ok, im leaking tons of antifreeze and im pretty positive that its comming from the waterpump. As the hoses look new, the radiator is dry, and it seems like there is a path of water traveling from just under the pully on the pump to a point on the lower hose where it drops off and lands on the ground making a good size puddle in my garage. I read around and it seems that everyone is in aggreance that a stewart stage one pump is the way to go. heres my 'problem'...i dont know jack about cooling. Im planning on having this car running around 275 hp in the not too distant future. Will a stewart stage 1 handle this? do i even need anything special to handle this? is the stewart worth the $15-$20 more than the 'summit' brand water pumps? Is installing a new pump a real pain or is it just time consuming...

one more quickie, should i install a tranny cooler while im ripping this all apart?

thanks already...
-chuck

im looking at stewart part number 13123 if that means anything to anyone, is that the right one for our cars?

 

didn't mention the year of your car or the engine size, so we'll assume it's an 82-85 v8 with V-belts...kind of a pain to replace because all the accessories bolt to the pump, but not anything hard. Now if it's a later v8 (86-92) and has a serpentine system, it's alot easier cuz you just take the belt off and unbolt the pump, nothing bolts to the pump in a serpentine. One thing you have to remember is that serpentine setups use reverse rotation pumps.

if it's not a v8...i dunno

 

jeez, of all the things to leave out! it is a later one 89 rs 5.0 tbi (lo3). So it is the serpentine. reverse rotation would be counter clockwise right (CCW)?

 

i have a 92 LO3. i am by far not a mechanic. i just replaced my waterpump last weekend because of the same problems you are describing. i found the job isnt hard at all.

1. disconnect battery (i have a remote start and would like to keep my fingers)

2. drain the coolant from the car

3. loosen the 4 bolts on the waterpump pulley (10mm IIRC)

4. remove serpentine belt

5. take waterpump pulley off.

6. take the hoses off the waterpump (should replace the lower and uppper radiator hoses...just a good idea since ur under there).

7. unbolt the waterpump from the block (some more coolant will come out.) i believe its a 15mm socket. there is 4 bolts. the bottom bolt on the driver side is blocked a little bit by the power steering pump. just use and extension and a thin walled socket and it'll fit in there.

8. scrape off the old gaskets on the block.

9. once dry, put some RTV sealant on the new gaskets and set onto block. let dry.

10. install waterpump.

11. install radiator hoses.

12. put pulley back on waterpump. tighten down the bolts until the pulley spins.

13. put the serpentine belt back on.

14. tighten down the 4 bolts that go onto the waterpump pulley.

15. refill coolant system with water (in case it leaks, its just water.

16. connect battery cable.

17. start car, check for leaks.

18. drain water and refill with coolant.

19. job finished and enjoy the pump!

i did all the installation from above the car. i only needed to go under car to take the lower hose off the radiator and the waterpump itself. any questions, email me inhaiepot@aol.com

 

btw, i installed a stewart stage 1 pump on my car and i love it. you can go with a stage 2. only difference is that its alluminum and not cast iron.

 

it'd be best to use distilled water

and did you figure out for sure if the leak is from the pump or where the pump bolts to the block? if it's where it bolts to the block, the pump may be fine.

 

How do i tell if its from the block. It really looks like its comming from the front of the waterpump, and the pump has over 100 grand on it. but it could be comming from the block. i honestly dont know.

 

if it looks like it, replace it, it's not a big ticket item. just tryin to keep it cheap for you

 

Trick I hear is to get a dremel with a brush/scotch brite pad to scrape off the gasket. Makes it go faster.

 

i shouldve thought of that! spent 30min scraping the old ones off, such a tight area...grrr!