5k water pump R&R - beginner's perspective

[Tom Christiansen]

Folks,

I'm very proud of myself tonight. I consider myself to be a beginner to
intermediate mechanic. I handle electrical problems without trouble (having
a Master's degree in electrical engineering helps :-)) but on the
mechanical side, I haven't handled anything bigger than a starter or
alternator swap before. And I've always had a profound respect for anything
involving timing belts (I know what can happen if you screw up!). But my
1987 5kq started leaking coolant from the front of the engine...... So I
figured that whoever changed the timing belt 30k miles ago probably didn't
bother to change the water pump. I decided to change the pump myself.

I searched the archives and came up with a useful procedure: I took the
grille off and moved the air intake out of the way. Then took the upper
timing belt cover off. Then I realized that in order for the water pump to
come off I would need to remove the V-belt for the hydraulic pump - so that
came off. Then I managed to get the lower cover off using a 1/4" drive 10mm
socket, a 1-1/2 inch extension, a U-joint, and one of those screwdriver
thingies with a 1/4" drive. I marked the timing belt and cam/crank shafts
with white corrective ink. I also marked the position of the cam relative
to the valve cover (the car was parked in gear with the E-brake set so the
crank was locked). Then I took the belt off the camshaft. I managed to work
the water pump out from underneath the inner part of the timing belt cover.
Installation was reverse of removal. I poured a gallon of coolant into the
beast and started the engine. It started perfectly as usual!! I think I
deserve a big pat on the back... :-)

One thing though... The old pump didn't look bad at all. When I rotated the
impeller, it made no grinding noises or the like. But the O-ring seal had
seen better days. Is this normal? It seemed a bit overkill to replace a $45
pump if all I needed to do was to replace a $1 O-ring...

PS: Yes, I do know that I probably should have replaced the timing belt as
well, but the belt looks fine and I didn't want to take the risk of
screwing up the timing...


Tom