Overheating going uphill

**stevegrass777** · 29-06-2014,09:33 AM

It will probably be the water pump as said.
Don't get the vw re con one as you can get better for less money,I would recommend the well made kolbensmidt one like these.
http://www.vwspares.co.uk/passat_3b3_cooling.php

**Crasher** · 29-06-2014,01:48 PM

Personally I will prefer to fit the genuine exchange pumps and genuine timing belt kits as they have a two year warranty backed by the dealer network and they are little more than aftermarket, there is no need for the metal water pump impeller if the pump is chnaged with the belt at the correct interval. On occasion I have used aftermarket kits and pumps on much older cars and in those cases I use Febi so £85 for the kit and £47.63 for the pump but that is barely a saving over genuine, not worth it for the peace of mind.

**caldirun** · 29-06-2014,04:06 PM

I suspect it is the use of coolant other than the recommended types that causes the impeller to split rather than the replacement interval. Plastic is very stable but certain chemicals will be absorbed and cause expansion trapping the impeller and causing it to split (the first time I changed my pump the impeller had a split and the inner face of the impeller was polished by the face of the block, the coolant used when I bought the car was certainly not G12)

**stevegrass777** · 29-06-2014,07:17 PM

Originally Posted by Crasher

Personally I will prefer to fit the genuine exchange pumps and genuine timing belt kits as they have a two year warranty backed by the dealer network and they are little more than aftermarket, there is no need for the metal water pump impeller if the pump is chnaged with the belt at the correct interval. On occasion I have used aftermarket kits and pumps on much older cars and in those cases I use Febi so £85 for the kit and £47.63 for the pump but that is barely a saving over genuine, not worth it for the peace of mind.

Yes I agree that the two year warranty is a good point,but the ks water pump looks and feels superior in every way and the Vw one is a reconditioned one that in hotter countries (USA) they report that lots of them fail,the ks one is a New one.KS also make big end shells for VW and other engine parts so are held in high regard by engine rebuilders,they also make engine parts for other quality marks and in my opinion are top notch.

**stevegrass777** · 29-06-2014,07:22 PM

In my own vw the vw water pump only lasted 89,000 before it spun on the shaft,and that would have been a new one not reconditioned. I would definitely change the water pump every timing belt change as in my opinion they don't last two belts.

**Crasher** · 29-06-2014,08:01 PM

I like KS parts, well most-not happy with their 9A 2 Litre 16v pistons, they always burn oil so I use Nural or Mahle but I have used KS bearings and other parts for the last 33 years with great results. The thing is, IF in the extremely unlikely event of the pump failing and totalling the engine, will AVS car parts take the car in, inspect it and if the pump was found to be faulty, rebuild the engine or even a minor failure such as a leak, yes they will give you a new pump after yours has been inspected but who fits it? If a VW pump starts leaking then VW take it in and do the work. I have been on the receiving end of MANY new component failures over my careerer and when I do get a genuine part fail, the warranty system is excellent-even if Syntner Audi are bloody grumpy about it! When I have an aftermarket part fail that we have fitted, I have to change the part and then hand it back together with warranty sheet (that wants to know EVERYTHING!) in the hope that they will agree in isolation the part is at fault (much better to see the whole car in context) and then they MAY refund the part but you try getting the five hours labour and 3 litres of G13 back out of them! Blood and stone spring to mind...

On the subject of antifreeze,the old inorganic antifreezes were less aggressive on the nylon 6 commonly used on water housings and such but the modern Organic Acid Technology (OAT) coolants are harsh and will damage components not designed for them but the latest G13 is apparently easier on them.

**stevegrass777** · 30-06-2014,08:53 AM

I can understand why you pay a premium for the genuine VW parts,but in some cases it is just that an insurance premium in case something goes wrong.
In the cases where you know the manufacturer is the same one VW get the parts off,contitech used to supply VW with the belts and littens used to supply VW with the tensioner,now I think VW use Dayco for the belts and INA for the rollers maybe its still littens for the tensioner,so assuming you know this (because you are a smart chap) the difference you pay in price is a insurance premium that you are prepared to pay in case something goes wrong.
I am lucky that I don't really work for other people I only work on my dads cars or my cars or the odd one here and there that I buy that needs repairing, in that case I mainly buy diesel engine damage
So I would probably look at it the same as you Crasher if I did work for others.
Also I suppose if you buy off tps and get a good price the insurance premium isn't that big a deal.

**Crasher** · 30-06-2014,09:58 AM

I think some of the price premium is literally handling, you know that old business adage about each time hands touch a product it increases the price, some of it profiting from the glow of being "genuine parts" and yes insurance if you like-many facets.

There are instances where the part in the box is identical such as with TRW calipers, they are a fraction of the genuine price but so exactly the same they have to grind the VW/Audi symbols off and splodge paint over the area or VW will not allow them to be sold BUT there are other instances where the part isn't the same even though it comes from the original manufacturer, the only example I can think of at the moment is Jurid brake pads, the ones that come in a VW (not ECO line) box are NOT the same as the ones you buy from Jurid. One interesting thing I have seen is where the genuine part is not the same as the one originally fitted, some light units are like this.

VW cam belt kits use a mixture of SKF, INA, Dayco and Conti, I haven't seen any Litens Canadian tensioners for a while but it's not often that I actually fit cam belt kits myself these days, below my elevated status....

The price we get the TB kits at from TPS means we can fit a genuine belt kit and pump for about the same as the price for a Dyaco kit with its usual mark-up. We make substantially less profit but I can sleep at night!