LCR Secondary Water Pump

[Mandip]

You don't even need to switch the engine on (it will do it from cold), if you put the key in the ignition and turn to the accessory position (so the usual lights come up on the dash). You will hear the secondary water pump buzzing away. It will run for 10mins.


edit: the other thing to check if you find that the pump is working fine, is the fan control relay, this is located under the batter tray under the map pipe area. Replacing this kicked my secondary water pump back into life.

 

[Dave_Cupra88]

Thanks Mandip. I'm guessing the pump can be heard from within the car and is pretty obvious? Can't say I remember ever hearing mine.

 

[Mandip]

Probably not from inside, but if jump out and put your head near the drivers side headlight you should hear it.

The pump is located on top of the rad to the left near the headlight if you are looking at the engine head on.

It's not too loud, you can't really hear when the engine is on. But if the engine is off you should be able to hear it whirring away.

 

[Joell]

Reading through this I don't think mine has ever worked... What kind of effect does it have on the motor?

 

[Mandip]

The secondary pump was introduced to the LCR, I don't think any of the other models had it.

This is the wording in the technical insight manual "Due to the high temperature demands on this engine, a new electrically activated coolant pump V51 is fitted to circulate the coolant after switching off the ignition. This pump is located in the radiator casing and is operated by the control unit for the radiator fans . When the engine is switched on, this pump begins to circulate the coolant and continues to do so for a period of approximately 10 minutes after switching off the ignition. This circulation prevents the sudden heat build up that could take place in certain areas of the engine, such as in the turbo or the cylinder head."

I have heard different people tell me different things, some say it's fine if it hasn't worked as long as you don't hammer the car and then just park up, letting the car cool down for the last couple of miles before getting to your destination.

Probably still worth investigating if it is actually working though.

 

[Dave_Cupra88]

Thanks again mate. Going to have a look at the weekend anyway, so I'll see how it goes.

I always try to drive off turbo for the last mile or two and let the engine cool for around 30 seconds when I pull up, so hopefully I haven't done any damage if it's not been working.

 

[Dave_Cupra88]

Had a look the other weekend and it appeared the connector was broken. Got a new one from Seat, fitted it with a mate yesterday and hey presto, working pump.

Was good for a day and now it's stopped working again, so thinking it may be clogged up with crap. Looks like I'm going to have to try cleaning it after all.