I replaced the secondary air pump on my '01 VW GTI 1.8T yesterday because I had an engine error code pointing to the secondary air system, and the pump was making a terrible grinding noise. To my surprise as I was taking the old one out, it dumped about a cup of water out on my chest. Some online forums suggested that this may be due to a faulty EGR valve allowing condensation from the engine to run down into the pump. I have not run through any lakes and my airbox is dry, so I’m willing to believe that could be the issue. My problem is that I do not see an obvious way to take the old valve off to replace it. The bolts that hold it down are underneath it and there does not seem to be any access to get a tool into the space between it and the other parts of the engine. After spending the money and time to replace the air pump, I considered using a hammer for the job but didn’t think I could get the new one on that way. Any suggestions on how I can get this thing off (and the new one on)?
Right now I have a shiny new air pump bolted into the car, not plugged in and still with the yellow shipping caps installed because I don’t want to immediately fill it with water like the old one.