trutilldeath246

I need some info from the guys here on the V6 board. My water pump is going out so I bought a new one and thought that I would have no problem replacing it just like I did with my 92 305 Firebird. But Noooo GM had to put the power steering pump bracket in the way so I cant get the dog gone thing off with taking the off the power steering pump. At least that is what I see as being in the way. Only problem is I cant get it off. Do I need a special tool to get the pulley off the front of the pump so that I cant get to the rest of the bolts . Any and all assistance is greatly appreciated. BTW if I can' get it done today I will have to take it to the garage and have it done because I only have Sundays off.

dsaint1347

I rented a pulley puller from auto zone and easily pulled it out with no problems, at first was hard I did not realize that there were more screws behind the pulley-

trutilldeath246

Thanks for the info. It is getting too late to do anymore today. So I hope that the ole water pump will last another week until next Sunday when I will take another crack at it.

TomP

Wow; why does everyone want to pull the pulley off? Why not just remove the p/s pump entirely (bracket and all) from the engine? I don't remember having any difficulty separating the two when I did my buddy's 2.8/2.8 swap! He had an '89 Camaro, with the p/s bracket going to a bolt hole of the water pump. We didn't have to pull any pullies off... why should anyone else? http://www.geocities.com/tomp_3rdgen/

trutilldeath246

I don't know about the 89 Camaro's but I do see here on the 92 Firebird that you cannot get the p/s pump off without taking off the pulley if it was that easy I would have been done with the project already. But thanks for your response

CaliCamaroRS

NOT true. The pulley does not have to be removed. You only need to pull 6 bolts/nuts.

-1 bolt through the water pump.
-2 nuts on the back side of the PS pump
-3 long bolts on the brackets between the A/C comp. and the PS pump.

Pull pump out and lay it aside on the steering column.

TomP

Thanks for letting me know I'm not crazy, Cali!

GhostRider84

Yea, man, if you need the power stearing pump out of your way - just unbolt the mounting bracket from the motor and lay it to one side. don't try to take the pump off the bracket.

trutilldeath246

Ok guys I'm a believer. I will have to wait until Next Sunday to get this done but I Sure appreciate to info. Wish me luck with the dad gum thing. Only wish that I had enough Daylight left yesterday to finish the job. As is I just put the bolts back in and reconnected the hoses and filled her back up with Antifreeze and mostly water until next weekend. Here's hoping she holds out until Sunday.

TomP

Oh, that gasket is gonna be a witch with a capital B... be careful scraping the timing chain cover (where the pump meets the engine), the chain cover is aluminum, and gouges easily with a scraper. Gouge it too much, and you'll wind up with a coolant leak.

I use Permatex hi-tack gasket sealer (red stuff, in a metal can with a brush in the lid) on the gasket.

dsaint1347

The 1989 water pump is setup differently than the 1990, just look it up in the latest chilton manual, believe if I could have just moved the power steering to the side I would have. It was easier using the pulley than trying to reach for those other bolts.

TomP

I'm still confused; CaliCamaro said that's how to do it on his '90. What's different between 89/90 and 92?

CaliCamaroRS

I forget what the 2.8's were like but they are probably identcal. I worked on a 91 RS today....it was exactly the same as mine. I don't see what the big problem is?

JoshDT91

iTrader: (1)

I thought I could just take off the pump and bracket together. Well I am having the most difficult time with it. I've taken off every single bolt holding the bracket on, and 2 of the 3 bolts holding the pump to the bracket, and the 3 bracket bolts on the back. The dumb thing will STILL not come off, I'd love to pull the thing off without trying to take off the pulley. I don't even know if pulling the pulley off would help. The bracket will move counter clockwise a little bit but it will not come off. I have tried prying it off, pulling it off with my hands like I would think it would come off. I have just run out of ideas, there are no bolts holding it anymore, it's ridiculous. In the picture I have taken off both #10, both #3, #6, and two of the #9. Something has to be wrong here I mean it should pull off!

KED85

Get under that hood with a small flash light.
You will see that Dan is correct.
You need only remove the bolted power steering pump as one assembly, to access the water pump stuff. Not pully.
Keep serching for ALL the bolts.
Some are on the cylinder head, some on engine block side.
Majority are 15mm heads.
MAYBE a 13mm steering pump bolt.
Those water pump bols are fun.
Most are 13mm
On my S-10 Blazer water pump, all my attaching bolts were coated in red RTV to help seal any water leaks. Worked great!
I spent yesterday at a wire brush/grinder, cleaning those pump bolts for the 3.4 swap into my Blazer.

