Water pump replacement questions

zzyzzx · 01-12-2014, 07:52 PM

Mine is leaking, at the shaft seal. Probably due to age, since that happens sometimes; mine only has 40K miles! It's a 1999 V6 model. I have never replaced a water pump before, but unless I am missing something, this one looks like it might be one of the easiest ones to change out on any car. Now for my questions:

Do I have to drain the antifreeze first? I'd almost rather not mess with that crappy plastic radiator drain, since I figure not much is going to be lost when I remove the pump. That and I do have a bit of a cleanup job to do anyway.

I caught this pretty early. I do not normally drive this car during the winter, and have not even lot a noticeable amount from the overflow tank. I noticed it while doing routine idling that I do during the winter. The serpentine belt might be reusable if I clean it. Is that wishful thinking? This belt is already pretty new, and I hate having to deal with the motor mount.

Am I likely to wreck the hoses going to the pump when I remove it? Those are also originals, but since my personal experience is that they last forever, I don't replace them unless I have a good reason to.

Do all replacement pumps come with gaskets? Any advice on replacement brands? I mean even the crappy branded ones at AA and AZ seem to get good reviews. I would not normally use Duralast of Tough One parts, especially on a good car like my Alero. But mail order pricing and local pricing are both pretty close, and supposedly the Advanc e Auto one is really a GMB, which is supposedly a good water pump. But since I can drive my other car while I wait, the wait is not an issue unless my other car (a winter beater) breaks. I will only buy a new one, not rebuilt.

Why are so many places trying to sell new bolts?

Do they all require you to swap over the pulley? Or is that not a big deal on this car? In the past I have found removing pulleys to difficult.

a.graham52 · 01-12-2014, 08:15 PM

water pump on this thing is wicked easy.

before removing the serp belt, loosten the pulley bolts. the belt helps hold the pump still.

use pics or screw drivers (be careful) and work the those hoses where they attach to the pump. they do tend to stick at first but iv never had to replace one due to w/p r&r.

also IF it was me, i wouldnt drain the coolant, id just remvoe the pump and let the coolant drain as necessary. if theres coolant on the belt, id wash it away with water. and give it a few weeks of driving, if it chirps after that long, then yes, replace. if it doesnt make noise, why bother?

every pump iv installed has come with a gasket and i always recommend OEM gm parts. however we have used water pumps from places like napa with good results.

be very careful with the water pump bolts, they can be easy to strip and cross thread when installing, just be smart and cautious, otherwise... put the boots to her!

zzyzzx · 01-13-2014, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by a.graham52

before removing the serp belt, loosten the pulley bolts. the belt helps hold the pump still.

every pump iv installed has come with a gasket and i always recommend OEM gm parts. however we have used water pumps from places like napa with good results.

be very careful with the water pump bolts, they can be easy to strip and cross thread when installing, just be smart and cautious, otherwise... put the boots to her!

Some of the online reviews did mention the loosen the pulley bolts first and easy to strip bolts. I do not recall anybody mentioning using a torque wrench on reinstall, but I would think that might be appropriate here???

Some of the online retailers do mention that it comes with a gasket and some even new bolts, but I would almost have to think that they all come with a gasket. Sometimes that is only mentioned in the review.

a.graham52 · 01-13-2014, 09:15 AM

I just know from experience. I should reword though ... If it's going to happen, it's not the bolts that strip, it's the threads in the crossover that rip out.

zzyzzx · 01-13-2014, 10:54 AM

I found a how to with pics here:
http://www.gaownersclub.com/forum/sh...d.php?t=148569

I am not sure why he removed the hoses to the overflow tank. I like the post pulley removal pics. I might try that before I buy anything, just to make sure it's not somehow just a gasket issue (although I doubt that).

Having reviews that and one other:
http://www.gaownersclub.com/forum/sh...d.php?t=121332

I can see why you say that the hose to the radiator won't be a problem! D-oh! It isn't even part if the pump!

zzyzzx · 01-13-2014, 01:23 PM

The Tough One at Advance Auto is assembled in USA. Anything else is probably Chinese. I'm probably going to end up buying that one, but I might look at Autozone and Pep Boys (sells Bosch). Anything else like Gates/Airtex/AcDelco is going to be mail order.

