My son has a 1998 Durango with a V6 and the water pump has gone out. I don't have a service manual for this truck and wanted to know if there is any thing special I should know on getting to the water pump and removing and installing a new one??? Do I need to take any brackets off that hold any other parts. How and what do I need to remove to get the Fan off? Stuff like that. I know sometimes fans can be a pain in the rear to remove from the water pump shaft.

Thanks in advance for any replies,
Rich

 

My only tip if you've never done this before, when you take off the fan the shroud has to come with it at the same time. Be careful of the a/c lines and fins on the radiator. Also when I removed my fan to replace the clutch we had to put tension on the belt (using the tensioner) and wedge a scratch pad in between the belt and pulley on the water pump to hold it in place while we broke the fan lose, remember its reverse threaded. Hope this helps.

 

First off the V6 didn't come in the Durango until 1999. Anyway, to remove the fan leave the belt hooked up for added torque to hold it back. Place the proper wrench on the clutch nut and while holding it back have someone smack the wrench really damn hard with a dead blow mallet, or go get a spanner wrench and do it right.......LOL.......The A/C system compressor can just be placed on top of the intake out of the way, you don't need to disassemble any of it.

Anyway, here is a Factory Service Manual for the 1998-1999 durango. There is 2 pages so download all the PDF's and put them all in one folder to represent the full manual, just put them in order: http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=c...3f6w4a6wme00,1

 

It was a piece of cake. Wedged a tire iron between the water pump pulley and the pump housing, took a large crescent wrench on the fan nut and whacked with a hammer. Removed the 4 bolts on the fan shroud and pulled the fan and shroud out together. Removed the bolts holding the WP and pulled it out through the top, plenty of clearance. The hardest part of the job was getting the short hose off the water pump. Pulled the extension tube out of old WP cleaned it up. Vasoline on the O ring slipped it over the extension tube and jammed it into the new pump. Screwed the new hose hub into the new pump and installed everything in reverse. Took 2 hours taking are time. Everything went perfect and now the annoying screech is gone from the bearing wearing out!!!

Thanks to hydrashocker for the SERVICE MANUAL although I got the email after I had already finished.

 

No problem!

That short hose is called the "bypass hose". The easiest way to break them free is to twist them. You can grasp them with a pair of pliers but protect the hose with a rag and turn it. Once broke free they will pop off the nipple. This goes to many hoses.

If this doesn't work meaning it won't turn you get a butter knife and gently slide it down between the metal nipple and the hose in just a few places around the nipple then twist it to break it free. At this point you should replace the hoses if you can, especially the hard to get ones like the bypass hose and lower radiator hose.