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Water pump
- Thread starter YYYJ
- Start date
I just did mine a couple weeks ago in my 96, I was a little hesitant at first but it was really easy. Im not sure how much room you have in the 89, but I needed to take out the radiator to get some working room. I decided to upgrade the radiator to a GDI 3 core at the same time, since it had to come out anyways. Might as well put in a new factory thermostat & hoses while its all out.
I started with needing a pump, but instead replaced the whole system. Only cost $230 for the whole deal, about as much as taking it to a mechanic to get the pump replaced.
...
Took fan stuff off, bagged it. Took off the bolts for the top plate, bagged em and set it aside.
Pulled hoses & took radiator out. Let the tranny hose lay there, just a little trans fluid seeped out - nothing to worry about.
To get the water pump pulley bolts loose, I put the ratchet on then smacked it with a hammer while the belt was still tight. I left the bolts loose until later.
Take the tension off the belt then do the steering pump next. I left it on by removing the bolts that go through the water pump, but only loosening the three bolts on the top so that it hangs by those. With the 3 bolts on top backed out about 1/4-1/2 inch you should be able to move the steering pump back and forth enough to get the water pump out.
Then just pull out the water pump bolts & thermostat housing.
Clean the crud off, then re-assemble.
I started with needing a pump, but instead replaced the whole system. Only cost $230 for the whole deal, about as much as taking it to a mechanic to get the pump replaced.
...
Took fan stuff off, bagged it. Took off the bolts for the top plate, bagged em and set it aside.
Pulled hoses & took radiator out. Let the tranny hose lay there, just a little trans fluid seeped out - nothing to worry about.
To get the water pump pulley bolts loose, I put the ratchet on then smacked it with a hammer while the belt was still tight. I left the bolts loose until later.
Take the tension off the belt then do the steering pump next. I left it on by removing the bolts that go through the water pump, but only loosening the three bolts on the top so that it hangs by those. With the 3 bolts on top backed out about 1/4-1/2 inch you should be able to move the steering pump back and forth enough to get the water pump out.
Then just pull out the water pump bolts & thermostat housing.
Clean the crud off, then re-assemble.
Go for it, it is very easy. As the previous post mentioned, it is not a bad time to do the thermostat, hoses and belt if needed. I would also encourage you to get a good flsuh / coolant system cleaner and do it at the same time. Also, one might consider upgrades. You can get a good 3 core for about $100.00. You can look into a high performance water pump. Although, there is some debate on the boards over the effectiveness of the later.
XJade
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- 87XJ_4L-Automatic, Arizona
I did the one on my 87XJ yesterday. Pretty easy...even for a wannabe mechanic like me. The hard part is making room to work in. Pulling the fans, radiator, etc.
Oh yeah. Make sure you loosen up that piece of pipe (that the heater hose goes on) on top of the waterpump BEFORE you loosen up the w/p mounting bolts. Like a dumba** I pulled the old pump and then realized I had to reuse that piece and thread it onto the new pump. Well, without a bench vise that pipe was not gonna budge. I had to remount the old pump so I could wrench it off. Live and learn.
Definitely loosen the w/p pulley bolts first while the belt has tension on it. Even with the belt on it was still an effort for me. I had to use another ratchet to keep the pulley still.
I found that one of those (rubber) strap wrenchs worked well for keeping the pulley from moving while I torqued down the pulley onto the new pump.
Good luck. It's not too bad a job. Do your research and plan it out.
Oh yeah. Make sure you loosen up that piece of pipe (that the heater hose goes on) on top of the waterpump BEFORE you loosen up the w/p mounting bolts. Like a dumba** I pulled the old pump and then realized I had to reuse that piece and thread it onto the new pump. Well, without a bench vise that pipe was not gonna budge. I had to remount the old pump so I could wrench it off. Live and learn.
Definitely loosen the w/p pulley bolts first while the belt has tension on it. Even with the belt on it was still an effort for me. I had to use another ratchet to keep the pulley still.
I found that one of those (rubber) strap wrenchs worked well for keeping the pulley from moving while I torqued down the pulley onto the new pump.
Good luck. It's not too bad a job. Do your research and plan it out.
98_jeep_XJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Norfolk, VA
I did mine last week didn't pull the radiator. No need too!! had plenty of room. Flushed evewrything replaced pump, radiator, hoses and belt. took about 3 hours including flush.
Bronco
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Swansboro, CA
I did mine in an afternoon, time consuming but not complicated. I did not remove the Radiator but it did dismount the Power steering pump for some reason I can’t remember. It may have been bolted on top of the pump. Getting to the pump was most of the work.
Dr. Dyno
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Al Ain, UAE
It's not a difficult job and you could probably finish it in less than three hours. You don't need to remove the radiator (unless you're going to upgrade it) but you do need to remove the clutch fan and the auxiliary electric fan to give yourself room to work in. The most difficult part of the exercise is loosening the four nuts that retain the clutch fan to the pulley. If you unbolt the shroud first and slide it backwards over the fan, it'll make life easier. Make sure you wear thick gloves when you do this because there are plenty of sharp edges to cut your hands on.
Once you've done all that, unbolt the PS pump bracket from the intake manifold and the water pump. Remove the lower radiator hose and throw it in the trash can. You'll now be able to unbolt the water pump from the block.
As others have suggested, buy new radiator hoses (upper and lower, the lower one has a spring inside to stop it collapsing under suction from the pump), thermostat, and do a chemical flush of the cooling system.
High-flow pumps such as the Flowkooler do indeed work and will keep your engine running cooler particularly under heavy load (e.g. going up a long hill, towing). Flowkooler provide a limited lifetime warranty and they'll replace your pump (no refund) if your pump fails because of a manufacturing defect or wear of the pump shaft/seal.
Once you've done all that, unbolt the PS pump bracket from the intake manifold and the water pump. Remove the lower radiator hose and throw it in the trash can. You'll now be able to unbolt the water pump from the block.
As others have suggested, buy new radiator hoses (upper and lower, the lower one has a spring inside to stop it collapsing under suction from the pump), thermostat, and do a chemical flush of the cooling system.
High-flow pumps such as the Flowkooler do indeed work and will keep your engine running cooler particularly under heavy load (e.g. going up a long hill, towing). Flowkooler provide a limited lifetime warranty and they'll replace your pump (no refund) if your pump fails because of a manufacturing defect or wear of the pump shaft/seal.
