read the advice you guys have offered, I know I certainly am. 2 hour job sounds nice compared to what I have been preparing for.
Good news indeed.

Dave_Gilbert

If i was you i would talk to @[deleted]
he did his water pump in his other coupe the other week i believe.

not sure how long it takes but i woyld say that carl could do both chains and the pump in a day. But i may be wrong.

best to pm him.

Driver78

440000kms? That is impressive and a stat I will proudly repeat the next time someone tells me to buy a 'real car'. I hardly ever see any 2.2 Astras getting around these days, and I have only seen one during the time that I have had mine that actually made me jealous. I was starting to think that I might be happy if it makes it to 250000. I keep it properly maintained, still changing oil every 5000 and do the standard checks weekly so fingers crossed it has plenty of life left in it should I choose to hold on to it. Cheers

Timbo

Having done the chains on mine, I would say you should be able to do both chains and the water pump in a day, maybe a bit over if you have to drop the sump and clean it out, no need to take the engine out to do it. [I stand to be corrected by the Master (Carl).] 🙂

HarleyPete

I am going to make an assumption here based on the fact that @[deleted] did both my timing chain and balance chain with the engine still in place (well apart from removing one engine mount). So based on that I can't see why it would not be possible to do both the pump and the chains in the same manner. As has been pointed out, when the chains are removed it makes changing the pump so much easier. The only thing I could see that could make it difficult would be access around the engine. Whilst my Signum has a fair bit of room I'm not sure if the Astra has the same.

evocarlos

fair amount of room in the astra to get the pump out

patricks

Driver78: here is a link to the website with instructions on changing the water pump

http://www.speedsterclub.nl/bibliotheek/technische%20documentatie/tis/Standard%20Information/Engine%20and%20Engine%20Aggregates/00110328-Coolant%20Pump,%20Remove%20and%20Install%20%28Z22SE%29.pdf

If u want to buy the water pump tool after im done changing mine - its urs for $50. BTW 5000k service is overkill. I only changed the oil every 15,000k for the first 300,000km. Now i change oil every 10,000k cause its getting on a bit. I think the key is to keep the car garaged and its cold start temp is always going to be above 15 deg (in sydney anyway). Oh and i use only group 4/5 POA oils. That's crucial.

Carl: there there mate PLENTY of room is a slight exaggeration lol i scraped half the skin of my hands off trying to reach the bolts on the thermostat the other day

evocarlos

patricks said:
Driver78: here is a link to the website with instructions on changing the water pump

http://www.speedsterclub.nl/bibliotheek/technische documentatie/tis/Standard Information/Engine and Engine Aggregates/00110328-Coolant Pump, Remove and Install (Z22SE).pdf

If u want to buy the water pump tool after im done changing mine - its urs for $50. BTW 5000k service is overkill. I only changed the oil every 15,000k for the first 300,000km. Now i change oil every 10,000k cause its getting on a bit. I think the key is to keep the car garaged and its cold start temp is always going to be above 15 deg (in sydney anyway). Oh and i use only group 4/5 POA oils. That's crucial.

Carl: there there mate PLENTY of room is a slight exaggeration lol i scraped half the skin of my hands off trying to reach the bolts on the thermostat the other day

🙂 ive been messing with cars for too long my hands are impervious to skin scraping
but there is plenty of room at the thermostat housing to 🙂 and i do have huge hands

dewismotorsport

Is that a large crack in your manifold Carl?

evocarlos

dewismotorsport said:
Is that a large crack in your manifold Carl?

no it looked ok when i took the cover off 🙂

patricks

Dave: So can u supply blanking plate and cheater mate?

Anyone else: Sorry the shots are crappy i dont have a good camera on my phone. The first pic is self explanatory. The second is a pic of a sticker showing the engine number that was put there when it was made at the factory - so the engine has never been overhauled and the head has never been taken off otherwise the sticker wouldnt be there.......u can show that to any mechanic that mistakenly thinks the z22se is junk..........

Dave_Gilbert

I can get a price on the blanking plate but the cheater is something @[deleted] manufacturers so not something i can get hold of.