1998 S70 - Water Pump Pics & Temp Repair

Post by **MoVolvos** » 13 Oct 2013, 17:02

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I found this website (LINK) which shows 3 sides of the engine. The water pump was leaking on my car from the car sitting for a month. The timing belt side helped with a clear view of the water pump. I was able to snug it down a quarter of a turn or so on 6 of the 7 bolts. Will look closer for the 7th but the Tensioner maybe in the way. It looks like the leak has stopped. There is absolutely no noise or looseness from the pump bearing or Timing Belt area. I believe the Water Pump was not tighten properly perhaps from the last Timing Belt job (no service records). Just did not want to do a tear down or put any more money into this car at this time as I do not drive it much.

Daniel's 1998 Volvo S70 Turbo Build
http://wakingupthemoose.blogspot.com/20 ... chive.html

: Saw RSPI's Video or Post I Forgot Which But He Indicated Water In That Area Required A Tear Down So I Thought It Might Be The Gasket Rather Than The Bearing

: After Cleaning Area & Tightening Bolts

Blessings,

BKM

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Post by **MoVolvos** » 21 Oct 2013, 23:25

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VERY TEMP FIX! Too good to be true! Would like some help with questions with the water pump replacement. I think I can do this but really not motivated to do so. It seems to be leaking at the pump bearing seal. Anyone with experience on how long I can drive it?

I have the hydraulic tensioner. Is that more difficult to work on? Can I upgraded to the mechanical tensioner and is the Mech Ten better?

With 245K miles is it worth the expense to change all the timing parts? I have no records of the last change but it runs very quite and the belt looks good. Don't know how long the car will last before another major issue. Thanks.

Blessings,

BKM

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Post by **wheelsup** » 22 Oct 2013, 07:28

If you are OK with the engine grenading on you in the future, just replace the pump. If the other components are fine, no squeals from the rollers or leaks from the hydraulic tensionser, compress it VERY SLOWLY using a vise (I brought mine to Home Depot and used one of their demo vises in the store!) or c-clamp and throw a new WP in and call it a day. A new set of rollers/tensioner/WP/belt is around $250 IIRC. Depends on if you just want to buy a new WP for $50 and call it a day. At 245k miles I would be inclined to do the same if I thought I was already on borrowed time.

I personally would not drive it long. That thing could lock up at any time. To fix it yourself is not that expensive and for the first time would take a day or so. Go through the timing belt writeup and make sure you have everything.

Post by **jblackburn** » 22 Oct 2013, 07:35

The hydraulic tensioner can be re-used many times if it's not leaking. I'd shy away from the mechanical tensioners - there are many reports of them failing before they're due.

If you've got a good-running, clean car, change it all.

Post by **rspi** » 22 Oct 2013, 08:38

Water pump leaks on a car that is NOT driven that much is no big deal. If you drive the car and it doesn't leak in a few hours after it is driven, don't worry about it. Try to see what brand the pump is. The OEM pump is ASIAN I believe. The shop manual gives the pump allowable leaking limits. From what I can remember it is something like, NO LEAKING WITHIN 4 HOURS OF SHUTTING THE CAR OFF. So a static leak on a cold pump is OK.

My pump on my 960 started leaking and I drove the car another 10,000 miles or so. As long as it doesn't leak while driving or when the car motor is hot it should be fine. I replaced the pump because I had a roller seize up at 86,000, so I did the pump as well. I usually have all parts on deck, and use what I need. If I pull the belt, and a roller is still good and tight, I will leave it on. If the roller spins freely and / or makes any noise at all, it gets changed.

My take on replacing the water pump is... I only replace water pumps on my cars when I do the timing belt if the pump IS LEAKING. So, when I do a timing belt, if my water pump is not leaking I do not even consider changing it.

NOW TO THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE NO TIMING BELT HISTORY... based on that fact alone, I would change everything ASAP. A roller could seize, tensioner could fail, etc and destroy the motor. Without written proof of the last change you are driving a time bomb. Since the water pump is leaking, that would be the time to change it. And as Justin stated, the hydraulic tensioner is a better bet in my opinion. I have never had to do the mechanical type on the Volvo's yet but they kinda scare me.

Post by **rspi** » 22 Oct 2013, 08:40

Oh, do not tighten those bolts down any more. They will break off in the motor and you'll have a big mess on your hands.

Post by **MoVolvos** » 22 Oct 2013, 14:04

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Thanks everyone for the input. It is currently leaking when driven though coolant loss in the tank seems minimal. Have only been on 6 to 12 mile trips around town lately. I am considering FCP's Kit. Any thoughts as this kit seems pretty complete.

http://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo-t ... tbkit252wp

Considering also just taking it apart first then decide:

wheelsup wrote:Depends on if you just want to buy a new WP for $50 and call it a day. At 245k miles I would be inclined to do the same if I thought I was already on borrowed time.

I've already viewed "rspi" and "Ben McNally's" videos several times. Ben makes it look easy but I'm sure it's a little more to it.

Blessings,

BKM

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