Redog · 01-13-2014, 05:28 PM

Yeah it's super easy. I didn't drain the coolant first, I just undid the bolts and popped off the pump off. I took the pump off first, but I did replace the upper and lower hoses. One hose was collapsed but with both hoses having close to 130000 miles and being 11 years old...

undo belt (no need to remove motor mount unless replacing belt)
use long screwdriver to undo bolts holding pulley on water pump.
after removing pulley, remove several bolts holding pump on timing cover
use pry bar or thick screwdriver to break RTV seal on pump, pump will fall off
remove excess RTV/gasket from timing cover
apply thin beed of RTV to pump, place gasket on pump, apply thin beed of RTV on gasket on pump (I used my finger to smooth RTV on)
Apply pump carefully to timing cover (avoid moving gasket out of place)
install in reverse order

Took me just shy of 1.5 hours to replace the pump and both hoses. I broke my clamp opener tool in the process which is why it took that long

zzyzzx · 01-14-2014, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redog

I broke my clamp opener tool in the process which is why it took that long

Clamp opener tool??? What did you need this for?

Don't you have to wait a day for the RTV to cure before refilling with antifreeze and running?

a.graham52 · 01-14-2014, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zzyzzx

Clamp opener tool??? What did you need this for?

Don't you have to wait a day for the RTV to cure before refilling with antifreeze and running?

Lol. You know how many customers would be pissed if we were like "oh your going to have to wait 24 hours before we can release your car for the water pump job."

No u will be fine

Redog · 01-14-2014, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zzyzzx

Clamp opener tool??? What did you need this for?

Guess you missed this part of my post

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redog

but I did replace the upper and lower hoses

Quote:

Originally Posted by zzyzzx

Don't you have to wait a day for the RTV to cure before refilling with antifreeze and running?

Quote:

Originally Posted by a.graham52

Lol. You know how many customers would be pissed if we were like "oh your going to have to wait 24 hours before we can release your car for the water pump job."

No u will be fine

LOL

zzyzzx · 01-15-2014, 06:15 PM

This is the new pump:

The generic install instructions that came with the pump are worthless, but they do say to use either tack sealant:

Or a thin coat of RTV. No mention of thread locker or torque specifications, except to follow manufacturer's specifications.

According to page 6-386 that is:
Water Pump Pulley to pump bolts 18 ft-lbs
Water Pump to Front Cover bolts 89 lb-in

No mention of thread locker or RTV, or sealant of any type is mentioned in the Factory Service Manual (page 6-415)

I used a 30% off coupon I found online, and I paid $14.83 with sales taxes.

Redog · 01-15-2014, 07:09 PM

Those impellars (sp?) are different, however I know they redesinged them according to OE specs.

That "tack sealant" isn't too bad. I used that on my intake manifold on the Olds 350 I had

a.graham52 · 01-15-2014, 09:02 PM

yup, looks like a pump for water.

03Alerosil · 01-16-2014, 05:47 AM

Looks good. I wonder how it compares to the factory replacement unit

zzyzzx · 01-16-2014, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 03Alerosil

Looks good. I wonder how it compares to the factory replacement unit

I am expecting you to post pictures of it in this thread:
http://www.aleromod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37684

03Alerosil · 01-16-2014, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zzyzzx

I am expecting you to post pictures of it in this thread:
http://www.aleromod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37684

I planned on it though it may take me a few weeks before I can get the part. I want to do the belt and pulleys while I am at it.

zzyzzx · 01-17-2014, 10:07 AM

I will be doing mine this weekend, since the car is basically undriveable with a water pump that leaks like it is.

zzyzzx · 01-20-2014, 08:53 AM

Got it done, and have only idled the car and I can see it not leaking (it was leaking at idle before). One thing is I don't really know is if it was the pump or pump gasket that was leaking. There was a spot at the bottom of the pump where the gasket where it came off real easy. The rest took me an hour to clean really good. The old pump had no play in it, but it's just as reasonable to conclude that the pump seal died of old age, since it's was the original, and this car is a 1999 model.

I did not drain the coolant first, and I was able to fill up a used, empty 2 liter soda bottle with what came out.