T1N 647 Engine Water Coolant Pump Replacement

[220629]

T1N OM647 Engine Coolant Pump Replacement

2004 2.7L Water Pump Replacement

5 cylinder water pump leak leaking remove replace change install
190,000 miles. Slight coolant drip from seal. The pump didn't "fail".
Added:
The 2006 pump made it to 195,000 miles and September 2021. The 2006 pump also had a coolant drip. The pump didn't "fail". The shaft of the removed pump did have some play. The new replacement pump shaft had no play at all.

Cost

Approx. $200.00 w/ a metric Allen set.

Parts

Water pump w/ gasket. The OEM pump MB 6472000101 has a metal gasket. Other pumps have a composite gasket. Metal gasket = easier cleaning. Added: The metal gasket also provides a set spacing. I prefer the metal type.


Caution: There has been a warning about replacement water pumps having an oversized bore for the idler pulley self threading fastener. Double check that the bore is correct. Some info is here. Thanks goes to Lightguy.
https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25041

GO5 Type Coolant. About 2 full mixed gallons without a complete system drain/flush. I used Zerex GO5 Formula Phosphate Free from NAPA. Advanced Auto didn't carry any GO5 product. They were insistent to use one size fits all. I don't recommend that.

Smaller size outlet gasket or RTV sealant if you re-use the existing metal gasket. This gasket is between the lower pump outlet port and a small outlet manifold. No new small gasket came with my OEM pump. No stock at the dealer when I called on a Saturday. I re-used the old metal gasket with RTV.
Gasket 647 201 00 80
Interchanges 221 33024 001, 22133024001, 647 201 00 80, 6472010080

Tools Necessary

Typical hand tools most anyone has plus:

10mm socket or wrench (turbo heat shield)
CR-VT-20 Torx
CR-VT-25 Torx
CR-VT-30 Torx
CR-VT-45 Torx (for outlet manifold bracket)
8mm Allen (for fan bolt)
CR-VE-10 Socket
CR-VE-12 Socket
CR-VE-14 Socket
Torque wrench
Hose removal tool
17mm (or 18 mm?) 12 pt. (offset box wrench for belt tensioner)
1/4" 12 pt. box wrench (for outlet manifold pump bolts)
T20 Torx screwdriver (for lower grill screws)
Ultra Blue RTV Gasket Sealant (if re-using outlet manifold gasket because none was included)
Wooden block 6 3/4"L (for propping radiator forward)



Remove frame bar to tilt radiator forward

Disconnect the battery negative.
Remove the fasteners holding grill. Loosen the two lower screws with a T20 Torx screwdriver first. The plastic frame holes are slotted.
Remove the heat shield above the turbo.
Remove trim panels below the headlights.
Remove 4 ea. fasteners, remove the headlight pods. Disconnecting the wiring is not necessary. Swing out of the way.
Remove 4 ea. fasteners on frame. Pop 2 ea. clips. Remove the top frame and stand it on end.

Caution. The pump bolts are different sizes and lengths. Be very careful when small bolts are torqued. The large bolt value can break them.



The manual I have said to remove a hose to tilt the radiator and remove the fan and shroud together. I found no need to remove any hose or the fan shroud ever. I did pop the 4 shroud clips. One on the right rattled down to where I never did find it. MB over-engineered that anyway so I only need 3 clips. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Drain the coolant

With the headlight pod removed you can more easily access the tank drain. It is hidden pretty well in the lower support structure. I made a hose unit per HKPierce. It helped, but I think anytime I drain the coolant in the future I will remove the grill and headlight pod for access. Turn the valve open to drain. Find it by feel. Added: Don't bother. The drain drains so slowly it isn't worth the effort. Catch the coolant when the pump hose is removed. A bit messy, but less aggravating.



Remove the fan

Pull the radiator out forward for access to the fan and pump. I wedged a 6 3/4" wood block to hold the radiator out and keep access. It worked very well, but it did slightly bend the aluminum top frame lip. I do mean slightly.



