the water pump on my carburated 305 H.O. engine has died. i'm interested in replacing it myself but am worried by the stories i've heard of people actually having to jack up their engines just to get it out. i looked over my shop manual and the replacement process doesn't seem all that difficult to me. how difficult is it really? i was planning on just pulling the shroud, radiator, fan, belts, and a few accessories. is this something i can do with the limited amount of tools i've got (set of drivers and sockets).

i've also seen a few things mentioned about long and short style pumps. which one do i need? i'm really hoping i can handle this repair because working on the car is half the fun of owning it to me.

any help will be appreciated.

Thanks!!!

 

A water pump is a cake job. Start to finish i've done 'em in under an hour. All you will need are a few basic handtools. Very easy and straightforward. Just don't forget to use thread sealer on the bolts for the WP as they enter the water jacket. Oh yeah, another tip...take off the nipple for the heater hose before you remove the WP. These tend to corrode and get stuck, and it's more of a PITA to remove 'em if you don't have a vice to hold it in once it's out. If all else fails and you can't get it out, you can get a replacement for this at any parts store too, usually in the HELP! aisle. On the same note, it's easier to get the fan off if you do it before you remove the belts.
As for which pump you need. Long style, standard rotation. Any parts store will have it.
...ed

 

And hey, check this too. I just did my friend's '86 Monte Carlo LG4's water pump. We got it on, no problems. We hooked all the belts back up, no problem. It was then I noticed that the new pump didn't have studs for the clutch-fan. We had to remove all the belts from the accessories, remove the old clutch-fan/pulley studs from the old water pump, and screw 'em into the new pump.

Just something to watch for


------------------
-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards

 

The studs are also available in the "Help" dept.; also, they're the same as some carb studs, so you can get them that way. They're so cheap it's hardly worth the time and effort to pull the old ones. If you do decide to re-use the old ones, put 2 nuts on them; tighten them together; and use a wrench on the bottom one to back them out.

Some of the bolts need sealer on the threads because they go into the water jacket. I usually put it on all of them. My favorite is Permatex 300 (brown gooey gook); don't use silicone, it fails over a period of time by tearing as the parts move around due to thermal expansion.

------------------
"So many Mustangs, so little time..."

 

thanks for all your help guys, i'll give it a go this weekend.

 

Gak, RB, I had him coat those bolts with blue RTV. Oops. I'll have to buy some of that 300 stuff in case he gets a leak later


------------------
-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards

 

Gak is right Tom, I did the same thing on mine!

 

RB,

Have you ever tried Loctite PST? It works very well on pipes, bolts, and fittings. It's great for head and intake bolts. Thermally stable, inert when dried, and a perfect seal. It isn't cheap, however, at about $15.00 for a 4 oz. tube.

------------------
Later,
Vader
------------------
"Make Me Bad"
Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0

 

Vader:

No, I've never tried it for that. It sounds like a good possibility though. Price really isn't that big of a deal IMHO (after all, money does grow on trees!) since that's still cheap compared to tearing it down to fix a leak. I'll give it a try some time.

Thanks!

------------------
"So many Mustangs, so little time..."

 

84ZCam, you don't need to pull the radiator to do this job.

My favorite for coating threads that go into water or oil is the white Teflon brush-on paste you get from the hardware store for pipe threads. It's good to 600 degrees, does a good job of sealing and corrosion protection, and is a lot less than $15 for more than you'll use in several jobs. I've had the same bottle for 6 years, have done several intake jobs, 2 engine builds, several thermostat and heater hose nipple replacements, and still have more than enough left for my next build-up. Don't use it on the gaskets, just the bolt threads.

------------------
82 Berlinetta, orig V-6 car. Rescued w/86 LG4/TH700R with all harnesses, sensors, ECM, etc. 2.73 open. Cat-back from '91 GTA, Accel HEI SuperCoil. AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Daily driver, work-in-progress (LB9 w/ZZ3 cam, ported heads, exhaust, paint, etc.).
57 Bel Air, my 1st car. Currently 396 .030 over, Weiand Action+, Edelbrock 1901 Q-Jet, Jacobs Omnipack, 1-3/4" headers, TH400 w/TCI Sat Night Special conv & shift kit, 3.08 10-bolt, AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Best 15.1 @ 5800' Bandimere. Daily driver while Camaro was being put together.