water pump installation questions

General karthief · Feb 15, 2026

#1
Stop comparing 30+ yr old car to today's cars, I'm not building or rebuilding my car to drive/ride/sound or talk like the new cars of today, you want a mustang to drive/sound/preform like new cars today go buy a new mustang...
#2 (and this is my experience/opinion)
Get it running and driving, shocks, brakes, cooling system need to be dependable for an enjoyable ride,
Now you can start improving how you want it perform
Most projects start with big plans and good intentions but a lot never make it back on the street.
Small steps, short term goals, plan this carefully and you can ride inbetween updates.

gkomo · Feb 15, 2026

I feel like Fox bodies can be made to handle as good or better as newer sports cars, but they (mostly, even with good quality parts) don’t feel as smooth as the newer cars when doing it.

I need to get my coilovers installed and see how much of an improvement over the H&R race springs they are. (Side note, do NOT put the race springs on a street driven car… they ride like absolute crap).

AeroCoupe · Feb 15, 2026

Only thing I will add to the General’s advice would be is to do things once if at all possible. If you need to fix something because it’s a safety thing then we all get that but if it doesn’t need something replaced that you are going to later install a better part don’t waste the time or money.

My biggest waste of money on the Coupe was the five lug swap using Mark VII front rotors and Ranger rear axles. I should have skipped that and gone straight to the SN95 parts. The reason is the braking still sucked with the first swap. I just cannot articulate how huge of an improvement the SN95 brakes are other than our cars should have come with them from the factory. The aftermarket support on them is great and wheel selection is huge.

I will also say that the ideal spindles are the 94/95 for a stock k-member car and the 96+ are typically used with tubular-members. You can use the 96+ with a stock k-member but you should use a bump steer kit. When and if you go this route we can guide you so just plan it out.

nickyb · Feb 15, 2026

If your gonna drive your stang,really drive it ( I've daily driven mine for 18+ years) then just like the general said do the things that'll make it an enjoyable ride.
That means it starts , drives without overheating, everything works and it'll stop before you rear end someone.
I always upgraded when I replaced parts. Like when the Alternator needed replacing so a 3g swap went on.

Jarhead67 · Feb 15, 2026

B0udreaux said:
Ok, so I had a green puddle underneath my 86 gt hatchback and investigated it, finding that the water pump is leaking copiously.

Im really new to this, and this will be my first foray into the engine bay. I've watched multiple videos, and read the steps in the Haynes manual, yet I have some lingering questions before I begin ordering parts and working.

1: Other than the pump itself, what all will I need to have on hand to begin the job? So far I have new hoses and clamps, and a new set of bolts as well as the pump in my LMR shopping cart. What am I missing (the pump comes with a gasket, which a few people said in the reviews that they suck, should I spring for an aftermarket one? LMR only has it in a set with timing cover gasket and I'd rather not spend unless its really necessary). I know I will need some gasket sealant, and some thread sealant ... but what else am I missing? Tool wise, I was planning on getting a 3-m or scotch brite abrasive disc, is there something better? Or something I should absolutely avoid? One video has a guy cleaning the mating surfaces with a copper wire brush attachment on a drill or dremel, and another says to use a razor blade...

2. Do I need a high volume pump, is that just for racers? My intended use for the car is show and spirited street driving.

3. The belt tensioner: in the video the guy mentions it, and later I see him using a wrench to pull it back to remove the belt, but do I need to loosen the nut on it, or just pry it out of the way?

4. I have A/C and Power Steering ... The videos say to detach the brackets and swing them out of the way ... is it that easy? This step seems weird to me.

5. The big one -- several videos mention taking care to not break the bolts off in the block when I remove them. One guy says use a impact wrench on a low torque setting (i just got a new impact tool and am not sure of how to use it yet, although I am itching to) and another guy says definitely do NOT use impact tool cause it will increase chances of bolt breakage. So which is it? This is the part I'm terrified of: ruining my block or engine while performing this task.

Thanks in advance,
Boudreaux

I wouldn't use an impact on those bolts. If they're rusted, they will break.

The bolts for the brackets go through the pump, so you'll have to swing the brackets out of the way to get the pump off.

I use a socket and a breaker bar to take the load off the belt idler.

B0udreaux · Feb 16, 2026

Stop comparing 30+ yr old car to today's cars, I'm not building or rebuilding my car to drive/ride/sound or talk like the new cars of today, you want a mustang to drive/sound/preform like new cars today go buy a new mustang...

