Must replace water pump but can't stop just there
 

Howdy.

1999 5.2L NV3500 RWD. Had her for about 20 years (130k) and a keeper. She been a really good girl, I don't recall replacing anything engine/emission related that aren't wear items like cap and rotor in a long time. I can't even remember how long ago I had a DTC. Maybe 15 years ago a CKP?

Water pump - gone. Haven't done any teardown yet. Driving home went from "is that the water pump or idler pulley squeaking?" to throwing my belt while in my neighborhood, turned off engine and coasted most of the way home.
You ever just have problems knowing where to stop on a project?

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Brain is screaming "Don't replace water pump without replacing timing cover gasket!"
And then on from there, "Bet the timing chain is slack"
And then "Oh yeah, bought that plenum kit a while back in case she ran rough" She hasn't, she's been running great. Let's get her done.
She'll be parked a while, good time to send injectors off to Mr Injector for injector rebuild if I'm replacing the plenum pan.
Bet that 'harmonic balancer' (vibration damper) rubber is probably toast and it's coming off anyway with timing cover.
Good time to replace the belt tensioner too. At least just the idler pulley.
Bypass hose - replace that too, hard to access otherwise

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Anyway, does the parts in the section delimited by "--" seem fairly reasonable for replacing all original parts? Especially directed to our admin HeyYou :)

Anything my midnight hour brain is missing in building a potential parts list? Once I'm done with a current home project, I'm going to tear down to get a look at the timing chain and re-evaluate what actually needs replacing.

Since the Ram has been so trouble free, haven't ever looked up parts to see my price or what's still available for a 1999 (I get my CDJR dealership parts discount) but a "Mopar or no car" type of guy when it comes to most parts, so won't be replacing oem with inferior ebay/amazon parts.

The stuff you have to remove would take what.... an hour to get to the pump? That's not a lot of time invested, unless you're bored with time and $$$ on your hands.

Just replaced my three timing chains on the 4.7 in my Dakota. Have done a few water pumps on it too. I did it cause my timing guides fell apart at nearly 350K and I feared the chains would jump.

In your case I'm part of the "If it ain't broke don't try to fix" club. Your steps and video ( below ) look a lot easier than my cramped engine bay, so the "since i'm in there" theory wouldn't sway me to do all that extra work for a relatively simple job. Now if your chain was making a bunch of noise or timing cover leaking,etc., then yeah, spend the extra time $$$ since you're in there.

Make sure you burp that thing good. I didn't watch the whole vid, so not sure it they included that part. 😊

the water pump on a 1994-2001 Dodge Ram 1500 5.2L V8 involves draining the coolant, removing the fan shroud, fan, serpentine belt, and various hoses connected to the water pump. The old pump is then unbolted, the mounting surface cleaned, and a new pump with a gasket is installed. Finally, the components are reassembled, the system is refilled with coolant, and checked for leaks.

1. Safety First: Wear hand and eye protection. Never open the cooling system when it's hot.
2. Drain the Coolant: Open the radiator cap and locate the radiator drain plug. Place a collection receptacle underneath to catch the coolant.
3. Disconnect Hoses: Disconnect the coolant overflow hose and the upper radiator hose.
4. Remove Washer Fluid Tank: Disconnect the washer fluid hose and wiring harness, then remove the tank.
5. Remove Fan Shroud: Remove the mounting bolts and carefully lift out the fan shroud.
6. Remove Fan: Use a fan clutch removal tool to remove the fan from the water pump shaft.
7. Remove Serpentine Belt: Note the belt routing, then use a wrench to release tension and remove the belt.
8. Disconnect Water Pump Hoses: Disconnect the heater hose and the lower radiator hose from the water pump.
9. Remove Water Pump: Unbolt the water pump from the engine.
10. Clean Mounting Surface: Scrape away the old gasket and clean the mounting surface.
11. Install New Water Pump: Install the new water pump with a new gasket, ensuring proper alignment.
12. Reassemble Components: Reinstall the hoses, serpentine belt, fan, fan shroud, and washer fluid tank.
13. Refill Coolant: Refill the cooling system with the manufacturer-specified coolant.
14. Check for Leaks: Start the vehicle and check for leaks, ensuring heat is coming from the vents.
15. Road Test: Take the vehicle for a road test to confirm proper operation

If you can see the timing cover leaking (easiest from underneath looking up) ABSOLUTELY replace the gasket. It's only a half dozen additional fasteners that are easily accessible. And yeah, once you're there the timing set is one bolt (literally, I think?). I've always used the double roller replacement and it's very inexpensive.