Remove the 8mm Allen bolt to remove the fan and viscous clutch. Righty tighty, lefty loosey works on this one. I was able to wedge a 3/16" x 10" square shaft screwdriver into the bolt heads for the pulley to hold the shaft. The real tool designed for that would be nice. I was able to carefully extract the fan assembly with the shroud in place.

Caution: Keep the fan/viscous clutch upright when you store it. Do not lay it flat.

Use a really small screwdriver to pop the plastic cover off the idler pulley that is on the turbo side. Remove the idler bolt using the CR-VT-45 torx. The same size as the frame screws.

Remove the bolts from the water pump

I made a cardboard bolt holder as a guide. It helps keep the bolts organized and makes it easier when re-installing. I used a CR-VE-12 socket to remove all of the bolts, but there are actually 2 different head sizes. By carefully using the incorrect CR-VE-12 socket on the far right 6mm bolt I avoided needing to remove that idler pulley. Be very careful when removing the top bolts hidden from view. It is very easy (at least it was for me) to remove a wrong bolt that is not for the pump. (Use the cardboard diagram. 9 bolts.)



Disconnect the hose and manifold

I tried to loosen the top short hose from the pump without success. The small end to the pipe removed easily. Then came the two manifold bolts. I removed the front, easy one first which was a mistake because then the loosened manifold bound against the back bolt. The rear bolt is very difficult to remove. I only had a deep CR-V-E10 socket that wouldn't go in. I'm not certain a shallow socket would have helped. The turbo is in the way big time. I used a 1/4" 12 point box end wrench to painstakingly turn the bolt out 1/8 of a turn at a time. The whores and bastards came by to help out. Why MB didn't rotate the bolt pattern for access is beyond me. It is only 2 bolts. You'd think the position could have been better selected. (Sorry. Whining over.) - Remove and reinstall the pump and attached pipe manifold as an assembly!!!

I didn't do it this way, but this is what I'd try:
Remove the pump with the small hose 2 bolt manifold connected

Leave at least two bolts holding the water pump in place.
Remove the small hose from the pump outlet manifold.
Underneath, remove the large hose from the manifold. Be ready to catch coolant.
Disconnect the pump manifold support bracket.
Remove and support the water pump to get access to the manifold bolts.
Remove both manifold bolts.
Remove the water pump.
Clean gasket surfaces.

Once the pump was out I used the 3/16" square shank screwdriver to wedge the pulley bolts and remove the 4 ea. CR-VT-30 screws. With screws out I held the old pump shaft down at about 6" height and dropped it on the cement to remove the pulley. Two drops and the pulley popped right off. Not elegant, but effective.

Installing the new pump

Install the pulley on the new pump. I installed the pump with the manifold hoses still connected. This created some real problems for me so I don't recommend that method. The manifold pushed against the pump and moved it over. That made it difficult to start the first bolts. Once the pump was in place I struggled to get the back manifold bolt in. When the whores and bastards again stopped by (this time with the mother#%$@^!'s for extra support), I stepped back for a bit. I finally ended up disconnecting the manifold hoses and bracket to get the rear bolt started. It was still difficult to start that rear bolt with the pump bolted in place.
Remove and reinstall the pump and attached pipe manifold as an assembly!!!

I did it this way on the 2006:
Install the pump with manifold pipe completely connected
Use sealant on the small gasket if it needs to be reused. Before removing the reducing elbow hose, mark it for position. Install the reducing elbow hose on the new pump with the spring clamp.

Position the manifold/pump assembly down between the radiator and engine basically in place.
Install the large hose and the reducing elbow small end hose on the pipes. (Don't tighten hose clamps yet.)
Position the pump gasket on the pump using two top bolts to hold it basically in place. I also used a piece of electrical tape to help hold the gasket. Pull the tape loose once the pump is held with a couple bolts.

Install all the bolts from the cardboard template.

