Water Pump repair

A water pump circulates water from the engine and through the radiator to keep the engine cool. Most cars need a water pump somewhere around 120,000+ miles. Some cars like Hondas have the pump by the timing belt and some are driven off of it. These type of cars should replace the water pump at the same time the timing belt is replaced. The water pump is easy to replace in comparison to the timing belt. If not replaced, the water pump tends to die soon after replacement of the new, tighter timing belt. Many newer front wheel drive cars have the water pump on the left side of the engine. The pump is driven off an accessory belt that will need to be removed first. The belt tensioner will first have to be loosened. Many times the alternator acts as the tensioning device.

 

The water hose will need to be removed. Then usually a few bolts will have to be removed and the pulley will pull off of the pump. Rear wheel drive vehicles will have the pump located in the front of the engine above the balancer. You can always follow the hoses to the pump from the radiator. After the pump has been removed the gasket surfaces on the engine will need to be cleaned off. A razor blade and a chemical, such as break clean, will make the job easy. Before installing the new water pump, coat the new gaskets with silicone sealant lightly on both sides. Slip the bolts through the water pump, slide the gaskets on the water pump. The gaskets should not move around much and should stay on the pump until it has been installed. Tighten the pump and re-install the water hose. Re-tension the belt so that it’s not slipping and your done.