No one likes to be stuck on the side of the road dealing with an overheated vehicle. Proper maintenance of the water pump on your 2000 Jetta will ensure its continued safety and performance and reduce the possibility of overheating. The water pump circulates water from the radiator to the 2.0-liter engine and helps maintain the proper temperature of the vehicle. Replacing a water pump is a do-it-yourself project that requires basic tools and takes about an hour.
Bring your vehicle to a complete stop. Turn the engine off. Allow the engine to cool to avoid burning yourself. Release the hood latch and raise the hood. Remove the negative battery cable by loosening the clamp from the terminal with a wrench. Move the cable to the side.
Position a drain pan under the radiator at the front of the vehicle. Using pliers, turn the drain plug on the bottom of the radiator counterclockwise. Drain all coolant from the vehicle into the drain pan. After the fluid has stopped draining, close the drain plug by tightening it clockwise.
Locate the thermostat housing and remove it using a ratchet. The thermostat housing is located beneath the water pump housing.
Loosen the bolts on the water pump pulley with a ratchet. Do not remove the bolts.
Remove the cover for the timing belt by using a ratchet. Set the cover aside.
Loosen the bolts that hold the alternator. This will allow you to release the tension on the accessory drive belt (water pump belt). Remove the belt.
Remove the bolts from the water pump pulley and remove the pulley. The crankshaft pulley may need to be removed on some vehicles. If this is the case, use a ratchet to remove the bolts and remove the crankshaft pulley. In some cases you may also need to use a pulley removal tool.
Loosen the bolts that hold the water pump onto the engine by using a ratchet. Remove the water pump from the engine.
Insert a rag into the water pump opening of the engine block. Remove any leftover gasket material on the mating surface of the engine by using a scraper. Clean the area and prepare to install a new water pump.
Coat the water pump mating surface and the engine block mating surface with gasket sealant (Permatex No. 2 or equivalent). Locate the new gasket that came with your new water pump. Install the gasket and the water pump onto the engine. Using a torque wrench, tighten the water pump bolts to 84 inch-pounds.
Reinstall the drive pulley for the water pump. Torque the bolts to 15 foot-pounds with a torque wrench. Reinstall the crankshaft pulley and torque the bolts to 15 foot-pounds with a torque wrench.
Install the drive belt and adjust the tension by retightening the bolts on the alternator. Do not overtension the belt.
Reinstall the timing belt cover by using a ratchet. Do not overtighten the bolts.
Coat the thermostat housing mating surfaces with gasket sealant. Replace the thermostat and thermostat housing and torque the bolts to 84 inch-pounds with a torque wrench.
Refill the coolant by adding a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water into the coolant reservoir. Reinstall the negative battery cable and tighten it with a wrench.
Start the engine and check for leaks. Allow the engine to reach normal operating temperature and recheck your antifreeze level. Add more fluid if needed.