Torque the pump bolts. Being careful again to get the correct bolts on the top. 6mm = 10 ft/lb. 8mm=15 ft/lb. By carefully using the larger CR-VE-12 socket on all of the bolts I avoided needing to remove the smooth idler pulley when torqueing.
Caution. The pump bolts are different sizes and lengths. Be very careful when small bolts are torqued. The large bolt value can break them.

Rotate the turbo air intake sensor back to original position if you moved it. (Not needed for the 2006.)
Install the manifold bracket bolt in the alternator. (3/8" 12 point wrench fits the bolt.)
Tighten the 3 hose clamps.
Install the idler pulley with the slightly triangular thread forming bolt. Torque to 26 ft/lb.
2011/07/03 edit: Do not tap the hole for the triangular bolt. The self thread design is for better holding. ("The term for the 'thread forming' feature is trilobular." Roger - Sailquik post #26)
Snap idler cover back on.
Install the serpentine belt before the fan is in the way.
Install the fan/viscous drive. I didn't like the way the 3/16" screwdriver wedged against the viscous drive for tightening, it seemed fine for loosening. I used a large rat tail file tang to wedge the pulley bolts. Wear gloves to hold the file because they are brittle. The tang bent a bit, but it worked fine. As I didn't have the torque spec I made the bolt reasonably very tight. The proper holding tool would be nice to have.
Close the radiator drain if not done yet.
Replace the top frame member. I always grease bolts for reassembly. I also greased the bearing areas as my 2004 had rust bubbles there. A more meticulous person may want to grind, prime and paint. (The grease completely halted the rust.)
Install the 2 ea. radiator support clips.
Install turbo heat shield.
Install headlight pods.
Install lower trim panels.
Install the grill last. My one lower grill plastic was broken previously. I used a black cable tie on that side to hold things together. Doesn't show at all and works great.
Refill coolant per manual. I needed 2 gallons 50% mix. They say it takes about 3 heat/cool cycles for the level to stabilize.
Reconnect battery negative if removed.

Except for the back manifold bolt, the pump change is not bad. I think the job could be done in 4 - 5 hours. It took me two days, but I stopped to call the dealer net day for the small manifold gasket. The back bolt on the manifold also gave me fits coming out and going in. That added more time than I care to think about. My modified installation by disconnecting the manifold completely will help make that less of an issue. AP/vic

You were wise to PM me with this question and location or I would have missed it.

There are 3 different fastener torque specs to use on the water pump. The 6mm pump housing hardware is torqued to 10 ft lbs. The 8mm pump housing hardware is 15 ft lbs. And the special 10.9 graded, thread forming bolt [TRILOBULAR™ ?] for the idler pulley mounting is 26 ft. lbs. Doktor A

Added:
Thanks goes to Lindenengineering Dennis.
For OM612 Engines Only.

Well if you do use aftermarket , just make sure it has a steel gasket not paper or cardboard one
AND
If yours is a 2002 /2003 do make sure the fuel pipe retentions clips are installed or replaced. Read important.
Dennis

On a 2002 /2003 the HPOP fuel pipes run very close to water pump pulley.
New retention clips are essential being attached to the water pump.
In your case no worries.
Dennis

An OM612 engine specific Write-up is here:

OM612 water pump replacement

T1N OM647 Engine Water Pump Replacement OM612 2002-2003 2.7L Water Pump Replacement ]NOTE: This is an edit of Aqua Punta's OM647 instructions for water pump replacement. It is largely fine for OM612, but some parts are not applicable to OM612. So I have edited accordingly. HKP 5 cylinder...

sprinter-source.com

 

[220629]

More misc. info because I ran out of picture space and characters in the How to post.

20170823 info from Doktor A.

Forget Dodge. Thanks to Fiat, they have lost control of Sprinter parts warehousing and pricing.

