Suspected waterpump failure 1990 petrol 2.1

[bruceinedinburgh]

Hello there
Our wee holiday was cut short when we left N Berwick this morning and the temp warning light began flashing with the needle in centre of the gauge as normal. The water in the coolant top up tank was cold, so without even touching the vehicle, the RAC man confidently decided the water pump had gone. Is he right? Anything else that could have happened to cause this or any damage I should look out for as a result?

Also, any recommendations for a good VW T25 mechanic in Edinburgh to do the work? It looks tricky! What should I pay?

Cheers, Bruce 07944 928 702

[ajsimmo]

the temp warning light began flashing with the needle in centre of the gauge as normal. The water in the coolant top up tank was cold, so without even touching the vehicle, the RAC man confidently decided the water pump had gone. Is he right?

No. It's not your water pump, and it may even be nothing. (Some vans have a habit of the red light flashing occasionally for no apparent reason, which can be righted by simply switching off and restarting engine.)

The flashing light is a low coolant warning (if the gauge reports temp as normal), so first job is to check the level. I suspect the top up tank you refer to is the one behind the number plate flap. The coolant level sender is actually in the header tank inside the engine bay, back left, with the dalek cap. This is the tank that matters, and should be full to the brim.
The light will flash for several reasons, low coolant level being the obvious. A poor connection (or plug come off) on top of the tank is common, and a poor connection on the multipin plug on the back of the dash can cause it too.
So if it is low on coolant, find and fix the leak if possible, but simply topping up should get you home. Watch that gauge though!

[ghost123uk]

As above ^^^

but I would add = silly RAC man. The coolant in the top up tank (behind the number plate flap) is rarely hot because it is not "in circulation". The coolant in it just sits there waiting to be sucked back into the main system as the engine cools down.