Hi, I am a new member. I am noticing anti freeze leaking under the car, about the location of the water pump. I know this could cause a big problem with the opti spark, so I was thinking of changing it myself. How big of a job is it, and what is the best way to start? Are there any short cuts or tricks I should know about? Any help would be appreciated. :confused:

 

First of all...Welcome!!! :seeya

Changing the WP ain't that big of a deal...but if you're going that far, seriously consider going ahead and doing the opti at the same time. It'll keep you from having to take the water pump off AGAIN when you DO need to do the opti.

Even the cheapie Haynes manuals have a fairly detailed procedure for this, But oversimplifying things, to change the WP, here's the basic steps

First of all, drain the coolant from the system. You'll need to remove the knock sensors to get the block drained. (have a bucked ready with ya under the car! :lol: )

Disconnect the leads to the MAF and remove the intake ducting.

Remove the serpantine belt and the upper rad hose

Disconnect the lead to the temp sensor on top of the water pump, as well as any other electrical and vacuum connections that will be "in the way".

You can then get at the 6 bolts mounting the pump to the block.

Be sure you have new gaskets and sealant, and maybe a spare pair of gaskets (just in case)

You MAY need to reuse the drive cam from the old pump, so check if the replacement pump has one installed BEFORE you bolt it down! (the pump ain't too "efficient" without it :lol: )

Install fresh gaskets on the new pump, bolt'r on, reconnect everything, put the belt back on and fill the system with coolant. (Don't forget to reinstall the knock sensors!)

The first time...count on a good afternoon to do it...but after you're familiar with everything involved, it can be done in about an hour and a half.

 

Thanks for your help, I will let you know how it goes. Probably start after work during the week and talke my time. I may clean in front of the radiator and also do the throttle body cleaning. Snoozer

 

If you're not pushed for time...it'd also be a good time to pull the whole rad out for a good cleaning. You'll be suprized how much schmutz is hiding up there! :lol:

 

This is also a good time to do the throttle body coolant bypass if you want to.

A 22mm deep socket will work to get the knock sensors off.

Autozone will loan you a serpentine belt tool which can also be used to break loose the knock sensors if they are tight. Just be careful with them.

The new pump should have a bleed valve at the top which is opened when filling the system with fresh coolant. Put a towel under that area to catch any coolant that comes out. You should hear air coming out of this valve when filling the system.

Check coolant levels each time before you drive it to make sure it is at the proper level. It should take about 3 3/4 to 3 7/8 gallons of 50/50 mix.

If the overflow reservoir is cruddy, consider taking that off and cleaning it out. I put an old washclothe inside with some water and shook it like crazy. The washclothe scrubbed the inside and made it look like new.

You can use a narrow blade puddy knife or a straight one sided razor blade to scrape away the old gasket material from the engine.

That's about all I can think of. Good Luck!!

 

Thanks for all the help. The water pump is in and not leaking. I also cleaned the mass air flow unit and the Throtle body. Took it off and got all the crime off of it. Actually made it easier to get the water pump in. Had trouble at first keeping the gaskets in place and finally put them on the block with a little gasket seal. I also purchased the tool to remove the serpentene belt. I can use it for the other cars. I also tried to clean the radiator area, but could not get the last three screws out on the drive side. Gave up and figured out I could get my vaccume cleaner tube into the area and cleaned it that way.

Since I didn't need the car, I took all week after work to work on it. It was fun.
Snoozer :)