First of all, the cost of the repair is for parts only, since I replaced it myself. The auto shops wanted anywhere from $600-$950 to do the repairs. VW's used to be decent cars!
I just replaced the timing belt, tension pulley, thermostat, and water pump impeller on my daughter's 2001 2.0 liter Jetta. Her car has about 160k miles. It has ALWAYS used oil, even when it was new! She has taken it in to two different VW dealers, both of which told her that it "was normal for modern VW's to use oil..." The abnormal oil consumption in this vintage of VW's is widely reported on the Internet by owners. Anyone who knows anything about how engines are put together knows that it is not normal for new cars and low-mileage cars to use oil. I have an '86 Cabriolet with about 130k miles that never uses any oil between oil changes. I also own a 1997 Honda CRV with about 180k miles that does NOT use any oil between oil changes. Yet in my daughter's car's case, the "experts" at the VW dealership keep insisting that oil consumption is normal in modern VW's! Sorry, I am rambling on here...
Back to the overheating/water impeller issue. The symptoms of the car were a slowly rising temperature at acceleration up to highway speeds. No leaks were evident. Coolant loss was evident due to boiling over when the car was shut off. All the fans were working normally. It was a difficult diagnoses, fooling even one independent shop who traced (mistakenly) the overheating problem to a leaking hose clamp.
The water impeller repair has only one remedy--you must buy an ALL METAL replacement water impeller and replace the flimsy plastic one that was factory installed. Go to an independent foreign auto parts house or, better yet, an independent VW parts house and ask for a German-made ALL METAL water pump impeller. Here in the San Diego, CA area, we are lucky to have Vee Parts who specializes in replacement, German-made parts. They do have a we site and I would suspect that you can order parts from them on the 'Net. And, before anyone accuses me of advertising for them--I DO NOT HAVE ANY SORT OF AFFILIATION WITH THEM, NOT WILL I RECEIVE ANY COMPENSATION FROM THEM FOR REFERRALS! LOL...
Of course with the 2.0 liter engine, the timing covers (3 of them), tension pulley (takes a special wrench to re-install), vibration damper pulley, engine mount, water bowl, timing belt, and various vacuum/fuel lines must be removed when replacing the water impeller. Care must be provided to place the engine in the TDC (top dead center) alignment BEFORE the timing belt is removed. Put the timing belt back on is best left to experienced DIY's or professionals, as to start an engine that has the camshaft and crankshaft out of synch CAN AND WILL CAUSE SEVERE INTERNAL ENGINE DAMAGE!
Should you replace a water pump impeller, do yourself a favor and replace the timing belt (if it hasn't recently been replaced) AND tension pulley (the bearings do dry up) at the same time. A thermostat replacement is also recommended.
Needless to say, if you plan to keep your car long and are handy mechanically, buy yourself a Robert Bentley service/repair manual (not the ones you see at Pep Boys, Kragen, or AutoZone). They are the factory-authorized "bible" for VW repairs. Many are available cheaper on eBay.
Best of luck with your Jetta repairs...I will stick to my Cabriolet, thank you... Let me know if you have any questions. I will be glad to try to answer to the best of my ability...
First of all, the cost of the repair is for parts only, since I replaced it myself. The auto shops wanted anywhere from $600-$950 to do the repairs. VW's used to be decent cars!
I just replaced the timing belt, tension pulley, thermostat, and water pump impeller on my daughter's 2001 2.0 liter Jetta. Her car has about 160k miles. It has ALWAYS used oil, even when it was new! She has taken it in to two different VW dealers, both of which told her that it "was normal for modern VW's to use oil..." The abnormal oil consumption in this vintage of VW's is widely reported on the Internet by owners. Anyone who knows anything about how engines are put together knows that it is not normal for new cars and low-mileage cars to use oil. I have an '86 Cabriolet with about 130k miles that never uses any oil between oil changes. I also own a 1997 Honda CRV with about 180k miles that does NOT use any oil between oil changes. Yet in my daughter's car's case, the "experts" at the VW dealership keep insisting that oil consumption is normal in modern VW's! Sorry, I am rambling on here...
Back to the overheating/water impeller issue. The symptoms of the car were a slowly rising temperature at acceleration up to highway speeds. No leaks were evident. Coolant loss was evident due to boiling over when the car was shut off. All the fans were working normally. It was a difficult diagnoses, fooling even one independent shop who traced (mistakenly) the overheating problem to a leaking hose clamp.
The water impeller repair has only one remedy--you must buy an ALL METAL replacement water impeller and replace the flimsy plastic one that was factory installed. Go to an independent foreign auto parts house or, better yet, an independent VW parts house and ask for a German-made ALL METAL water pump impeller. Here in the San Diego, CA area, we are lucky to have Vee Parts who specializes in replacement, German-made parts. They do have a we site and I would suspect that you can order parts from them on the 'Net. And, before anyone accuses me of advertising for them--I DO NOT HAVE ANY SORT OF AFFILIATION WITH THEM, NOT WILL I RECEIVE ANY COMPENSATION FROM THEM FOR REFERRALS! LOL...
Of course with the 2.0 liter engine, the timing covers (3 of them), tension pulley (takes a special wrench to re-install), vibration damper pulley, engine mount, water bowl, timing belt, and various vacuum/fuel lines must be removed when replacing the water impeller. Care must be provided to place the engine in the TDC (top dead center) alignment BEFORE the timing belt is removed. Put the timing belt back on is best left to experienced DIY's or professionals, as to start an engine that has the camshaft and crankshaft out of synch CAN AND WILL CAUSE SEVERE INTERNAL ENGINE DAMAGE!
Should you replace a water pump impeller, do yourself a favor and replace the timing belt (if it hasn't recently been replaced) AND tension pulley (the bearings do dry up) at the same time. A thermostat replacement is also recommended.
Needless to say, if you plan to keep your car long and are handy mechanically, buy yourself a Robert Bentley service/repair manual (not the ones you see at Pep Boys, Kragen, or AutoZone). They are the factory-authorized "bible" for VW repairs. Many are available cheaper on eBay.
Best of luck with your Jetta repairs...I will stick to my Cabriolet, thank you... Let me know if you have any questions. I will be glad to try to answer to the best of my ability...
- Ralph C., Chula Vista, CA, US