MBenz dealer list is $190. [MB 6472000101]

Doktor A

I use a 17mm x 18mm 12 point offset box wrench to keep the tensioner pulled back. I think it needs to be an offset wrench, but a regular wrench may work too. I found that a plastic bungee cord hook anchored to the hood hinge makes a good dead end. The rope could be tied directly to the hinge instead. I then route a soft rope down the fender and over to the wrench. It keeps the tensioner pulley out of the way to make routing the belt easier.







I used some hose over the bolt ends to help my fat fingers put the bolts into the holes. I thought the hose would help with the back outlet manifold bolt, but that was wishful thinking.



I returned the first OEM pump that I received because the machined faces were rough. My parts guy ordered two pumps in. When he opened the first replacement it also had some rough spots. He opened the 2nd replacement which was similar and let me choose the pump I wanted. All three pumps had some rough spots on the faces. Maybe I'm just too picky, but the faces on the leaking pump I removed were nice flat and shiny. Here's a picture of the new pump faces.



While the fan was out of the way I inspected my harmonic balancer. After 190,000 miles it looks good by visual inspection. I guess the problem with a single inspection is that it can crack anytime after. At least I think it's OK now......knock/touch wood.

I guess that's all I have for now. AP/vic

Added:

For future reference, I believe that once the 4 clips are removed on the fan shroud it can be lifted up and clear.

I didn't do that with my coolant pump change. An independent shop owner searched out my Write-up before beginning a Sprinter water pump change. He said the fan shroud was frustrating him so he pulled it up and out. The fan blade assembly must have been removed already.

vic

Yes, with fan blade off the shroud can lift out, it takes some wiggling and fussing with but it does come out.

 

[rlent]

Great write up Vic - thanks !

 

[glasseye]

Superb. Stuff like this goes a long way towards damping my fear owning an orphan. Thanks!

 

[sikwan]

Thanks Vic for the write-up.

Was the water pump hard to remove and was a screwdriver used to remove it? Was there any residual coolant left or did the drain from the radiator remove everything?

 

[Oldfartt]

I really appreciate your rightup Vic. Welldone. I may have to do the same on my sprinter as there is a slow coolant leak in the sprinter and was expecting to have to remove the radiator to do the job. Your rightup shows that this is not necessary.
A little tip on the belt tensioner. There is a 4mm hole in the base flange of the belt tensioner. It is easier to see with a mirror. By inserting a 4mm steel rod (4" nail) the tensioner can be held back after rotating the tensioner with the 17mm socket wrench. Hope this helps.

Cheers Ross

 

[220629]

sikwan,
My OEM pump (2004 year Model 647 2.7L replacement Part #A 647 200 01 01) with the metal gasket just came right off once the bolts were all out. Because I removed a wrong bolt and one pump bolt was still there, at first I thought it was going to fight me. I think the metal gasket is the reason it was so easy to remove.

The drain from the radiator removed virtually all the coolant from the pump cavities. Because I read this somewhere (?) I initially opened the drain with the radiator pressure cap still in place. When the flow slowed I then removed the cap and the flow increased as would be expected. Whether that made a difference, I don't know. There was quite a bit of coolant to catch that came out when I removed the large hose on the pump outlet manifold and that was after the pump had been removed.

About 8 qts drained out so I presume there was still more left in the engine because the info I have says 10.5 quart capacity. My old radiator fluid looked very clean and clear. Any passages I uncovered looked very clean so I didn't worry about draining completely. Hope this does some good. AP

Thanks Vic for the write-up.

Was the water pump hard to remove and was a screwdriver used to remove it? Was there any residual coolant left or did the drain from the radiator remove everything?

 

[220629]

Oldfartt,
I know about that little hole and pin trick (1/8" drill shank fits per Doktor A.). Maybe my affinity for using soft ropes and tying things up is left over from my dating days....nights. Thanks, AP

I really appreciate your rightup Vic. Welldone. I may have to do the same on my sprinter as there is a slow coolant leak in the sprinter and was expecting to have to remove the radiator to do the job. Your rightup shows that this is not necessary.
A little tip on the belt tensioner. There is a 4mm hole in the base flange of the belt tensioner. It is easier to see with a mirror. By inserting a 4mm steel rod (4" nail) the tensioner can be held back after rotating the tensioner with the 17mm socket wrench. Hope this helps.

