My water pump is leaking and I got a quote for 425 dollars from a shop for the job. To me I can buy a pump for 50 dollars or less, but what about the install? It doesn't look too difficult can anyone give me some tips, or the best how to video?

 

$425 for a water pump R/R on a small-block? Really? Even @ current hourly shop rates, that sounds like your shop just doesn't want to work on your car, and is high-balling you.

That's about as non-technical as a repair job can get for anyone with basic hand tools and skill; it's just nuts and bolts.

 

So after my regular shop quoted 425 I called Car X just for a double check, they quoted 490.

 

D00d:

You're driving an ANTIQUE car. Anybody with any common sense (which leaves out, for example, most people with with mid-life-crisis ED-palliative Vettes) will know that it's ECONOMICALLY IMPOSSIBLE to pay somebody else to maintain their ANTIQUE. Or worse yet, to have an ANTIQUE car "hobby", and to pay somebody else to indulge in it for them.

Yes the WP itself is maybe $50. Yes it's easy to change out. Yes you should do this. Yes you should learn how to maintain your own car on your own with your own tools. Yes to all of those things. Effff abuncha "shop" for things like this.

 

Dear Sir,

I already know how old my car is and have a very strong understanding of economics. I own a 1980 Datsun 280ZX, 1992 Z28, a 70-year-old house, a golf addiction, and a 61 year old body. Every day of the week each one on them needs something. I always have to decide what to accomplish on my own and what to pay for, different people have different abilities to pay. I wrote that I could buy the pump for 50 dollars, that it doesn’t look too difficult. I asked for tips to install, or the best how to video. I don’t need a lecture and I don’t know what in my question leads to your answer.

 

That price seems high, I tackled the water pump on my L98 GTA a year or so ago and here are some tips from the job:
-Inspect the new pump and make sure all the bolts were tight, they recommended this in the AC Delco instructions and a few needed tightening IIRC
-Spend a few extra dollars to get the good Fel Pro water pump gaskets, the cheap paper ones the pump came with will want to leak immediately and led to me doing this again when it leaked upon adding coolant.
-Hit the 4 water pump bolts with PB blaster a day or so before, be careful if it still has torx headed bolts as they like to strip.
-Having a pulley removal tool will really help with getting the WP pulley off and save time.
-Take your time and be thorough cleaning up the gasket areas after plugging the holes with clean shop rags, this honestly took the most time and was not fun leaning in there to clean but necessary
-I gave a coat of liquid thread sealer on the bolts upon install and also used water pump specific sealant from permatex, a quick/light coat, on the gaskets to ensure they stay put etc. during install
-Maybe consider hitting the pump with clear coat paint or color, the pump will flash rust quickly, I did not so my new pump looks vintage now.
-Let it set up for a day once installed before adding coolant to let everything set up.

Hope this helps!

 

Your answer is exactly what I'm looking for, the voice of experience comes through again on Third Gen. Thanks a ton.

 

Your biggest risk is those water pump bolts. You can get to the water pump, but the really easy way to do this job is to remove accessories and the radiator. get everything out of your way, then proceed with water pump. the shop may have factored that in, because if those water pump bolts break off, you got a lot more work ahead of you. Removing everything out of your way gives you an opportunity to clean things up, and freshen up your motor. If that sort of stuff is important to you. It may also reveal the dreaded fuel pump oil leak, and you'll have a chance to repair that. and clear out leaves between your radiator and condenser. and what ever else nastiness is going on around those areas. but hey, thats just me. that's how I work on Liquid Blue. Now if it was my work truck, then water pump off, water pump on. done.

EDIT: BTW - If you do remove everything, and take time to clean things up, plug all the water jackets with something. If you have proper fitting silicone plugs that you can buy on amazon, those work great. otherwise stuff some plastic grocery bags in there. try to keep the cooling system closed up. that's how I do it any way. just before putting it all back together, you might even consider flushing the cooling system, now that you got some big water pump holes to get some old crud out. Ya, this could easily turn into a couple week project. But thats the fun part!

 

ive changed my water pump 3 times and i can get it done within an hour, sounds like they are hi balling you big time, you do have to take the accessories off but it isnt that hard its a pull off put on type thing

 

I'm a novice mechanic, I've done suspension, brakes, other little stuff. For me I'd just like to do the water pump and spray it with a clear to keep it looking good. I don't see why I would need to take the other accessories off, they don't look like they share a bracket or are in the way for pump removal.