Fair point. I guess I'm not articulating myself well. I guess I don't really want it to handle like a modern sports car ... after reflecting on what you said, I guess I want it to handle like my modern commuter car. I want it to be more comfortable than tight. I don't think I have the language to say what it is that I really want, which is a comfortable ride that a little fun can be had on. I'd like to be able to hit a corner at speed occasionally and have it not feel all squirrely like the body is going to roll off of the chassis. I'd like to brake hard and not wonder if the front bumper is gonna scrape the ground (I mean not literally, but ya know...) I don't want a car that feels like its on rails, yet is bone-jarring over small bumps (where I live the roads are Terrible).

another question that has popped up for me.....Do springs wear out? Is the only reason to get new springs if I want to lower my stance? If I get new springs that are the same as my factory ones, will they feel any different, like tighter/newer? Will just doing dampers at first give me a significant change in ride quality? I am operating under the assumption that I need springs cause the old ones are bouncy/worn ... but is that even right? I'm fairly ignorant of the implications. It seems like a lot of lowering springs are progressive. Are my stock springs progressive? if so/if not what does progressive do to the ride? There is a lot I don't know, or know only in theory from YouTube and it's making decision making difficult!

General karthief · Feb 16, 2026

here's some "old man advice" or maybe "how not to hate your ride".
Most 'car guys' want a 'street car' but the description remains the same, I want to cruise the car shows and get ice cream with the occasional drag strip rip or tear around the corners, needs to have a 'lopy idle' to impress the girls (or guys) but it has to be comfy to ride in and easy to drive.
OH and it has to have about 400 HP.....
They want big fat shoes in the back and skinny flip flops in the front,
basically the look and sound of a 'race car' but ride like a vista cruzer wagon.
Not Gonna Happen.... most times this will lead to a ride that you love to look at but hate to drive, now you have all this time and money into garage art.
here is what I would do if I were in your shoes, I'm considering your stated lack of experience, I do sence a 'want' to learn though.
#1 get a FORD assembly manual for your year/model, a Hayes or Chiltons are good manual to start with,
#2 make a list of things that need addressing now, ie, brakes, shocks/struts, belts, hoses basiclly things that leave you stranded or upside down in a ditch. I use a piece of cardboard and a marker and I leave room for 'scope creep' (you'll know what that means later)
this will give you a good riding/driving base to plan what modifications you want/need.
make sure you understand the difference between 'want' and 'need'...
Now you can decide if the ride is good or needs improvement and plan and learn accordingly.
Look around on for "progress' or 'build' threads, I have a thread you can link from the bottom of my posts (self promotion) that I hope members find amusing and informative on things I've done, Others here have done WAY more better stuff than me so look around.
Post up here what you think you'll need and we can help you spend your time and money wisly......
OR you can go streight for the 871 BDS blower, hack a hole in the hood and a shift lever long enought to protrude through the sunroof

B0udreaux · Feb 16, 2026

Ok. So I like the discernment between wants and needs.

I think the needs list is small. I got the car about 6 weeks ago. The seller had impeccable records of maintenance and logs of driving it weekly. I think most belts, hoses etc should be good. He did all the routine stuff pretty meticulously and I have a binder full of receipts. He got a new centerforce clutch, replaced fuel pump, window motors and that’s basically it other than routine maintenance. I just did the water pump, whose gasket had rotted away…other than that there are two known issues, and one that’s not an issue but still feels kind of like a need.

One: it occasionally stalls. Before the seller found a buyer (me) he was in the process of trying to fix it and the new fuel pump was his first step. By occasionally I mean in the six weeks I’ve been driving it probably 2-5 miles a day it has stalled twice. Once on the highway, in 5th gear doing about 60, and once in second gear accelerating onto a roadway at about 15-20 mph. Both times the car wouldn’t start normally after immediately, but after sitting like 2-4 minutes everything seemed fine. This is a reliability issue that I’m not sure how to diagnose, much less fix, yet I don’t like it hanging over my head. And as this isn’t my real daily driver (though I wanna use it as much as I can around my home) it’s kind of back burnered.

Two: the a/c doesn’t work. I live in south Louisiana, for regular anyday drivability I need to have a/c. Idk where to start here and it’s still cool so I haven’t really started looking. It will become critical by June.

