Never one to buy something unless I can’t fix it I decided to have a go at fixing my Auxiliary water pump (the electric pump ) – LCR ONLY.
As far as I am aware these pumps fail in 2 ways.
1. A build up of deposits in the motor area. This eventually clogs up the contacts and is normally proceeded by erratic running of the motor and eventually it will stop completely.
2. Internal ‘O’ ring on pump develops a set and looses compression. This normally shows as an external leak on the plastic casing area and tightening the screws will not solve it. The leak then will transfer across to the motor side and very shortly after it will stop working as the contacts get clogged up.
About a year ago mine packed up with failure 1, and I followed one of the guides on here on how to fix it. Worked a treat. Do a search for it. The trick with the thread is great.
About 2 months back I noticed an external leak from mine. I just kept running it, keeping a regular check on the severity and the water level. Then a couple of days back I noticed it had stopped all together. Here is the procedure I used to fix it. Apologies there are no pictures as I had no idea this would work at the time.
You will need – Torx drive / Phillips screwdriver
Electrical contact cleaner
Silicone sealant
Plenty of clean rags
1. Remove the pump from the car which is held by 2 torx drive screws and plug the input and output hoses to stop water loss. Now remove the clamping bracket from the pump body.
2. Remove the four cover screws and carefully with draw the plastic cover. You will now have just 3 parts in the impellor assembly.
3. Now remove the impellor cover and the impellor. Take care. But they are really easy to put together.
4. Remove the ‘O’ ring (you will notice the compressed shape) from the impellor cover and clean all the sealing surfaces with the contact cleaner and a clean rag. Leave to dry.
5. Now remove the motor cover by following the instructions found in this thread . (You will know straight away if water has got into this side.)
6. Spray the contact cleaner (use loads) into the motor area and over the contacts found on the cover side. The cleaner will run from the motor side though to the pump side. Once you are happy, allow the contact cleaner time to evaporate.
7. Now, going back to the pump side. Apply A SMALL AMOUNT of silicone sealant to the ‘o’ ring and the contact faces where the ‘O’ ring sits. Also to the interface between the pump housing and motor housing. DO NOT ALLOW SEALANT TO TOUCH THE ROTATING PART OF THE PUMP. Replace the ‘O’ ring
8. Put the impellor, impellor cover back into the housing. Then put the housing back onto the motor housing and replace the 4 screws. You should see only a very small amount of sealant being squeezed out.
9. Now back to the motor side. Follow the instructions in the thread mentioned above. Its useful to test the pump now before you push the locking tabs back into place. Mine worked first time! You will need to connect the wiring then go the car and turn the ignition on then off, this will start the pump if you have assembled the motor end correctly.
10. If it works smoothly, disconnect the wiring and place the pump on the floor. Now push down the locking tabs on the motor cover with a screw driver.
11. In true Haynes style – Refitting is the reverse of removal – A doddle
Wel done - You have just saved at least £80
As far as I am aware these pumps fail in 2 ways.
1. A build up of deposits in the motor area. This eventually clogs up the contacts and is normally proceeded by erratic running of the motor and eventually it will stop completely.
2. Internal ‘O’ ring on pump develops a set and looses compression. This normally shows as an external leak on the plastic casing area and tightening the screws will not solve it. The leak then will transfer across to the motor side and very shortly after it will stop working as the contacts get clogged up.
About a year ago mine packed up with failure 1, and I followed one of the guides on here on how to fix it. Worked a treat. Do a search for it. The trick with the thread is great.
About 2 months back I noticed an external leak from mine. I just kept running it, keeping a regular check on the severity and the water level. Then a couple of days back I noticed it had stopped all together. Here is the procedure I used to fix it. Apologies there are no pictures as I had no idea this would work at the time.
You will need – Torx drive / Phillips screwdriver
Electrical contact cleaner
Silicone sealant
Plenty of clean rags
1. Remove the pump from the car which is held by 2 torx drive screws and plug the input and output hoses to stop water loss. Now remove the clamping bracket from the pump body.
2. Remove the four cover screws and carefully with draw the plastic cover. You will now have just 3 parts in the impellor assembly.
3. Now remove the impellor cover and the impellor. Take care. But they are really easy to put together.
4. Remove the ‘O’ ring (you will notice the compressed shape) from the impellor cover and clean all the sealing surfaces with the contact cleaner and a clean rag. Leave to dry.
5. Now remove the motor cover by following the instructions found in this thread . (You will know straight away if water has got into this side.)
6. Spray the contact cleaner (use loads) into the motor area and over the contacts found on the cover side. The cleaner will run from the motor side though to the pump side. Once you are happy, allow the contact cleaner time to evaporate.
7. Now, going back to the pump side. Apply A SMALL AMOUNT of silicone sealant to the ‘o’ ring and the contact faces where the ‘O’ ring sits. Also to the interface between the pump housing and motor housing. DO NOT ALLOW SEALANT TO TOUCH THE ROTATING PART OF THE PUMP. Replace the ‘O’ ring
8. Put the impellor, impellor cover back into the housing. Then put the housing back onto the motor housing and replace the 4 screws. You should see only a very small amount of sealant being squeezed out.
9. Now back to the motor side. Follow the instructions in the thread mentioned above. Its useful to test the pump now before you push the locking tabs back into place. Mine worked first time! You will need to connect the wiring then go the car and turn the ignition on then off, this will start the pump if you have assembled the motor end correctly.
10. If it works smoothly, disconnect the wiring and place the pump on the floor. Now push down the locking tabs on the motor cover with a screw driver.
11. In true Haynes style – Refitting is the reverse of removal – A doddle
Wel done - You have just saved at least £80
