water pump went out today, what happened?

[theorama2000]

i went into the gas station, and after 10 mins the whole coolant dumped. so i filled it up and drove home, and now it dumped it all again. sooo climbed under the car and it seems like it was coming outta the hose, the gaskets around the water pump are dry. so looked at other side, seems to be coming out of the weep hole? i believe thats what its called, the small hole on the bottom of the pump. sooo new pump? is that the solution? how hard a job is it? ive done lots of stuff before, and a water pump in a 65 302, but not on FI. thanks...

 

[shallchr]

Not too difficult. I have done about 6 of these and it just takes a few hours. Just take the money to get a good one. They are not fun to redo. Make sure to check your fan for any wear and make sure that it is not out of balance. One of the main causes of a water pump failing is a vibration in the fan that causes the bearings in the water pump to wear out. No sense in doing all of that work and not fixing the root cause of the waterpump failure.

 

[87gtconv]

I put in an Edelbrock water pump, Hayden fan clutch, silicone hose kit, and a new 3 row brass radiator in 1998. Only the water pump and hoses remain other items have been replaced because of failure!!

 

[cola8d8]

I had to replace mine (87/5.0) 3 times. The last time I broke a couple of bolts. The threads were not stuck in the block but the bolt was "gunked up"/stuck to the timing cover. I had to drill out the broke bolts (hard to do without messing up the timing cover, but possible). Then knock the timing cover off with a hammer. What was left of the bolt could be taken out with vice grips. Just a tip... use anti seize on the entile bolt when putting it back together. It will make it easier when/if you have to do it next time.

 

[winder]

Most of the times you may need a radiator also if your replacing your waterpump. Look at the sides where the tubes connect to the tank. If you see white caulky stuffy around the tubes you probably need to replace it at the same time as the waterpump cause it will leak soon also. Also for cheap insurance also replace the hoses. Waterpumps have a bearing with a seal behind them. Just go bad. But it's a good thing to check out your fan plastic to see if it's cracking. Just my 1/2 cents.

 

[90mustangGT]

Waterpumps are easy, just in kind of hard to get to because of their location. I took off the alt and p/s brackets to get to it easier.

 

[RTGreen]

When you buy a pump, make sure it's a "new" pump, not a remanufactured pump. I've had 2 remanufactured pumps crap out on me. One came apart.....yes the fan pad(The plate that teh fan attaches too) came off the end of the shaft while driving down the road. I bought a new Autozone pump and have had np problems.

 

[theorama2000]

Thanks guys, imma just replace the pump and limp along. no money to spend on fancy stuff soo ill do the best i can. does the radiator HAVE to come out?

 

[shallchr]

I pulled my radiator. For about $50.00 I had it cleaned, presure tested, and repainted. It sucks to beat the hell out of the fins trying to replace the pump and like winder said they tend to build up with deposits and those can break free and are not good for the cooling of the radiator or the waterpump. Definitly the NEW pump as the remanufactured suck. Also new hoses. You start bending the old hoses during the install and sometimes they crack and you don't find out for a day or two when it's too late. My genius brother decided to not pay for hoses when I did his radiator replacement. Two days later I was replacing them. A couple of extra bucks will save hours of aggrivation.

 

[HISSIN50]

Thanks guys, imma just replace the pump and limp along. no money to spend on fancy stuff soo ill do the best i can. does the radiator HAVE to come out?

nope, and unless you want to clean it, i dont know why you would. not in the way at all.
good luck.

 

[NeQX]

waterpump

Make sure you scrape the surface good where new water pump gasket will go, use permatex ultra blue sealant available at any local auto-parts store, make tight but dont overtighten for those water pump bolts will break, and once one breaks in there, its not gonna be fun to get out...I have done it.

 

[theorama2000]

thanks guys, got the pump and water pump gasket sealr, was surprisingly easy job. much easier then on my 65. took 2 hours, plus time lettin the water fill up the engine. SUPER easy and problem solved