Hi,

Tomorrow i need to change water pump & oil cooler on my 2003 1.9tdi Octavia.

The oil cooler as it looks dead easy but please if you know better or have any handy hints/tips then they would be gratefully received

The water pump does concern me, it looks like a real pita fo a job & i'd be very grateful for any advice from those of you that have changed your own for any advice, pit falls & pointers

thanks in advance

Yes it is a PITA, the cam belt needs to come off!

better off buying cam belt tensioner and water pump, as you cant reuse the cambelt. Takes me about 3-4 hours, and you have to get the timing right, and check it after with vag-com

Edited 14 November, 201213 yr by Lofty79

and it can be a pain to get the engine mounts of the way as well. I always hope that my cambelt changes occur in the summer months! As with Lofty, you might as well do a full cambelt change (pulleys, rollers, belt), unless it has just had one.

Make sure you note the route of the belts before you remove them too - much easier than faffing around. I have a guide from a mk4 golf TDI which should help.

ok thanks for the heads up guys. must admit at first i didnt realise i'd need to remove cambelt & engine mounts to facilitate water pump change... so im reluctantly gonna have to pass this job off to a garage. im stuck in a wheelchair & like to do as much as i can but know when it's time to throw in the towel lol

As an added bonus you have to undo the engine mount but you can't actually remove it from the engine bay so you have to remove and re-fit the belt with the mount floating around and getting in the way.

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As an added bonus you have to undo the engine mount but you can't actually remove it from the engine bay so you have to remove and re-fit the belt with the mount floating around and getting in the way.

Apparently you can get the engine mount out (I have read it on here, so it must be true!), but I have never managed. I normally end up tucking part of the new cambelt into the water pump hole to pass the engine mount over it. Done it twice, and I have hated it each time. Sadly I guess I will have to do it a few more times before I can decommission the car.

ive managed to get the engine mount out of the engine bay every time? (lost count on how many belts ive changed on these engines) usually involves jacking engine up (or down- cant remember off hand..) and wiggling it out of the way.. cant imagine doing belt change with the mount getting in the way..

ive managed to get the engine mount out of the engine bay every time? (lost count on how many belts ive changed on these engines) usually involves jacking engine up (or down- cant remember off hand..) and wiggling it out of the way.. cant imagine doing belt change with the mount getting in the way..

Thanks for all the advice on this guys but cos im in a wheelchair this is a little beyond me atm, so will have to find local garage that wont charge the earth,

cheers

budget around £250, and always buy the premium parts - make sure the water pump has metal fins (the old will likely be plastic)

£100-£130 for parts £120-£150 labour, but then 60-80k miles worry free

budget around £250, and always buy the premium parts - make sure the water pump has metal fins (the old will likely be plastic)

£100-£130 for parts £120-£150 labour, but then 60-80k miles worry free

Cheers Lofty, fancy a mornings work? :think:

Cheers Lofty, fancy a mornings work? :think:

scratch that i just noticed your location lol

haha, yeah a bit of a jaunt so thats 8hrs @ £25 per hour plus 3hrs for the work is £275 labour. Fuel @ £80. Parts @ £130

In this case budget £485 + VAT = £570 should do it............ Shall I leave now?

Return journey time free

Edited 15 November, 201213 yr by Lofty79

The plastic impellor getting "cooked" is less of an issue on the diesel engines than the petrol ones, particularly the 1.8T. Still, most independants regard a new water pump at cambelt time as insurance because it's so hard to change the pump any other time.

haha, yeah a bit of a jaunt so thats 8hrs @ £25 per hour plus 3hrs for the work is £275 labour. Fuel @ £80. Parts @ £130

In this case budget £485 + VAT = £570 should do it............ Shall I leave now?

Return journey time free

mmm tempting but tel you what mate, you take the day off & put your feet up lol

Get a quote from Fisk Bros Skoda on Paddington Drive. Cost is usually reasonable.