Three: suspension. It feels old and unsafe. I have a commuter car as well as this one, so saying it’s gonna be a daily driver isnt 100% right, since I have other transportation…but I want to mainly use it around town most of the time other than for my daily commute. Mostly, if I need to get on the interstate to get somewhere I want it to be doable…but mainly that’d be a job for my commuter car. The Mustang is driveable right now, but I feel unsafe pushing it at all really.

Budget for needs: about $3k for now

Wants:

Other than that have subframe connectors that I’m hoping to get installed this week or next then addressing the needs. 90%of the stuff I’ve read and watched on YT before coming here says to start there so I did. I also got a set of tires since the ones it had when I bought it were 14 years old.

What do I want from the car? Daily drivability but I don’t have the leash of relying on it 100% for my transportation.

I am not looking for crazy HP. I guess I’m just trying to build my teenage dream car. I’m not fixated on it being all stock, but I’d like it to look clean and nice. A little background: I’m 52, and have driven econoboxes my whole life. I finally got the chance to get a fun car and went and got a 392 charger. That car was freaking awesome….but it was waaay too much as a daily driver. Gas cost+insurance+tires (after one year) etc plus the fact that it felt so safe at such speed…I’d be on my commute and look down thinking I’m doing like 70 and it says 96…that’s a bad thing lol. So I sold it and got a Subaru forester and the 86 t-tops.

I just want it to be fun to drive regularly. I don’t really want massive hp. I can feel the power potential of this car already, I think with different gears (it has 2.73 ratio now) and adding 10 here and 5 hp there as I gain the skills (and money) to do stuff will be fun….but reading about strokers and coyote swaps are a level far above what I’m looking to do. I wanna drive around town, occasionally smoke the tires and make some noise. I also want to learn all I can about … well, everything. That’s the journey.

Sorry for my long-windedness!

AeroCoupe · Feb 16, 2026

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say the stalling is the TFI module on its way out or possibly the PIP. The TFI module is the “chip” that is on the front of the distributor that has connector on it with about six wires. This is a common item to fail on these cars. The PIP is down in the distributor also you have to disassemble it to get to tit. I would say they don’t fail as often as the TFI but they did fail. Do not just go to a parts store and buy these as most of them are junk. Good thread here:

Engine Thread 'Defective PIP sensor ?'

Sep 5, 2025

I have a problem with my 93 5.0 fox body. The car run great but have a little lost in power. I also notice that sometime, the tach needle makes small abrupt jumps (100 rpm or so) at idle and also on part thottle when cruising. The engine run smooth and good. Can this be a PIP sensor problem ? I already have replace, plugs, cap,rotor and wires, Stock oem distributor.

Thank for the help !

Do a search as there are several more.

As for the AC could be all kinds of things from a locked up compressor to just an oring leaking. I would think you have some decent shops down there but again several thread on this very subject so just search around.

Springs do wear out and we have even seen them fail and break on these cars but that is the from ones. Springs will fatigue over time due to the cyclical nature of the suspension. I’ve seen one of these car literally be an inch higher after new OEM springs were installed but the car had way over 100K on the odometer. I will tell you a daily drove my Coupe here in Oklahoma (shiiiotttty roads) for five years with the Tokico Illumina dampers and H&R Super Sports with everything else stock except the Maximum Motor Sports rear lower control arms and subframe connectors and it rode amazingly well and handled great.

Mindseye007 · Feb 21, 2026

B0udreaux said:
Ok, so suspension wise… currently I’m all stock. I assume all 40 year old stuff, but idk really…the car feels bouncy over bumps, the roll when turning hard is severe…braking nosedives me etc…I assume the stuff is just old and tired, but my knowledge is mostly theoretical…I can see the k member and control arms and other suspension parts are all stock. The factory rivet is still there in the top of the strut tower so I assume pretty much everything is original.

Couple of things suspension wise I wanna address/understand better…

Lowering: my stance is ridiculously high, I’m not looking to drop it crazy or anything but I’d like it to look a little lower, like not have massive gaps above my tires. I looked at a bunch of comparison photos and didn’t come to any real conclusions because there were so few with the tiny 15” wheels. I’m running 235/60/15s currently. I was thinking 1 to 1.5 inches, but I’d be doing it kind of blind and hoping it looked good and didn’t screw my ride quality.

