Water pump pulley W123 - please HELP

[grahamlake]

HELP please, won't someone hear my pain.........

What started out as an easy job of changing the waterpump on my 83 W123 has turned into a nightmare.

Can someone more knowledgable than I let me know how to do the following:

Remove the viscous coupling (electromagnetic type)
Remove the water pump pulley.

I have managed to remove the whole water pump thinking i could get better access. I have removed the fan and the bolt that fits into the centre of the shaft that drive the water pump.

I have used levers, hammers, gentle love and rude words, but i can't get anything to budge.

I need the car back on the road asap so your help is appreciated.

 

[television]

The best way to remove pulleys is with heat,using a plumbers blow torch, keep the heat on the pulley,not on the shaft.

Malcolm

 

[Stevie A]

I don't think you have to remove the viscous fan coupling if you can get the pump off without removing the fan coupling. As far as the pulley is concerned, it is better to loosen the bolts on the pulley when the pump is in situ. Have an assistant hold the pulley while you loosen the bolts off then give the pulley a tap a few times and it should come off. I'm presuming here that it is a pulley held on by three bolts.

 

[grahamlake]

yes, i have loosened off the 3 bolts and and give it 'gentle' knocks and pulled with the strength of ten men, but still no joy. i will use my mallet again to persuade it

thanks

 

[TimN]

Its been a while since I did this so I might be incorrect but I think that you can remove the water pump complete with the pulley and magnetic clutch. It will be frustrating as I'm sure you can only get an eighth of a turn on one or more of the bolts. I think I might be right that at least one of the three bolts that hold the magnetic clutch secure goes through the pump housing and into the engine block. You have to undo a few revolutions at a time and prize the water pump out.

 

[Stevie A]

yes, i have loosened off the 3 bolts and and give it 'gentle' knocks and pulled with the strength of ten men, but still no joy. i will use my mallet again to persuade it

thanks

Spray lots of WD40 about the back of it and give it a few good whacks and it'll come off eventually. Or a new pulley is about £8 from a dealer.