Cheers Ross

 

[Ciprian]

Nice writeup, my experience was very similar to yours, even down to using a piece of 2x4 to pry the radiator away from the engine.

 

[maxextz]

great post and pics vic, very detailed thanks

 

[jdcaples]

I love the cardboard, fastener holding trick. It's genius!

-Jon

 

[220629]

Jon,
Thanks. Where it really works well is for V8 heads and such. I use cardboard holders to keep the bolts and push rods in order so they return to the same place. I don't like mixing parts up if it can be avoided because you never know if it might bite you.

Oh.......and it's cheap too. AP

I love the cardboard, fastener holding trick. It's genius!

-Jon

 

[maxextz]

Jon,
Thanks. Where it really works well is for V8 heads and such. I use cardboard holders to keep the bolts and push rods in order so they return to the same place. I don't like mixing parts up if it can be avoided because you never know if it might bite you.

Oh.......and it's cheap too. AP

yea great idea...............ever found a bolt when the job is finished

 

[Ciprian]

yea great idea...............ever found a bolt when the job is finished

Ha ha, I think I can build a small car with the bolts left over from different cars over the year.

 

[hitit]

Thanks for the great writeup. I put a new waterpump in my friend's 2005 sprinter today and your info helped a ton.

Good idea on the cardboard bolt holder. I do something similar but use the new water
pump to hold the bolts in the right place, then once the old part is out I move the bolts over to keep them organized.

Also I definitely recommend taking the pump off with the hose
manifold still attached. Really easy that way.

Thanks again for the information!!

 

[kalewatkins]

I just installed a new water pump on my 2003. Took 3-1/2 hours, never could have done it that quickly without these awesome instructions. Amazingly enough, I have only 3 radiator clips AND bottom right bracket on my grill is broken too. Unbeleivable! Thanks again, great help.

 

[220629]

Sivicman,
I tried to PM reply to your question.

"sivicman has chosen not to receive private messages or may not be allowed to receive private messages. Therefore you may not send your message to him/her."

To receive PM's you should remove your PM block.

The deep well sockets I used for the pump change were actually Torx type 3/8" drive deep well from Harbor Freight. I bought them on sale. I have learned to carry both the Torx socket type (E-Torx for "external?) and inside type with me. Without them I feel you are basically screwed for most Sprinter repair dis-assembly. Hope this does some good. vic

 

[Autophysn]

Hello Guys, I am new here. Actually this is my first post. I work for a company that has tons of these Sprinters and I have done plenty of these water pump jobs. I would like to commend you all for taking on this task and sharing your info for others to use.

In the spirit of sharing, I would like to offer some tricks I have found to make it much easier experience and much faster.

First off, realize that you are going to get in deep with this job. It is no joke. Once you have that mindset, here we go.

Remove the core support front bracket entirely. Once you have it turned upside down, you can remove the cable easily and set the entire assembly to the side. This goes for the turbo heat shield as well. Only three mounting hardware. One bolt and two nuts.

Remove both headlights, this enables much more room to get at hoses and such. I simply unscrew them and let them hang over the side.

Remove the front bumper. This is much easier than you think. Remove the front bumper license plate bracket and the two push pins at the corners. The bumper will pull out. It is only a plastic fasad to look like a bumper. Caution, there is a Air temp sensor located behind the plate. Again, two plate bolts, and two plastic push pins. set the bumper to the side.

Now here is the best part. remove the lower radiator hose and the smaller hose that goes to the pipe coming off the water pump.
From down below, there are two transmission cooler lines. You need a 19mm and 17mm.
with these four points removed, up front, completely remove the cooling fan. Take it aside.
The two nuts the bottom top mounts at the radiator and the electrical connection. Remove both top radiator hoses, and be sure the system completely rocks back and forth.

