Water Pump, Thermostat, Engine Mount DIY Remarks

[hancock1701]

Hi guys,

I just finished replacing the water pump, low temp thermostat, and front engine mount on my 2001 today. There are a few articles on these replacements, but there were still things that I did not expect. I just want to share my thoughts and observations that could be helpful for those planning to do this.

A little background information: 2001 Base, 138k miles, no repair record before 80k miles (2009), has been daily driven since then. The cooling system was working fine. The only thing is the vibration at ~3000 RPM and a loud noise during rapid acceleration. I decided to do all three because of the engine mount, and the pump is at least ~60k miles.

- I bought just the mount bushing, assuming I could get it pressed in for cheap. Took it to a couple places (Sears, Pepboys), they couldn't do it. Then took it to a European shop, paid $95 to get it done. Not much saving there!

- I got the Pierburg pump, it looks good. The old one was also Pierburg, and the gasket had been cut, so I assume the pump has been replaced before 80k.

- On the pump, there were 2 longer bolts. I didn't make note where they went, and in the end I had 1 bolt sticking out, and had to undo most of them to find the right bolt.

- I followed the bleeding process in the Bentley manual. There was one part where it says to open/relieve the coolant cap and top off when the car is hot and idling. I couldn't open it because coolant was very hot and ready to shoot out, so I'm not sure how that would affect the bleeding.

- The articles say the car takes about 5 gallons. I could only drain and put back in a little more than 3 gallons.

- Many articles say you can do the engine mount without undoing the hoses, but I think it's really hard to wiggle it out for someone doing this with the car on jack stands instead of a lift.

Results: The car feels younger. I have more confidence in the car not breaking down on me (even though it has never done it). Vibration at 3000 RPM and the loud noise from acceleration are gone.

I hope this might be useful to you in some way