TomP

From the diagram, I would've taken off both #10's (p/s bracket to water pump), both #3's, and pulled the pump forward off the motor. Dan said 6 bolts, did you look for the ones he mentioned above?

CaliCamaroRS

Hmmm, ok, maybe you're problem is with the studs on the back of the pump. The pump has to come forward a little to get the studs to clear the mounting bracket.....BTW, do you have A/C?

JoshDT91

iTrader: (1)

There was one more bolt in the AC that was it. I got the pump and bracket off only to find that one of the water pump bolts head is stripped. It pretty much sucks that I cannot get it off, so I'm just going to have to get the local Chevy dealer to do it, I got a 10% off coupon whoo hoo , not much but it helps. I want to know why they used those screwy torx bolts on my water pump. In the diagrams and pictures I have seen in books they have normal bolts, those torx things are worthless. By the way, do those water pump bolts go through the timing cover? If they do I am glad I did not take the pump off myself cause I had nothing holding the timing cover on.

TomP

Have 'em just take the bolt out! Yeah, all of the big bolts go thru the front cover into the engine. There's a warning that you can break the seal between the front cover and engine by pulling on the water pump. The Haynes book goes into this big detail about how you should fabricate a holding tool to hold the timing cover against the motor while pulling the water pump off- forget that! I put a prybar against the water pump tab, in the upper passenger area of the pump. I push the prybar back towards the firewall, so the pivot point is the chain cover, and the bar's tip pries the pump away from the motor. Keep one hand on the pump!

You could take a file and cut a slot across the busted torx head; maybe you could get a big flat head screwdriver on it.

KED85

Please
SO SIMPLE!
Cut off bad bolt head.
Remove the pump, remove the bolt.
Go get new bolt.
Simple.

JoshDT91

iTrader: (1)

Oh well I would like to do it myself but I just don't think I could do that. Sure I could take the bolt out like you guys said, but well the car is sitting at the Chevy dealer waiting to be worked on so I'll be out money I don't have, it's so nice. When I was attempting to pull the pump off I didn't even bother holding timing cover, I would most likely have broken the seal cause I was assuming that would be in an extreme case. Oh well now I know for next time. They'll use my new parts and I will be set, also they are replacing my radiator fan switch with my part. Thanks for the advice though guys.

KED85

IF I WAS YOU!
I'd tell then to also install a NEW TIMING CHAIN!
They are right there, not much more labor to do that job.
IF YOU ARE OVER 75,000 MILES ON YOUR ENGINE
DO IT!
Ask anyone here for their response.
The dollars spent ARE SO WORTH IT.
Have then ALSO give ya a breakdown of where any engine leaks are occuring, just so ya know.

JoshDT91

iTrader: (1)

If I had the extra money sitting around for labor and parts sure I would do it, it sounds like a good idea since I have over 151k on the car. But since funds are limited right now I am lucky I can do this.

TomP

I always make the choice for free labor...

KED85

It'll run ya about an extra $50 or so.
Ask
Invest your money in this NOW!
As Tom said, it is FREE LABOR (they are already there-timing chain cover is exposed and available for removal EASY & CHEAP!)

JoshDT91

iTrader: (1)

As it is I don't have a lot of money to play with. It's done and over with, perhaps another time I will have it done. It sounds like a good idea but I don't have the money.

Cadaver_Puncher

Sorry your method doesn't work.
On my 92 rs 3.1 v6 the pulley MUST come off.
The bolts for the bracket will not come out otherwise. No matter what I've tried.
Come on over I'll show you. Then take pictures of you trying to get the bracket off without removing the pulley.
I'm not trying to be a dick, but it is impossible to do it the way you mentioned. Wanna enlighten me HOW to get a bolt off when a pulley is in the way.

fasteddi

iTrader: (2)

This is a dead old thread, but I cant help but reply to this one. I will argue and say I've never taken the pulley(s) off any of my waterpumps when I've removed it. So I call BS

You think I just put the pulley back on in these pics??? No I just never took them off in the first place.

OrangeBird

iTrader: (1)

Hi CP ,

If your trying to take the pump off of it's aluminum mounting bracket , yes , you must remove the pulley to access those bolts holding the pump to the bracket . However , If you remove the pump and bracket together , without separating the two , the bracket and pump assembly most certainly can be unbolted from the engine without pulley removal . Thats how I did it when I regasketed my engine last year . I will enclose a couple of pictures that show the pump/bracket unit as I bolted it back onto the engine during the reassembly . If you dig through the muck and remove all of the bolts holding the bracket/pump to the engine , you too will be able to remove the two of them together also .

Good Luck with it ...