Ride quality: I really liked the way he said: pound the on ramps…not looking to race, drag or track, but there is a track around here where you can put the car through its paces with instructors and stuff, so maybe waaaay down the road, but for now like you said, gassing it for fun and feeling safe cornering, but nothing crazy…my risk tolerance is a lot lower than it was when I was 20 haha. This is where I assume I buy and install new springs and shocks/struts.

Bushings: I feel like this is something that I should probably replace all of them and it would have a big improvement and feel of the car yes? All of the shocks/struts/springs videos I’ve watched do not mention bushings at all. Is this something I should look to do?

Wheels/Brakes: I really like the telephone dial wheels and the mostly stock look. I hadn’t really considered stepping up to 17’s/5lug…but the brakes do suuuuck. Pretty crazy, I have to plan my braking probably more than in any car I’ve had (only one of which was a performance car)

Long-term plan wise: so I got the car around new years, it was 100% stock except the clutch was replaced. I mean, belts and routine maintenance stuff done over the years too, but otherwise nothing done.
I’ve been doing mostly piddling stuff, trim, seatbelts, badges, weatherstripping etc. Got the new tires put on, and ordered subframe connectors and while I was waiting for those to come in the water pump died and I’ve been sidetracked. So once I get those on I’ll be moving forward with upgrades.

My thinking there is suspension first. It feels like a 40 year old boat and I want it to feel like a new modern sports car. Maybe not track worthy, but solid, I’ve been looking at all of the packs on cj pony and lmr. So far I like the orange koni set with springs, but there’s like 5 reputable brands all in the same price range. Not ready to spend $ yet so need to learn more.

After that I want a better rumble. I think my options here are mufflers, or cat backs if I wanna hopefully get some HP gains with it…haven’t really deep dived here yet, but from the videos I see the flow master series 40 is what I’d like. I mean…headers would also be cool at some point too, again, way down the road

Next I was thinking gears, again, no experience but I think I’m going to be looking at 3.73 gears.

Hadn’t thought about wheels/brakes cause I like the wheels I have, but maybe I should. I did just spend like 800 on new tires, so again, down the road…

Interspersed with all of this I’d like to be doing cheaper per-job stuff…more cosmetic I think…cold air intake looks relatively inexpensive and easily doable by me, so that’ll get worked in somewhere.

Overall I’m looking to make it look pretty and mostly stock…and drive more like a new car, both power and handling wise.

Thanks for listening! It’s helpful to at least articulate all this. Sorry I’m so long winded!

What tires did you get?

89notchDude · Feb 24, 2026

Do those induction type heating devices work for rusty old bolts like the waterpump ones?

limp · Feb 24, 2026

General karthief said:
but ride like a vista cruzer wagon.

How many of the younger people on here know what a Vista Cruiser Wagon is??? LOL
My parents purchased a brand new one off the show room floor in 65..... My dad never forgave himself as he was in the sales guys office ordering up a brand new Convertible ( no idea what model) when mom spotted this wagon and changed " his " mind...

General karthief · Feb 24, 2026

limp said:
How many of the younger people on here know what a Vista Cruiser Wagon is??? LOL
My parents purchased a brand new one off the show room floor in 65..... My dad never forgave himself as he was in the sales guys office ordering up a brand new Convertible ( no idea what model) when mom spotted this wagon and changed " his " mind...

Can you spell Google??

Trogdor · Feb 24, 2026

89notchDude said:
Do those induction type heating devices work for rusty old bolts like the waterpump ones?

I've never used one, but have had my eye on one. From some YouTube videos they seem to work pretty well. Just need to be careful not to touch the tool to what is being heated.

B0udreaux · Feb 26, 2026

Mindseye007 said:
What tires did you get?

cooper cobra 235/60/15's

B0udreaux · Feb 28, 2026

AeroCoupe said:
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say the stalling is the TFI module on its way out or possibly the PIP. The TFI module is the “chip” that is on the front of the distributor that has connector on it with about six wires. This is a common item to fail on these cars. The PIP is down in the distributor also you have to disassemble it to get to tit. I would say they don’t fail as often as the TFI but they did fail. Do not just go to a parts store and buy these as most of them are junk. Good thread here:

Engine Thread 'Defective PIP sensor ?'

Sep 5, 2025

I have a problem with my 93 5.0 fox body. The car run great but have a little lost in power. I also notice that sometime, the tach needle makes small abrupt jumps (100 rpm or so) at idle and also on part thottle when cruising. The engine run smooth and good. Can this be a PIP sensor problem ? I already have replace, plugs, cap,rotor and wires, Stock oem distributor.

