im in the middle of replacing the water pump on my 97 5.9 4x4 and have been stopped before ive really gotten started. i have no real way of holding onto the water pump pulley while im trying to knock the clutch loose. ive referenced 2 articles from pavement sucks, but the method shown wont work for me. the pulley on my pump is pressed on, instead of bolted so i cant get a pair of pliers on there. i dont think i have a strap wrench big enough, i dont think it would give me enough leverage anyway.

http://www.pavementsucks.com/tech/fanclutch.php
http://www.pavementsucks.com/tech/timingchain.php

im at a loss right now and in need of a low budget solution. any help would be greatly apreciated, thank you.

 

i took a 2x4 and cut a wedge on the end of it and wedged it against the crank balancer. i had to cut the board a couple times to get it to fit right. took a breaker bar and socket and wacked it with a bfh. it was still a real pita.hope this helps.

 

If your water pump pulley has 1/4" bolt holes drilled through the front of it, you are home free. Take a piece of metal strap and drill two slightly larger than 1/4" holes in one end the same distance apart as the holes in the pulley. Put two 1/4" bolts and nuts through the holes in the strap so that you can insert the bolt shanks through the two corresponding holes in the pulley and hold the pulley while you loosen the big fan nut. Works every time.

 

unbolt the water pump from the front of the motor, cut the small bypass hose, and lift out the water pump with fan attached, along with the shroud.

 

If you have an Advance Auto or AutoZone anywhere around you, they probably have a fan clutch removal loaner tool. I just did this job a few weeks ago, and picked up the tool from Advance Auto. $60 to cover the cost if you decide to keep the kit..otherwise bring it back and get all your money back Incredibly easy with the right tool, mine came right off with little effort.

 

Yea I did the Autozone loan thing too. Theres no instructions on how to use but I was able to figure it out. I took it right back to get my money.

 

About two years ago I had to replace the water pump on my truck. What my dad and I did was put the right wrench on the nut connecting the fan clutch to the water pump pulley and just smacked it with a hammer. If you try to wrench on it, then the pump pulley will just turn, but if you jolt the nut with some force, it might break loose. Thats what we did and it made the job incredibly easy. I too got the loan a tool from Autozone but didn't need it in the end.

 

Mine was originally removed with an air chissel (round point) on the left side of the nut flat. If the pump is already trashed, I guess it's ok if you don't mind a boogered up fan nut.

 

i just went and rented the tool with no success. the wrench that comes with the tool is supposed to rest on the 4 bolts that are on the front of the pulley, but for some damn reason the bolts aren't there. the holes are though, so im thinking if i can get 2 bolts of the right size, i can make this work. does anyone know if i can rob them from the fan clutch temporarily?

so far all of the responses have been helpful, thank you.

 

just go and get 2 bolts that fit as tight as they can, they will still be a little bit loose, when you are using that tool ,be carefull, the tool will slip off of the bolts you have put in there, most of the pumps I do that are factory, have the nubs sticking out already, making the removal easy, but the aftermarket pumps have the holes......