[butcher247]

my 98 sporty has been leaking coolant out of the water pump gasket for a little while now and been getting really hot and boiling over so i figured it was about that time to replace it. looking through the procedure on mitchells and looks pretty self explanitory. just wondering if anybody had any advice or helpfull hints to make this process a little easier. thanks, butcher247.

 

[aquanaut20]

Replace the timing belt and idler while you have it open..... Philip

 

[drx350]

my 98 sporty has been leaking coolant out of the water pump gasket for a little while now and been getting really hot and boiling over so i figured it was about that time to replace it. looking through the procedure on mitchells and looks pretty self explanitory. just wondering if anybody had any advice or helpfull hints to make this process a little easier. thanks, butcher247.

Have band aides and beer nearby, I scraped the crap out of my hands doing that. The electric fan install at this time would probably be a good idea too! I did mine for $75 for everything...

 

[butcher247]

hahaha. well beer will be there but maybe not band aides. and i put a brand new fan and fan clutch in this a couple of months ago. but yeah i have water pump, idler, tensioner and new belt as well. im trying to figure out where this o-ring goes and where these little rubber seals go. i suppose ill figure it out when i get it apart.

 

[chief]

Do it asap , these engines do not like to be run hot. Blown head gasket, cracked head ect.
I would replace the timing belt and idlers. If they haven't been changed in the last 80,000 miles, you have to remove them anyway. Also the idle tension spring.
You may think about replacing the thermostat .
Count the cogs on the w/p pulley the s o h c and d o h c. Use a different count.
The rest is straight forward.

 

[butcher247]

yeah i got a new t-stat and gasket as well. figured it being hot a few times pry would be a good idea. got the timing belt idler and tensioner kit but didnt come with a new spring. this is a dohc engine by the way. is that spring really a big deal or think it will be fine. really dont have a clue what the mileage is cause the speedo and odo do not work since last owner but my guess would be roughly 175-190k. and im guessing by the way the vehicle looks someone didnt really take care of a lot of the issues and decided to let me deal with it! wooohoo! thanks to everyone for the replies.

 

[chief]

Yes on the spring, a small price to pay on insurance .

 

[butcher247]

well had it done in almost exactly 3 hours. new water pump, timing belt, idler and tensioner. when coming apart i found the reason why this thing was over heating so often. someone had installed the thermostat in upside down, haha. installed new t-stat and gasket and fired right up. ran all the air out. let my gf drive it today about 100 miles round trip so well see if it holds up. thanks for your help guys.