The water pump is leaking and needs to be replaced. I'd like everyone's input and advice as what will make this job easier, avoiding problems, etc. The car is an '89 Camaro w/5.7 TPI L98.

Thanks

 

Drain your radiator. Remove the belt and pully, remove the hoses and plugs that are going to it, remember which way they go. It may help to remove the fans, it made it easier for me to remove my single fan to do it. Pull everything up and out of the way. It helps to have two hands on the re-install to get the bolts lined up but it's not necessary. Make sure you get all of the old gasket material off the block, as much as you can anyway. On the new pump, make sure you have a small bead of RTV on both sides of the gasket. The bead on the pump side helps hold the gasket on while you try and install it.

Removing the Alternator and loosening the AC a bit may also give you some more room to work.

That's about it really. It shouldn't take you more than two hours start to finish. Make sure you burp the radiator after filling it back up or you can damage the motor.

To do this, fill up the radiator full, turn on the heater, and start the motor. Let it run with the cap off until you see movement in the water of the radiator, this means the thermostat is open. During this time, the radiator will "BUBBLE UP" and may spill over a bit. After this, the level in the radiator will drop which is an air bubble in the system being released. This will happen 1-4 times. Turning on the heater lets the water run through the heater core and completes the cooling loop. If you don't burp the motor, you'll have that air bubble circulating in the system causing havoc as it spikes a "hot spot" through the system.

 

Thanks for the tips. I've replaced water pumps before, but never on this car. Is this like the carburated 305 where every damn bracket bolts to the water pump?

 

If you have the serpentine belt system then no, it's fairly strait forward.

 

Yes, it does use the serpentine system. That's good to hear.

 

loosen water pump pulley bolts, remove belt, remove 6 water pump bolts, remove pump, clean gasket surface, reinstall done