Water Pump Replacement

[Kaisar]

I am about to replace my water pump on my 1991 iron duke. I have never done this, and would appreciate some insight on this. So, if you have experienced this, please let me know.

I have a lot of noise coming from that area, and I am trying to narrow down what is the source of the problem. Thanks!

[p8ntman442]

hahahaa, ohh your gonna love this job. Ok heres the deal, gm pressed the pulleys on to the pump, so you cant unbolt them and remove the pump. the replacement will have bolt on pulleys, a big help. you may have to take the exhaust manifold off to do it, but i got away without doing it. You cant unbolt the waterpump, you have to unbolt the housing it goes onto from the block. then pull it all out and remove the pump from the housing. put the housing back on to the block using the provided gasket. then install the new pump using the rtv that is recomended for the application silver metal o2 safe( if your coolants getting into your exhaust who cares if the o2 sensor is gonna make it) then once the pump is installed and tightened, you can re install the new pulleys that bolt on. then you can put the belt on and tighten it, just to have to retighten it a week later due to stretch. Im on my third and it sucks. good luck

[Kaisar]

What were the signs for you that you needed to do this pump replacement? And each time were the indicators the same? Explain for me because I have no signs of leaking, or coolant in the engine oil, but I do suspect I am losing some through the exhaust. I lose coolant, but never have leaks.

[p8ntman442]

thats simple, signs are the engine over heats, and there is coolant leaking out of the weep hole on the top of the pump. the noise you may be hearing may be the timing gears, they are very noisy, can you describe the noise more in depth? a bad water pump would be making a grinding sound. antifreeze loss is either by the water pump, a leaky hose, or a bad head gasket.

[Kaisar]

I still need help... :nic:

Ok, the water pump is off, and it wasn't as bad as I expected. I removed the entire assembly from the block as opposed to removing the pump from the housing. I found there was a thin accumulation of rust, and the coolant was cloudy orange (as I expected from past work flushing and replacing coolant last year). I didn't have to remove the exhaust manifold, but the A/C equipment sure gets in the way. I did have to borrow a swivel adapter to remove a couple of the bolts that are otherwise inaccessible.

This is the original pump, and has never needed work, but since it has 147k Mi, I considered it was my culprit. Now that it is off, I noticed the pulley and impeller inside spin freely, but I also notice it feels and sounds like a few grains of sand are in there. Perhaps the bearings are worn out (?), but otherswise, I get the feeling it did not need to be removed; frustrating.

Although, this is not the grinding I was expecting to find. It never leaked, but I hoped the bad grinding I was hearing was not the timing guides I just replaced for the second time, but the pump, which I hear is problematic in these models.

So, considering the pump, does it sound like I need to replace it, or is it okay as is? Also, is there some other damage I need to be looking for that I am not noticing? I did not take the pump apart yet.:???:

[p8ntman442]

replace it, you might have a flat spot on one of the bearings.

[tommygunzit]

how do you get the power steering belt off. I might be retarded but I just can't see it. Do i take the power steering down some how to loosen? Does my 89 have lim issues as well? I have a feeling a few things are wrong with my car and the water pump is one of them. Some of the things it does is explosions going on in the air clearner on top of the motor, major sputtering, squeeling, loss of coolant. And it runs really rich and smells. Any help on the above is greatly appreciated thanks in advance. Sorry for jacking thread but I coulnd't find answers anywhere and this threads pretty old

[tommygunzit]

derr, that was relatively easy. I fixed my pump and had to take of the alternator, belts and rad hose connected to the water pump housing. I also took off that piece that attaches to the metal pipe for ease of access. I got the pump reman from parts shop who were also kind enough to swap over my pulleys free of charge. I didn't use rtv sealant, just the gaskets provided. I scrapped all surfaces cleaned with brake cleaner let it dry and installed. Hopefully there will be no leaks. fyi-the powersteering belt comes off by loosening the bolt about half way down on the power steering pump bracket, you also loosen the one on the backside of the bracket on top and i think i took the bolt out on the top left side of same bracket and just pryed the bracket over. It hinges on the upper bolt and slides on the lower guide. Anyway, hopefully this helps any greenhorns like me thanks guys