Water Pump Replacement

Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

 Overview - The water pump is driven by the same pulley that drives the fan.  Eventually the water pump bearings wear out which will cause the pulley and fan to wobble.  The water pump may start to leak and/or become noisy before the situation becomes critical.  Serious damage, particularly to the radiator, can occur if the bearings fail completely and the fan becomes a projectile in the engine bay.

Since the water pump is belt driven, it shares the same location in the engine bay as the other belt driven items such as the alternator, power steering pump, air conditioning and the fan.  Unfortunately, they share the same mounting points to the engine so they have to be partially removed to take out the water pump.  In addition, the fan comes within about an inch of the radiator so removing it can be difficult if the radiator isn't removed.

Removing all of those items can be time consuming but it's straight forward.

 
Tools Required - All of the nuts and bolts here were either 1/2 inch or 9/16 inch.  1/2 and 9/16 sockets make the job quicker and a 1/2 inch box wrench made it possible for me to remove the fan without removing the radiator. A 3 inch socket extension may be helpful  to get at some of the bolts near the bottom of the pump. A screwdriver is needed to remove the hose clamps.  A pry bar may be necessary to get proper tension on the belts.  A bucket is needed when the radiator is drained. Water proof gasket sealant is needed also.
Step 1 - Drain The Radiator - Estimated Time 1 Minute

Open the petcock near the bottom of the radiator.  Allow the coolant to drain into a bucket.  If it looks clean you can reuse it after the new water pump is installed.
Step 2 - Loosen The Alternator Belt - Estimated Time 10 Minutes

The tension of the alternator belt is adjusted with the bolt on the lower bracket.  Loosen the bolt and push the alternator such that the belt can be removed from the pulley.  You may have to hold the nut on the other side of the bracket with a wrench when the bolt is being loosened.
Step 3 - Remove The Fan - Estimated Time 1 Hour

 The fan, fan spacer and pulley are all held to the water pump by the four bolts on the front of the fan.  The distance between the fan and the radiator is too small to fit a socket so I removed them with a box wrench.  It was still a tight fit though.  If you can't get in there to work then you have to take out the radiator to remove these bolts.  NOTE -  The spacer, pulley, and water pump were fused together from age on my car.  I gently tapped them with a hammer to separate them. TIP - After I got the bolts started I held the wrench in place and spun the fan to hasten the removal process.

Step 4 - Remove The Power Steering Pump - Estimated Time - 20 Minutes

Some of the bolts that hold the power steering pump to the car also hold the water pump on.  All of the water pump bolts are different so it's imperative that you note what holes on the water pump they came out of.  You may want to number the holes and the bolts to keep track of them.

  • Remove the two bolts that hold the power steering bracket near the top of the water pump.
  • Remove the nut that holds the power steering pump bracket at the bottom of the water pump.
  • Remove the two bolts that hold the power steering bracket to the engine block.
  • You can now place the power steering pump and belt to the side. Make sure not to spill any fluid.

 
Step 5 - Remove The Hoses - Estimated Time - 10 Minutes

Remove the two small hoses and the large hose from the water pump by loosening the hose clamps.
Step 6 - Remove The Remaining Bolts - Estimated Time 30 Minutes

Now that everything is out of the way the remaining bolts are relatively straightforward with a few exceptions:

  • The bolt next to the large hose opening under the water pump is difficult to reach with a regular socket.  You may want to use an extension on the socket to get in there better.
  • After I removed the bolts that also held on the alternator brackets I just pushed the brackets to the side and left the alternator attached to the car
Step 7 - Remove The Water Pump - Estimated Time 15 Minutes

The water pump can now be removed from the car.  After it is removed all old gasket material and sealant must be scraped off before the new pump is installed.
Step 8 - Prep The New Pump - Estimated Time 25 Minutes

Waterproof gasket sealant must be used on both sides of the gasket.  To ensure that the gasket doesn't slip when the new pump is installed, apply a bead of sealant to the new pump, press the gasket in place and allow the sealant to dry completely.  Once dry, apply a bead to the other side of the gasket.  Allow that bead to cure per the per the product's instructions before installing the new pump on the car.
Step 9 - Install The New Pump - Estimated Time 45 Minutes

I started by installing all bolts that didn't share functionality with the alternator or power steering pump.  This included the double ended stud as it needs to be installed before the power steering.  I didn't tighten things up all the way.  The idea was to form a solid foundation before hanging the alternator and power steering pump.  I then did the three bolts that also held the alternator brackets.  Lastly comes the power steering pump.  I was able to balance the pump on the double ended stud to get the power steering bracket holes to line up with the .water pump holes.  I then bolted the power steering pump to the engine block after all of the water pump bolts were installed.  Next came tightening the bolts down.  I tightened them down in a crossing type pattern to ensure it went on evenly.
Step 10 - Install The Fan - Estimated Time 1 Hour

This is probably the trickiest part of the whole procedure if the radiator is still in the car.  The bolts go through the fan, fan spacer and pulley but now instead of just having to remove them in the cramped area you have to find the mounting holes on the water pump while working in the same cramped area.  All four bolts have to be in place before you try to align things and they just get in the way.  I suspect these parts may have been glued together to aid in the alignment process the last time a water pump was installed on my car but I was able to get things together without it.  After the first one is done the rest fall right in.  I used the same trick of holding the wrench and spinning the fan to tighten the bolts also.
Step 11 - Tighten The Belts - Estimated Time 15 Minutes
  1. Alternator Belt
  • Slip the alternator belt over the fan pulley, dampner pulley (inside slot) and alternator pulley.
  • Insert a pry bar between the alternator and water pump.
  • Push on the pry bar such that sufficient tension is placed on the alternator belt.
  • Tighten the bolt on the lower alternator bracket while pressure is applied to the pry bar.  You may need a helper to apply pressure to the pry bar if both hands are needed to tighten the bolt properly.
  1. Power Steering Belt
  • The adjustments to the power steering belt is made by making adjustments at the double ended stud and the lower bolt on the engine block.
  • If you haven't put the nut on the double ended stud, put it on but don't tighten it all the way.  Loosen the lower bolt holding the power steering bracket to the engine block.
  • Slip the power steering belt over the dampner pulley and the power steering pump pulley.
  • Pull on the power steering pump filler neck such that sufficient tension is applied to the belt.
  • Tighten the nut on the double ended stud and the bolt on the block while maintaining the tension on the belt (again, a helper may be necessary).
Step 12 - Refill The Radiator - Estimated Time 10 Minutes
Worth Noting - The steps outlined here were performed on a 1965 Mustang with PS and a 289 engine.  The procedure will vary quite a bit depending upon what options and engine a car has. 

Also - The estimated times are for people who have never done this repair before.

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