At this point, you will be able to lift the entire assembly up over the frame section and open the radiator like a door to the left. I would support it some how, but some people will not.
You then have complete frontal access to the fan and front of engine. Now we put them on a rack, so I bring them up to standing height, but I have done them in the steam cleaning rack on the floor, a little harder, but still not that bad.

I highly recommend you changing the belt and tensioner while you are in there. I have had several tensioner failures, and this entire process must be done to replace it as well. May cost you a little more up front, but a lot of headaches down the road. Do yourself a favor and take a picture of the belt before you remove it. This will help in the reassembly process, as for routing.



as for the removal and install of the water pump. We only use OEM parts, so I am not familiar with the aftermarket items, and gaskets being thicker. The bolts are all different sizes, but only work one way due to different lengths. I remove the water pump and pipe together. Swap it out on the bench and reuse the metal gasket it has. Never had any leaks. One more thing I may have missed, but realize the OEM water pump comes with no threads on the hole for the idler pulley. I use to thread some in using a tap. Now I simply throw the bolt on the end of a 3/8 impact and ram them in. Saves plenty of time.
As long as I'm editing... NEVER TAP THAT BOLT. It is a thread forming trilobular design fastener. Be cautious with an impact tool.

I use no silicone of any kind anywhere, all gaskets get applied dry. And as for coolant, as long as it is "Fully Formulated" or Orange or Pink, you will be fine.
As long as I'm editing... Use HOAT coolant only. NAPA sourced Prestone G05 is one option.

I do this on a monthly basis, so if you guys have any questions, feel free to PM me. I can supply you with OEM part numbers to take to the dealer if needed and more little tricks here and there.

As for the tensioner, I have found that they strip very easily, so be careful! I also found that if you do strip the tensioner mounting bolt on the driver's side, you can drill all the way thru and install a bolt that is long enough to through bolt it with bolt and nut.


Re assembly is in the reverse order and I can confirm everything the people prior to me have said. This is only to share a little bit of time saving tactics and to make the job easier. https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58962

Have fun, enjoy! Richard

Turns out that I didn't have to drain anything except the coolant; the other hoses are all flexible enough to move quite a ways once the charge air and big coolant hoses are free.

 

[220629]

...
I ended up tapping the hole on the water pump (why they don't come that way is beyond me - 8mm 1.25 pitch tap in case you need to do this).
...

The bolt you tapped for is a self threading slightly triangular bolt made to cut edit-form its own new threads. I'm told it is designed that way for better holding power so the hole should not be tapped.

That said, others have tapped the hole as you did. I don't recall anyone getting back to us that they had trouble after tapping the threads so I wouldn't panic. (Maybe add some medium hold Loctite if the bolt is easily accessed?)

Thanks for the pictures and information on the OM612 pump change. I'm certain it will help others. vic

 

[jmoller99]

My bolt did not appear to be a self cutting bolt (I ran it thru an 8mm 1.25 threaded nut to make sure of its size, and it was was round, not triangular in any way), which is why I pre- threaded the water pump. Its not in a place that is easy to get to once the radiator is back in place, so I am not planning on doing anything with what is installed. Mine is a 2002 model, and the parts I took off appear to be original, so it is possible that some things changed over time and they use different bolts now. At least I can get new bearings for the old tensioner and pullys and rebuild those if I wanted to (I may need them 10 years from now, and who knows how hard they will be to find then).

There was no way I could have gotten my impact wrench between the slightly opened out radiator assembly and the front of the water pump where this bolt goes, so pre-tapping made a lot of sense to me. You can't put the pullys on until after the water pump is installed - the pullys block access to water pump bolts.

I really wanted to change the thermostat too, but this requires a lot of disconnecting fuel lines that I really was not up to at this time.