Heads Up: Failing TSI Water Pumps

[Svtpony]

Someone mentioned before that a dealer noticed oil seepage leaking down onto their waterpump after their 3rd or 4th failure. Can't remember where that was mentioned, but definitely worth looking into for those that have had multiple failures, as that would explain why after the 1st failure, multiple subsequent failures seem to shortly follow.

Mine did that. It was leaking oil on the water pump gasket. Dealer replaced both items

 

[speedster]

So the people who assemble the cars are all incompetent too then? Otherwise it'll never go bad right?

Most techs that work at dealers have been at it for some time. Mine was worked on by the lead tech at my local dealer. He knew the tell tale sign of the whining water pump right away. Popped the hood, twisted the cap off and sound went away. Said yep. Warranty replacement to water pump and that he would be doing the job himself. All these various incidents can't be a tech install problem. As much as people like to say dealer service techs suck, this many reports cant be all install error.

Other than it being hard to reach, is it a hard install even?

Its a pain to install otherwise I would have done it myself. Need to take off throttle body and intake manifold. The most vocal people on here are getting failures frequently. They certainly aren't the majority. My pump lasted almost 60k. Plac had plenty of MK6 GTIs and this is his first pump failure. My friend has plenty of miles and still going strong on the first pump.

So no, not all VW techs suck. But maybe the ones you guys go to do. I'd certainly be questioning my tech after so many failures after so few miles.

 

[syonxwf]

Mine did that. It was leaking oil on the water pump gasket. Dealer replaced both items

The water pump and what? Valve cover seal?
Someone else needs to have this done the next time they go in so it might finally be pinpointed to the right issue, rather than replacing water pumps over and over for no reason (assuming this is the cause and it's not actually the water pumps failing).

 

[speedster]

I think you mean assuming this is the cause. Barring this is the cause = assuming this is not the cause.

 

[kern417]

What ACTUALLY fails on them? Is it a gasket? Bearing? I've searched multiple times and can't find a definitive answer. The service adviser at the dealer I took mine to gave me a BS runaround saying it was an issue with dissimilar metals and it's finally been fixed after 5 part revisions, but then told me they replaced the entire pump instead of just a seal to be safe, which made zero sense. And I know VW engineers aren't the brightest bulbs in the shed but I find it hard to believe it would take them five tries to figure out what metals work together without falling apart.

on mine, the gasket failed on the first one. i have pictures in my DIY. it bubbled up and began leaking past it when my car would get up to operating temperature (when the pump would open up). my replacement is all plastic no gasket so i expect it to last longer.

http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1705361&postcount=10

this 2nd one seems different. when i pulled it off, i noticed the clip that holds the thermostat to the block was broken and the thermostat was hanging out. i'm going to just replace that and reinstall to see if it fixes it. it makes sense because when i was searching for the leak, i added water to the coolant ball and it drained right out. i thought the housing must be cracked but it looks like it's still in good shape. going to go ahead and get that updated union that i didn't know to replace the first time as well.

it's funny because if you brought it to a dealership they'd probably replace the whole thing (or at least charge you for it). we'll see if it actually fixes it though once i get it back on hopefully this evening.

The water pump and what? Valve cover seal?
Someone else needs to have this done the next time they go in so it might finally be pinpointed to the right issue, rather than replacing water pumps over and over for no reason (barring this is the cause and it's not actually the water pumps failing).

i resealed my valve cover when i rebuilt my motor. the pump failed shortly after but that's not saying it wasn't just a risidual effect of a poor seal. the front of my block stays a lot cleaner since then because there was definitely oil residue before, i just didn't know how to fix it or if it was even an issue.

 

[syonxwf]

I think you mean assuming this is the cause. Barring this is the cause = assuming this is not the cause.

Thanks, edited

i resealed my valve cover when i rebuilt my motor. the pump failed shortly after but that's not saying it wasn't just a risidual effect of a poor seal. the front of my block stays a lot cleaner since then because there was definitely oil residue before, i just didn't know how to fix it or if it was even an issue.

Interesting, so based on what you said and what I believe I remember svt saying, one could speculate that it's an issue with oil leaking out of the valve cover on the front, causing the water pump seal to fail. Yours may have already been failing before you rebuilt the motor, so if it really was very shortly after the rebuild, we could assume it was the same cause. How many miles has it been since you replaced your water pump now?
Interesting theory at least, but like I said, I'd like to see if the next person that has a failed waterpump can get their dealer to check into that as well.

 

[kern417]

Thanks, edited



Interesting, so based on what you said and what I believe I remember svt saying, one could speculate that it's an issue with oil leaking out of the valve cover on the front, causing the water pump seal to fail. Yours may have already been failing before you rebuilt the motor, so if it really was very shortly after the rebuild, we could assume it was the same cause. How many miles has it been since you replaced your water pump now?
Interesting theory at least, but like I said, I'd like to see if the next person that has a failed waterpump can get their dealer to check into that as well.

yeah like i said i have about 5k on it. my motor always looked like that but when i started going to shows i'd wash the bay and clean it off. ill have to see if i have old pictures showing it. the first one lasted over 70k though, unless it was replaced before i bought the car at 20k.

 

[kern417]

the way my 2nd one "failed." it's funny because the dealership would probably change the whole pump, or at least charge you for it. i found the clips for <$5 by searching the part number.

http://www.instagram.com/p/qpP6UECqxV/

i have yet to hear of a water pump actually stop working, they just start leaking coolant. in my mind a failed water pump would cause overheating, not a loss of coolant. anyway, i feel like the design on mine should be good as long as the plastic doesn't crack. the only gaskets are on the thermostat and where the pump mates to the block.

and i've been thinking about it, but where my old one failed was probably not caused by oil seepage. i mean it has to pass the intake manifold first, but that gasket seemed fine. also the gasket that failed on mine did not contact the block. that's not to say it's not what caused a failure on other peoples' cars though. so idk, it seems like everyone sees different components of the pump failing and causing the leaks.

 

[JonnysChillCousin]

I wonder if a tune makes it fail earlier, but again you got people with 2 already and stock...

 

[Svtpony]

The water pump and what? Valve cover seal?
Someone else needs to have this done the next time they go in so it might finally be pinpointed to the right issue, rather than replacing water pumps over and over for no reason (assuming this is the cause and it's not actually the water pumps failing).

Oil separator (replaced) was leaking on water pump (replaced). Forgot to mention what was leaking lol

 

[Svtpony]

On a side note, when I replaced my plugs I noticed oil in one of the spark plug tubes. And that was after they replaced the oil separator. I cleaned it out and chalked it up as I figured it was a result of the work done on it.

 

[jnj2455]

So, again, what is the most recent verified revision of the part from VW?

 

[xd-data-ii]

BB

 

[DaveSTR]

Dropped my GTi off at the dealer. Pump to be done tomorrow + a few other things.
Have a Mk7 Golf TSi loaner with the 1.4litre motor. Surprisingly powerful. Fun drive. Superior interior etc.
I reminded my service guy to look things over for oil leaks in case thats in part causing these failures. I told him some owners in the US were getting 2 or more replacements. The pump just not working.
I also asked him to take a pic of the intake valves to see how the carbon buildup is going. Motor has 24,000km's at this time. Was put in 18 months ago. Lets see how this high rev technique is working out

 

[2013R]

they installed a "BB" pump yesterday. Got my car back.