In some cases the oil pan gasket will tear when you remove the timing cover. I've never had that happen but read of it with others.

Water pump, timing timing set, of course the cover gasket...... and plenum. Think I would skip the injectors, either that, or just replace them, and call it a day. Balancer? See what it looks like, if it's original, likely is indeed time for a new one. :D

Good points from all of you, thanks. I just remember a video a while back for 2nd gens, guy had timing cover gaskets nailed to a wall going on about how they blow out, which is why I was thinking I shouldn't replace only water pump and call it a day.

Best thing is nothing extra to do was mentioned. Aware the bottom of timing cover mates with the oil pan but plan on just RTVing that section and leaving oil pan intact.

Just inspected what I could observe of the timing cover gasket and looks decent, not separating out from the timing cover. The thin rubber of the vibration damper looks good and solid. Plenum pan has a thin film of oil so won't be wasting my time installing the plenum kit.

I'm now less enthusiastic about timing chain inspection. I remember getting better MPG so slack timing chain and leaky plenum would be one of the MANY causes... but might be NEITHER.

Again, appreciate the inputs...

On my 96, I did the waterpump/timing set because the timing cover sprung a leak. Disturbing the waterpump may prompt the cover to leak as well..... I was kinda surprised at how sloppy my timing chain was once I got down to it, and swapping it out was probably one of THE BEST things I did as far as making it run better...... Once the pump is out of the way, it's only like six more bolts to get the cover off..... it just isn't going to get any easier. :D And you'd be bent if you did the water pump, only to have to go back in because the cover started leaking. :D

FWIW I have proven on this forum with pics you can remove the timing cover with the water pump attached. That said, there's little effort saved doing so and anytime I have a Magnum water pump off I replace it.

It's also more challenging to replace the front crank seal with the water pump attached to the cover. Personally I press the seals in on my arbor press because you're guaranteed to get it square.

AC Delco and Murray (O'Reilly) pumps are both terrible and may only last months -- I've experienced this on both.

Your balancer may be the old 2-piece design. All the new ones are one-piece. Just trivia, not sure one is vastly superior

Yeah I've thought the same, the longer water pump thru bolts go thru the timing cover, disturbing the gasket when I retorque it.

Keith_L yup aware you can install timing cover/water pump as an assembly using only the short bolts. I'll probably do that just to make sure the water pump gasket is straight.

For about half a day I was back to just replacing the water pump, but curiosity killed the cat... want to see the chain

At least no one mentioned, "with timing cover off and intake off... why not swap the cam?" oh wait.... :)

Well, I will admit, we do tend to contribute (greatly) to "Scope Creep"......... but, sometimes, even we can exercise a modicum of restraint. :D

OK, we are hitting ourselves in the hands with hammers to make us stop..... but, don't tell anyone that. :D

How many miles on the truck/engine? When pulling the water pump, unless I know the chain inside is good, I pull the cover off for inspection. I have remove pump and timing cover together, but normally don't. I take the little extra time to remove them separately and massage the parts to make sure a good seal. On my '96, I didn't drop the pan. If you're careful, you can reseal the timing cover/oil pan meeting seal.

When I got into my engine, I found all sorts of poor work. What I expected to take a couple of weeks took almost 3 months because of other demands on my time and sourcing parts I didn't know I needed going in. 3 broken intake bolts didn't help either. I thought the engine ran good with the exception of a constant tika-tika-tika noise. Now it purrs like a kitten and quick to the gettin'. I replaced my injectors just because. I did find my original oil leak though. The oil sending unit was leaking a little. Between that and valve cover gaskets seeping, I was using a quart every 600-700 miles. Now, after all the leaks are sealed and the intake is nice and closed up, I don't have any noticeable oil consumption between oil changes. 172K or so and going strong.