i am replacing my water pump in my 71 350 skylark.. what are the steps i should take in doing this... thanks
Its a fairly simple job, I'll go through the way I did it. It may not be the best way but it worked. I have heard that you should put a piece of cardboard or something similar right behind the radiator to protect it when you take the fan off. I didn't but its probably a good idea. Of course drain the cooling system. Then you have to loosen the belts that go around the water pump pulley, probably the alternator and AC compressor if you have it. There are 4 nuts on studs in the pump shaft, take off the nuts, then work the fan out of there and remember to keep the blades vertical. the pulley should come off then. You have to remove the bypass and lower radiator hose from the pump too. There are two kinds of bolts that hold the water pump to the timing cover, big ones and small ones. On my '72 the small ones were simply bolts that went into threads in the cover but on a '69 engine I took apart, the bolts stuck out and had nuts on them, I'm not sure what kind you have but if its the older design, you simply need two wrenches instead of one. Just be careful with the small bolts, they are VERY easy to break. Take the pump off,and clean off the old gasket. Reuse the studs from the old pump in the new one and put some sealent on the new gasket then put the new pump on. Remember to be very careful with the small bolts while tightening them. You may want to put some anti-seize on them too, just to prevent future problems. Then put everything back together and you're set. Someone could easily do it in a morning.
water pump also , when u tighten up the bolts for the water pump , use a 1/4 inch drive ratchet with appropriate sockets . that way u will not overtighten the bolts . if your cooling system has not been flushed for several years , then while the pump if off , remove the thermostat housing & thermostat and back flush the block . i would also remove the rad & give it a good flushing . just suggestions .
w/pump a day or two before doing this you may want to soak/spray some good rust buster on all the bolts/nuts etc ( SEVERAL TIMES )and let it soak because he is correct , they do bust easy . if some do bust or they look a little too shabby for your taste i think TA lists some new sets of bolts that include them . del www.taperformance.com
Patrick, Unbolt the fan, from the water pump. Then remove the fan shroud(2 bolts, either side top) with the fan. To avoid loosening the belts, you can simply pull the fan pulley off the water pump, and the belts will come with it. Then drain everything and remove and install the new pump. When you put the fan pulley back on the water pump, line the bolt holes up, and pull the belts into the pulley as you push the fan pulley back on. This is a little tricky, but a neat shortcut, and saves the adjustment and loosening the belts. Good luck.
ok. ive taken the fan off.. should the pully just come off with a tug or is thre something i need to do to get it off? does it matter if i drained first...i havent gotten around to it becuase of school and work and such./.. and the fact that it is a little colder in canada and my garage isnt heated. thanks
If I remember right, once you get the fan off, there's nothing holding the pulley on, I could be wrong so take a closer look if you can. If there is something holding it, it should be obvious. Otherwise I would tap the back of it with a hammer or something to get it started. It doesn't really matter what step you drain it as long as its before you start loosening the bolts on the water pump.
the 4 bolts that hold the fan on hold the pully on. (besides the rust between the pully and the pump.) the way of not loosing the belt is the only way i can get my belt on (for some reason the alt. dosent move any closer to the distributor) it worked really well infact. you will most likely break a bolt though holding the pump in though. hate to say it. I broke 3 though i was also taking my timing cover out as well quick work on a drill press. Nate
