Telltale signs of leaking P gasket; coolant stains on engine block. I check here every time I dip my oil.
You'll need a viscous fan spanner, 32mm.It should only cost about 10GBP.
![2[1].Viscous fan spanner (32mm) (Medium).jpg](https://data.lrukforums.com/data/attachments/28/28747-6a6e6cd4c34fcf566d65d2daf5b80e83.jpg?hash=am5s1MNPz1 "2[1].Viscous fan spanner (32mm) (Medium).jpg")
Disconnect battery, and then Drain the coolant.
Take off radiator top hose.
Remove intercooler top hose.
Then take off clips, and the top of plastic fan cowling.
Remove viscous fan unit. It’s opposite thread.(NB When screwing back on and it snugly fits home just hit the top of the spanner with the palm of your hand to tighten it...no more tightening force is necessary as the fan spins in the same direction to keep it from loosening off)
On the power steering pulley, remove the 3 bolts holding it on.
And, then take off the pulley.
Remove the 4 bolts securing the power steering pump bracket.
Lower the pump and bracket out of the way to give room and do not disconnect the power steering pump oil lines.
Take off alternator (a lower bolt and upper nut and bolt at the top) zip tie it back out of the way with no need to disconnect any wires.
Remove nut at centre of and remove the drive belt tensioner assembly (goes back on at 45NM torque)
When putting back on the spud on the tensioner housing slots into a hole on the bracket
Take off remaining water hoses from thermostat, water pump and heater rail.
Remove 5 bolts, 1 with a nut, and a single recessed retaining nut (where belt tensioner was) securing the bracket to the engine block
Having removed the 5 bolts from the alloy housing look for the recessed nut, arrowed…
When you look at the side of the engine block you can see one of the bolts is a nut on a long bolt (you can see the coolant staining quite clearly)
Remove the housing without taking off the water pump, to do this remove the three closely located bolts arrowed in the pic.
Remove the gasket, and clean the mating surfaces. The leakage is easy to see.
And, you can see the corrosion on the side of the gasket.
Refitting is similar to removal, I didn’t use new bolts but you could if you wanted . I didn’t need to, they are torqued to 25NM, and are steel going into alloy, So in my opinion there is no great force needed. A smear of copper grease on the threads helps prevent steel/alloy corrosion for the next time.
The three bolts to the water pump were corroded slightly, so I wire brushed them and put a smear of copper grease on them.
When mounting the viscous fan you only need to smack it gently the end of the spanner with the palm of your hand. It will stay nipped up at this, as the fan turns in the opposite direction of the threads when running, so it will not come off. The dealer had done this when they replaced the timing belt the previous year, and it was very easy for me to remove it as a result.
Many thanks to Pete H of this forum for posting how to do this originally.
You'll need a viscous fan spanner, 32mm.It should only cost about 10GBP.
Disconnect battery, and then Drain the coolant.
Take off radiator top hose.
Remove intercooler top hose.
Then take off clips, and the top of plastic fan cowling.
Remove viscous fan unit. It’s opposite thread.(NB When screwing back on and it snugly fits home just hit the top of the spanner with the palm of your hand to tighten it...no more tightening force is necessary as the fan spins in the same direction to keep it from loosening off)
On the power steering pulley, remove the 3 bolts holding it on.
And, then take off the pulley.
Remove the 4 bolts securing the power steering pump bracket.
Lower the pump and bracket out of the way to give room and do not disconnect the power steering pump oil lines.
Take off alternator (a lower bolt and upper nut and bolt at the top) zip tie it back out of the way with no need to disconnect any wires.
Remove nut at centre of and remove the drive belt tensioner assembly (goes back on at 45NM torque)
When putting back on the spud on the tensioner housing slots into a hole on the bracket
Take off remaining water hoses from thermostat, water pump and heater rail.
Remove 5 bolts, 1 with a nut, and a single recessed retaining nut (where belt tensioner was) securing the bracket to the engine block
Having removed the 5 bolts from the alloy housing look for the recessed nut, arrowed…
When you look at the side of the engine block you can see one of the bolts is a nut on a long bolt (you can see the coolant staining quite clearly)
Remove the housing without taking off the water pump, to do this remove the three closely located bolts arrowed in the pic.
Remove the gasket, and clean the mating surfaces. The leakage is easy to see.
And, you can see the corrosion on the side of the gasket.
Refitting is similar to removal, I didn’t use new bolts but you could if you wanted . I didn’t need to, they are torqued to 25NM, and are steel going into alloy, So in my opinion there is no great force needed. A smear of copper grease on the threads helps prevent steel/alloy corrosion for the next time.
The three bolts to the water pump were corroded slightly, so I wire brushed them and put a smear of copper grease on them.
When mounting the viscous fan you only need to smack it gently the end of the spanner with the palm of your hand. It will stay nipped up at this, as the fan turns in the opposite direction of the threads when running, so it will not come off. The dealer had done this when they replaced the timing belt the previous year, and it was very easy for me to remove it as a result.
Many thanks to Pete H of this forum for posting how to do this originally.
