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Well, it looks like my water pump is leaking around the shaft. Quite a bit, in fact. Sunday afternoon, I heard a quiet, intermittent chirp at idle and thought I might have caught a whiff of syrupy odor in the air, so when I got to my friend's house, I popped the hood and had a look. The belly pan was lightly damp and the water pump pulley looked slightly off balance. Instead of taking the car to be dropped off at the dealer 25 miles away to have a key coded, I took it 3 miles back home. And a good thing, too. The next morning, it was clear that in that short drive, the leak got worse, with a foot wide puddle under the car. It actually continues to drip from the pulley, despite having been shut down for almost a full day. Looking down the car, it seems the ABC hoses I thought were weeping are more likely just wet from a slow but persistent coolant leak I hadn't caught before. It just chose this last weekend to let go, I guess.
Anyone replace the pump in the V12TT before? I don't think it looks too bad, if I can get that silly fan out of the way.
As to everyone else, I'm lucky I checked, else I bet it would have quickly left me stranded. If your car does anything abnormal, even if the symptoms are as nondescript as mine, don't wait to check it. Small symptoms don't always mean small problems.
Never done the job myself but attached are the WIS instructions. Looks pretty straight forward except that you must pull the vibration damper to remove the pump, 275NM torque! A special counter holder tool is needed.
I hope someone else can chime in with more positive input!
Counter hold tool? Alrighty, now to figure which kind of counter hold tool it requires, there seem to be a few styles. I hate buying specialty tools for one use...
Counter hold tool? Alrighty, now to figure which kind of counter hold tool it requires, there seem to be a few styles. I hate buying specialty tools for one use...
Look at the instruction for removing the Vibration Damper. There is a part number as well as a sketch of what it looks like. You can probably fab something up on your own that will work. You need to be able to resist 275nm of tightening force to remove the center bolt as well as to re-assemble. The instruction mentions an extension for the counter holder for leverage.
Thanks again, Bob. I lack the equipment to fabricate anything unfortunately. I'll have to buy the tool, unless I can find a place that rents it. If that's the worst of it, I guess that's not so bad. Still easier than an A8 timing belt, although not cheaper.
Have you looked at the "Bolt Plan" PDF that I attached above? No room for error there. The MB engineers planned for maximum bolt clamping to the engine block at each location. Also, obviously, the torque settings must be definitely observed to preclude stripping out in the Aluminum block.
I have heard that the timing belt is a real problem on the A8's and likely to fail over time. Have you done that job yourself? I love the A8 but the timing belt issue held me back. I also love the BMW 650i rag top but the coolant pipe leak issue swayed me to the R230. I guess it's always something (Roseannadanna).
I did do the timing belt on my brother's 2005 A8, but I couldn't find instructions, nor did I have all the tools. So it took twice as long as it should have, but it got back together and running like a Swiss watch.. After that job, I decided I shouldn't wing it anymore. Thanks for the link to the tool, I'm waiting on parts now. Something I'm not getting, though, is any indication on how to undo that bolt for the harmonic balancer. Does the counterholder have a hole through the middle?
I am also having some difficulty finding coolant (B Q1030002). All I can find is B Q1030004. Has the one I'm looking for been superceded by that stuff? I know these things are picky about additives, so I'm trying to make absolutely sure I get the right stuff.
I did do the timing belt on my brother's 2005 A8, but I couldn't find instructions, nor did I have all the tools. So it took twice as long as it should have, but it got back together and running like a Swiss watch.. After that job, I decided I shouldn't wing it anymore. Thanks for the link to the tool, I'm waiting on parts now. Something I'm not getting, though, is any indication on how to undo that bolt for the harmonic balancer. Does the counterholder have a hole through the middle?
Jack,
Stumbled upon a write-up for the M113 that may explain what you need to do including the counter holder question here.
As the write up suggests, now is the time to replace your front main crank seal if there is any hint of seepage. The old adage of "If it ain't broke don't fix it" may also apply but it's your call of course. Again, you will need a special installation tool to install the seal so more added one time expense.
Much appreciated, Bob. I don't presently have any sign of oil seepage, but I'll take a close look when I get the pulley off. It'd be a great time to get it, if there is any sign of a leak, I'll keep the car parked a little longer. I also plan to drain and refill the cooling system, hence the hang up on the coolant. I'll be happy when it's all caught up on all the possible maintenance items. Then all I have to worry about is enjoying it.
I am also having some difficulty finding coolant (B Q1030002). All I can find is B Q1030004. Has the one I'm looking for been superceded by that stuff? I know these things are picky about additives, so I'm trying to make absolutely sure I get the right stuff.
Jack,
Can't go wrong by using BEVO sheet spec 325.0. Zerex has two coolants listed as approved, Zerex G 05 & G 48, These are readily available as concentrate at your local parts store.
(As an aside, 15 year life and 250km change interval per MB.)
Have you looked at the "Bolt Plan" PDF that I attached above? No room for error there. The MB engineers planned for maximum bolt clamping to the engine block at each location. Also, obviously, the torque settings must be definitely observed to preclude stripping out in the Aluminum block.
I have heard that the timing belt is a real problem on the A8's and likely to fail over time. Have you done that job yourself? I love the A8 but the timing belt issue held me back. I also love the BMW 650i rag top but the coolant pipe leak issue swayed me to the R230. I guess it's always something (Roseannadanna).
Argh! It doesn't fit in the pulley! The tool is just the absolute tiniest bit too big. I have it in the freezer, hoping by tomorrow it'll have cooled enough to have shrunk just that tiny bit I need to work.
The coating on the tool should be a Black Oxide which is used as a surface protectant and adds little to no thickness. However that said, it could be covering up a dimple, bulge, dent or burr which will not allow the tool to be inserted. I would emery paper the Oxide off of the whole outside surface for you to inspect. I would also take a file and go around the front edge chamfer of the tool to make sure that that edge was not raised during machining. I would do the same thing in reverse on the Balancer pulley again paying close attention to the leading edge. You may just have a slight nick or burr on the pulley. The least little thing will hold up insertion on these big diameter parts. Sometimes a very light oil can help too.
I am surprised that the fit is so tight. Possibly to preclude any tipping. I also checked for reviews on Amazon but none were posted as to others experience.
The tool I received is bare metal, it also appears used in fact. The pulley has a very small burr in it but that isn't currently what's getting in the way. I am hesitant to try anything with the bit in the pulley, I don't want to damage it.
Okay, after buying a bench grinder, the tool ended up working(2 hrs to get it ground down enough!) After several mid repair runs to the parts store, and working until 1am, the car is back together, and seems alright after a test drive. The old water pump when turned by hand felt like it was full of gravel, I never have seen one that bad without it making noise. Thank you so much for all your input and assistance, Bob!
Aside from the parts runs, it went fairly well. I recommend taking the front cooling hose off on top of the block when adding coolant. It goes much faster and minimizes the amount of bleeding that needs doing. Also, for removing the harmonic balancer, we used a couple of pipes, with one using the ground below to brace it.
I am looking at part number 112 589 00 40 00 to remove the 27mm nut. Is that the same part number on Amazon? Sounds like it isn't quite right for the V12TT. Is there a difference part number?
07-25-2016, 06:46 PM