Thank for the help !

bock

Replies: 20

Forum: Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech

Do a search as there are several more.

As for the AC could be all kinds of things from a locked up compressor to just an oring leaking. I would think you have some decent shops down there but again several thread on this very subject so just search around.

Springs do wear out and we have even seen them fail and break on these cars but that is the from ones. Springs will fatigue over time due to the cyclical nature of the suspension. I’ve seen one of these car literally be an inch higher after new OEM springs were installed but the car had way over 100K on the odometer. I will tell you a daily drove my Coupe here in Oklahoma (shiiiotttty roads) for five years with the Tokico Illumina dampers and H&R Super Sports with everything else stock except the Maximum Motor Sports rear lower control arms and subframe connectors and it rode amazingly well and handled great.

Replaced the TFI module today. Old one didn't have any obvious signs of breakage (being brown or burnt or corroded or anything), but I don't think that's conclusive...

I thought my tapered sockets I already have would get the bolts out of the module... it got the rightmost one out but the left one wouldn't grab soooo I went to O'Reily and got the specialty tool for removing these bolts .... and it failed also heh. it wouldn't go in enough to grab the bolt even though it looked like it had a little room to go in still. I then went and got a very long thin walled 5.5mm socket from auto zone that finally worked.

Afterwards, the car started and ran okay revving it up and down in the driveway, then slow rolling the neighborhood and then only once pushing up to 5krpm and everything seemed cool, so here's to hoping it works and I rotated the distributor correctly enough (I made marks and matched them when putting it back, but idk how precise it is/needs to be, but it seems to be fine).

As far as fixing the stalling issue, it hadn't stalled on the last three short drives before replacing this sensor, or this test drive, so I guess I'll just keep driving it and the longer it goes without stalling the more confidence I'll have that its fixed. If it stalls again I guess I'll look at PIP sensor or just replacing the whole distributor, though watching videos where they have to mark and locate top dead center looks difficult and like something easy for me to mess up at my current skill level. IDK

ctandc · Feb 28, 2026

89notchDude said:
Do those induction type heating devices work for rusty old bolts like the waterpump ones?

Hit or miss in my limited experience.

My MAP torch gets constant use.

AeroCoupe · Feb 28, 2026

Hopefully you used thermal paste between the TFI and the distributor? If not this is what you need:

https://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Silver-AS5-3-5G-Thermal-Paste/dp/B0087X728K/

General karthief · Feb 28, 2026

B0udreaux said:
though watching videos where they have to mark and locate top dead center looks difficult and like something easy for me to mess up at my current skill level. IDK

Easy peasy, spin it around to TDC on the #1 (compression stroke) cylinder, mark the position of the rotor on the distributor and where the collar of the distributor contacts the block, I take a small chisel and tap to mark the base of the distributor and the block at the same time, watch the rotor as the distributor is lifted up, you'll see it move, pay attention, as the distributor is moved up or down the gear will mesh moving the rotor.
As many distributors as I've deal with I still get it wrong once in a while.

water pump installation questions

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

gkomo

now i can hopefully expect to receive the shaft

AeroCoupe

lube between the nut and the face. I know my lubes

nickyb

I gotta say i never painted my nuts, Never Ever

Jarhead67

B0udreaux

Member

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

B0udreaux

Member

AeroCoupe

lube between the nut and the face. I know my lubes

Engine Thread 'Defective PIP sensor ?'

Mindseye007

10 years still blowing strong

89notchDude

Active Member

limp

wrap a little cheese around it and its a done

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

Trogdor

B0udreaux

Member

B0udreaux

Member

Engine Thread 'Defective PIP sensor ?'

ctandc

AeroCoupe

lube between the nut and the face. I know my lubes

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

Similar threads

water pump installation questions

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

now i can hopefully expect to receive the shaft

lube between the nut and the face. I know my lubes

I gotta say i never painted my nuts, Never Ever

Member

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

Member

lube between the nut and the face. I know my lubes

Engine Thread 'Defective PIP sensor ?'

10 years still blowing strong

Active Member

wrap a little cheese around it and its a done

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

Member

Member

Engine Thread 'Defective PIP sensor ?'

lube between the nut and the face. I know my lubes

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

Similar threads

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