(con't)
Step 4: Get out your hose clamp pliers and reposition the inlet and outlet hose clamps at the water pump. See pictures below.
Step 5: Remove the inlet and outlet hoses from the water pump if you haven't already done so.
Step 6: Reposition the heater inlet and surge tank outlet hose clamps at the water pump. See pictures below.
Step 7: Remove the heater inlet and surge tank outlet hoses from the water pump, as per directions in the pics above (if you haven't already done so).
Step 8: In this order, remove the thermostat bolts (2), the accessory tensioner bolts (2) and the water pump bolts (6). One thing that I always do is ensure that I put the bolts I remove back into the exact hole that they came out of, especially when dealing with aluminum engine parts. Call me crazy, I have my reasons. If you want to do that also, make sure you keep track of the bolts as you remove them. Check the picture below.
Step 9: Remove the water pump. Nothing tricky here, just wiggle that chunk of metal out of there. Make sure you remove the water pump gaskets if they don't come off with the old water pump.
Clean up the area where all that Dex-Cool has leaked. You want to be able to detect any new leaks. I used Brakleen from CRC to clean up engine dirt. That stuff is good but you will need about 3 cans. You can go through that stuff pretty fast and it is not exactly cheap.
Now you're ready for the new pump. The new pump comes with the gaskets for the water pump and thermostat. The ones for the water pump are paper, which is NOT what comes stock on your car. Don't use the paper ones that come with the new pump, go buy the original GM gaskets. They only cost me $23, well worth the extra quality. Here's the gaskets and new part numbers as of this posting. You will need 2 gaskets (same part number).
You can use the rubber gasket that comes with the water pump for the thermostat. Just make sure that you replace that t-stat gasket!
New water pump. I paid about $180 at O'Riley's for a brand spankin' new one.
Now all you have to do is reverse the installation process. Here's the fun hurdle that you will run into. Trying to keep the water pump gaskets in place as you line up the mounting screws and water pump. I could have used some type of grease to make the gasket stick to the motor or the water pump itself but I didn't know what was safe to use ( I didn't want to create any leaking issues). Thus, I spent the next two hours trying to do it without any help. It was a *****.
Once I got it on, I went in and had another pizza.
One helpful tip: Use the dielectric grease or Vaseline on the rubber grommets that attach the air box to the front cross-frame. The grease will make it easier to snap back on. Use some radiator hose or White Lithium grease on the inner lip of the hoses to help ease the installation of them. DON'T use a lot. A teeny, weenie bit goes a long way.
Here are your torque settings for all the bolts.
- Tighten the water pump bolts a first pass to 15 N·m (11 lb ft). Tighten the water pump bolts a final pass to 30 N·m (22 lb ft).
- Tighten the accessory drive belt tensioner bolts to 50 N·m (37 lb ft) starting with the lower bolt first.
- Tighten the water pump inlet bolts (thermostat) to 15 N·m (11 lb ft).
That's it folks. It looks like a complicated job because I'm long winded and took a lot of pictures but it really is an easy fix if you don't know how to work on your Vette. With these instructions, anyone can do it.
Holler if you have any questions!
The Junkman