H2O pump housing bolts

[WAgrower]

Anyone know the size/ length/ pitch of the bolts for the water pump on a 1.6?
I'd like to replace them with SS to avoid future headaches.

Any reason I should keep them aluminum?

[82vdub]

Don't know the size, but only keep the aluminum one's if you want to have a higher possibility of breaking bolts off when you change the water pump. Stainless with anti-sieze is the way to go.

[libbybapa]

What aluminum bolts are you talking about?? I've never seen an aluminum bolt on a VW anywhere, definitely not on any stock water pumps. Just to ensure my sanity I just took a magnet to seven used water pumps I have here ranging in year from '79 to '97. All had steel bolts... Regardless, the steel bolts (6mm) are weak especially after corrosion gets to them and some manufacturers actually use red loctite on the bolts. Maybe the red loctite is for job security??

[Quantum-man]

Anyone know the size/ length/ pitch of the bolts for the water pump on a 1.6?
I'd like to replace them with SS to avoid future headaches.

Any reason I should keep them aluminum?

Just to answer your question the bolts are M6 by 22mm. Indeed no aluminium bolts.

[fj40dave]

Wonder if stud's would be a good option?

[coke]

I went stainless with antiseize. Best thing to do is take one of the non broken stock bolts to a hardware store, use their sizing chart (Bolt is metric) and find out what diameter it is, then start shuffling through nuts to find the correct thread pitch and get a stainless bolt the same diameter and thread pitch. I believe the pitch is either 1 or 1.5, but it may be 1.25, I can't remember. It was a long time ago when I changed mine out.

[Quantum-man]

I went stainless with antiseize. Best thing to do is take one of the non broken stock bolts to a hardware store, use their sizing chart (Bolt is metric) and find out what diameter it is, then start shuffling through nuts to find the correct thread pitch and get a stainless bolt the same diameter and thread pitch. I believe the pitch is either 1 or 1.5, but it may be 1.25, I can't remember. It was a long time ago when I changed mine out.

I think for these small bolts were looking at 0.75 or 0.9 pitch. 1.5 would be Whitworth. Did everyone know that 1/4 WW is still alive around the world on camera bases.

[WAgrower]

Thanks all!

I pulled the whole housing today with no issue, however the 4 long bolts look like they should be replaced too.
I'm pulling the small ones after lunch; I see what looks like could be antisieze!! or maybe just wishful thinking...

I'll pick up all new stainless bolts from tacoma screw tomorrow and be done with it.

[surfcam]

I had no idea that was still around. I though WW died with the old leaky motorcycles. I had a Aerial 500 single Red Hunter with no gaskets. I guess that's the way they made them and stock springer frontend. It was fun until someone stole it along with a complete set of thread gauges. Now I can't tell a Unified from a WW.

[fj40dave]

Thanks all!

I pulled the whole housing today with no issue, however the 4 long bolts look like they should be replaced too.
I'm pulling the small ones after lunch; I see what looks like could be antisieze!! or maybe just wishful thinking...

I'll pick up all new stainless bolts from tacoma screw tomorrow and be done with it.

I made the suggestion on studs for the four housing mount bolts.....I hadn't considered the water pump-to-housing bolt question like you mention.

I bought all new bolts when I did the recent motor rebuild.....since at least four of the orrig ones snapped when I was taking it apart.

[Fatmobile]

I might try studs next time, I'll try to remember to give you credit for the idea, ha.

Same studs/set screws as I use for the rubber valve cover gasket upgrade so I have a bag of them.

[WAgrower]

Well only broke one, and it was just the head so I was able to save the housing by using heat and vicegrips on it.
It's all back together with SS bolts M6x20 and plenty of antiseize!

[vwtyp133]

Did everyone know that 1/4 WW is still alive around the world on camera bases.

Well, seems like over here in the former colonies, we call that camera base mount a "1/4-20", though it may well be the same size & thread pitch as your WW.

Just recall WW being somewhat of a joking subject back in the day, since probably no more than 50 of our customers had British sports cars. Personally just always used the shop's WW wrenches, so never had to buy anything but metric & SAE fractionals. That itself was weird enough on some of the late '70s-early '80s GM stuff here; pretty even mix of metric & SAE used on the same vehicle, even in the same sub-assembly! General Mayhem. VW und Ford uber alles!