What is the best way to do this? Should i remove the radiator and fan? or just work around it. Im at work and im trying to come up with a game plan for the work ahead of me tonight....

 

Remove the radiator and fan .... makes life easier and saves the knuckles

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1989 GTA 350 TPI
Stock:
- T-tops
- Dual cats
- 9-Bolt 7.75" Rearend
- 3.27 gears
Mods:
- Dynomax Super Turbo Muffler

1992 RS 305 TBI - Sold

 

Anyone?

 

Open the drain**** on the bottom passenger side of your radiator and let it drain. Remove the shroud, fans, and radiator. Remove the lower radiator hose and unbolt the four bolts attaching the pump to the block. Im sure there will be some other bolt on there since you have a v-belt system.

Spray gasket remover on the block where the old gaskets were, and use a razor blade or whatever to take them off. Attach new water pump with new gaskets and bolt everything back on. Getting the old hoses off is harder than removing the pump, so I would just cut them and replace them i you want.

 

Dont know what year your car is but mines a 91 and I've done 2 waterpumps on it since I've had it. I went to Autozone and got a "new" GM pump, got back home didnt fit -->
the casting was so bad that it wouldnt seat to the block, it was getting stuck on the other accessory brackets. So I had to take it back and get a remanufactured pump, which is the old casting and it went on just fine. I guess I could have taken a grinder to it and made it fit. I've heard of someone else having the same problem on this board so it must be some crappy casting they've got nowadays. Hope that saves you some trouble.

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91 B4C 305 TPI - SOON TO BE 383
TREMEC 5-SP, STOCK 1-BOLT REAREAND w/342 GEARS, K&N, AIRFOIL
EDELBROCK HEADERS, DUAL CAT TO HOMEMADE Y-PIPE & 3.5" SINGLE PIPE W/ FLOWMASTER, CRANK PULLEY, MSD, FUEL PRESS REG, COWL HOOD, WELD WHEELS
14.1@ 98MPH
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OTHER RIDE
67 CAMARO - STREET CAR, BIG BLOCK, PUMP GAS
350TH w/ATI 10", 12-BOLT w/373 GEARS
10.94@124.13 ON MOTOR - ET-STREETs w/MUFFLERS

 

Knowing what year your car is will help alot.

I dont touch the fan (if its electric) or the radiator to change the water pump. If its not electric, I just pull the fan. Its a real simple job on the 88-up cars, the earlier ones take a little more time but I have done it in 20 minutes. Probably will take more like an hour or two.

 

I have to agree with madmax.
We have a 91 and all I did was drain the rad, take off the hoses & belt and then grab a socket wrench.
I was done within an hour.

Just make sure you get the right water pump.
Remember the direction of flow...
That seems to be the biggest f-up at the auto parts store.

 

I did my pump without touching the radiator on my 89. Left the two electric fans alone also. I easily got the old pump out and the new pump in without busting too many knuckles at all. Just be certain to get the gasket sealing surfaces very clean of oil or grease, or you will be fighting slow leaks for weeks afterwards. Relatively simple task all told.

 

I had some trouble getting to the lower right corner WP bolt. Anyone else find this one to be a PITA?

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86 305 TPI
700R4
3:42 axle
4 wheel disc
-Summit cam .442" lift
-Summit chain/roller
-Summit tranny cooler
-WORLD S/R Torquer 305 heads
-High Volume oil pump
-Hypertech Airfoil
-SLP 1 5/8" headers
-Flowmaster 80 series c/b
-Taylor Spiro-Pro 8mm
-Bosch plat. plugs
-K&N Air filters
-Trans-Go shift kit
-Removed AIR
-160 Thermostat
-T/B coolant Bypass

soon... 125 shot

 

Yep, one of the driver's side bolts is a pain. Using an extension helps. I also ran into the problem with a pump that had too much material on one side. I wasted so much time trying to figure out why it wouldn't fit. Went back, and got another that bolted right up.

I also ran into a problem with trying to take the pulley off the pump. One of the small bolts(10mm I believe) was frozen. I broke the socket and rounded the edges off of the bolt. I had to go to a friend to grind off the bolt. Then go buy a bolt.

It's funny how a job that should only take about an hour ends up taking forever. Now whenever I have some extra dough, I make it a point to buy at least one tool(even if I don't need it at the moment) because sooner or later they'll come in handy.