Water Pump Issue

Gentlemen,

There is a hole under the body of the water pump that is deliberately part of the water pump (not a crack) that is slowly but steadily leaking coolant when the engine is hot. Is this hole supposed to be plugged or is it supposed to leak for a hot day?

Every couple of days i have to top off the radiator which is brand new as well as all the hoses, and it's very annoying.

Do I need to replace the water pump now?

That's how it warns you the it is going to fail and has to be replaced. Don't wait until it fails completely. replace it, the tstat, with flush, and new coolant. Good luck

That weep hole is there to let you know when the seals on the water pump shaft are worn out.
When the seals go water comes out that hole. Stop driving the car NOW, its trying to tell you something. If you dont listen to it the next thing it will tell you is" Here! set on the roadside and admire your overheated engine and most likely a set of blown headgaskets as well.
Put a new water pump on the engine now.

thanks guys-

anyone know how to get the power steering bracket off so that i can pull the water pump?

Originally posted by hytorksc
thanks guys-

anyone know how to get the power steering bracket off so that i can pull the water pump?

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Cut the plate in half that spans the gap between the water pump & P/S bracket and throw it away, then remove the pump. Be sure you get the SC pump & NOT the n/a pump at the partshouse, there is a difference in shaft length.

'bird

I actually thought about cutting that plate off last night when i was looking at it, but i didn't know if this was just another ford stealership trick or if it had to be there. i did notice that the power steering pump was bolted on to another cast metal piece.

thanks again-

hytorksc said:

I actually thought about cutting that plate off last night when i was looking at it

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LOL... Gents.. drive over to Autozone, walk up and say "I'd need a power steer pump pulley puller tool. Do you have a loaner?" Then you put down a $30 deposit and off you go. No thick steel cutting necessary, and you don't stress a part of the engine that Ford (for whatever engineering reason) decided needed the additional support from steel.

If you're like me, I finally just bought the thing cuz everything always seems to require pulling the lower intercooler tube and the easiest way to get it out is to pul the pwr steering pump bracket. Of course, I replaced the water pump this spring, so it came in handy then too.

"...that Ford (for whatever engineering reason) decided..."



'bird

are there specific instructions out here on the forum on how to remove the power steering pump pulley? Is there enough room to use the puller between the IC and the pulley? If it's too difficult, i'd rather cut the plate and somehow bolt it back together with some thick metal detachable plates, cutting holes in the bracket.

Just buy the tool. Should have seen me trying to use a 3-jaw puller on a power steering pump pully on my old 78 Chevy 1/2 ton before I asked the parts store and found out I needed a different tool.

You remove the power steering pulley with a tool that is typically designed as 5 parts.

You press a threaded nut/spacer on the face of the pulley at the shaft, then slip the 2 halves of the puller around the threaded nut and the flange on the front of the pulley. Then you slip a steel band around the parts that retain them in place, keepin the two halves together. Then you have a threaded rod with a pointed tip and bearing you thread through the hole on the nut. Using two wrenches, you hold the pulley still with one, and with the other you turn on the threaded rod which forces the pulley off the shaft.

To reinstall the pulley, you have another threaded rod that threads into the p/s motor shaft. Then using the same assembly, this time you are forcing the pulley back on the shaft by turning the nut on the nut/spacer back on.

It can be quite difficult as the fit is very tight and any small bits of rust can require some serious torque on the wrenches. Longer wrench handles work much easier than the standard short ones.

It's possible to do it with the IC in there, but I'd make it easy on myself and pull the top IC tube and the IC out of there to give you some working room. Though I have Tbird88's reusable gaskets so it's less of a hassle to pull the ic tubes and put them back in.

Puller - Installer

There is often a difference in tools. One is a puller only, while the other is a puller and installer. This will make it much easier to get the pulley back on as well.
I did the drivers side rocker cover gasket and water pump at the same time, and therefore took the cooler hoses, IC, IC tubes, pulley, brackets, and belts off. It's a good time to replace belts if you haven't yet, as they are cheap enough.
This was my first time inside of this car, and it was not that bad...(except for that damned lower IC tube bolt!) I also applied a little bit of the RTV sealent to the pump and gasket before installation. Works like a champ,
Tom