95 Caravan 3.0 waterpump removal problem!!!
#12
06-17-2012, 10:10 PM
Even after reading the warning by Wilcom, I made a similar mistake that caused me to waste time. So I'll give a more general solution to avoid the mistake.
The water pump is held onto the engine by the larger bolts, mostly around the bottom of the pump, and one coming down vertically into the top of the pump through a plate that is bolted to the alternator bracket. All of the smaller bolts around the top, including the one that caused the problem with Wilcom, do NOT have to be removed at all to remove the water pump from the engine. The smaller bolts, plus one screw, are only there to hold the two halves of the water pump together, along with a screw coming from the back. These can be removed once the water pump is off the car.
I made similar mistakes to what Wilcom did, and wasted at least two to three hours on the job, trying to get one of the small bolts off while the water pump was still on the engine. I cussed the designers, but it wasn’t their fault, it was mine. Repeat: It is NOT necessary to remove ANY of the smaller bolts to get the water pump off of the engine.
Here is what you need to do to get the water pump off -- no more.
-- Disconnect battery negative
-- Raise front of van on jack stands
-- Remove RF wheel and spash shields to expose front of engine
-- Loosen radiator cap to remove pressure
-- Remove lower radiator hose from radiator to drain radiator coolant
-- Remove air conditioner pulley from crankshaft, and remove air conditioner belt
-- Remove the serpentine belt
-- Use impact wrench to loosen the harmonic dampener and serpentine pulley bolt from the crankshaft, and remove those components from the crankshaft.
-- Disconnect electrical harnesses that get in the way
-- Support the bottom of the engine with a jack under the oil pan (pad with a piece of wood).
-- Remove top bolt and cross bolt and disconnect engine mount to fender. Remove bracket from the fender.
-- Remove the idler pulley for the serpentine belt.
-- Remove two bolts that go through the power steering pump into the front engine mount bracket. (guide the bolts out through one of the holes in the power steering pump pulley.
-- Go to the rear of the engine, and loosen one mounting bolt for the power steering pump, and remove the other, so that the power steering pump remains there attached lossely, but can be rocked in the front.
-- Remove harness and nuts that hold the A/C compressor to its bracket, and slide the compressor out enough to access bolts to remove the compressor bracked from the engine. You do NOT need to disconnect the air condition lines. Just let it hang there.
-- Despite what some instructions say, you do not need to loosen the alternator or its bracket.
-- Remove the remainder of the bolts holding the engine mount bracket to the front of the engine. One long bolt might have trouble getting past the inner fender. If so, raise the engine slightly until it clears.
-- Take the engine mount support bracket off the front of the engine. You’ll need to tilt it away from the engine on the right side (as you look at it) and guide it out from behind the power steering pump pulley.
-- Remove the covers for the timing belt.
-- Suggest you get the timing belt pulley marks aligned to their pulley positions. Then put a mark on each pulley and a corresponding space on the timing belt. This will help when you put the belt back on. Even if you decide to put a new timing belt on, later you can lay them both on the floor and count the teeth to put the same marks on the new belt you are going to install.
-- Remove the timing belt tensioner spring
-- Remove the timing belt.
-- Remove the water pump, following the instructions above, taking out only the larger bolts around the bottom and one large bolt coming down vertically from the top.
-- The water pump should pull straight out and off. It is pushed on a water pipe to the engine with a rubber seal, so you might have to work it a little to get it to pull out forward.
--While the water pump is off, you might consider putting on a new timing belt, and a new lower crankshaft seal. Instructions can be found elsewhere on the internet.
-- Reassemble in reverse order.
-- Dealers say this is a 4.5 hour labor job. Maybe if you’ve done several of them, you might be able to do that. I’d plan for at least twice that long.
The water pump is held onto the engine by the larger bolts, mostly around the bottom of the pump, and one coming down vertically into the top of the pump through a plate that is bolted to the alternator bracket. All of the smaller bolts around the top, including the one that caused the problem with Wilcom, do NOT have to be removed at all to remove the water pump from the engine. The smaller bolts, plus one screw, are only there to hold the two halves of the water pump together, along with a screw coming from the back. These can be removed once the water pump is off the car.
I made similar mistakes to what Wilcom did, and wasted at least two to three hours on the job, trying to get one of the small bolts off while the water pump was still on the engine. I cussed the designers, but it wasn’t their fault, it was mine. Repeat: It is NOT necessary to remove ANY of the smaller bolts to get the water pump off of the engine.
Here is what you need to do to get the water pump off -- no more.
-- Disconnect battery negative
-- Raise front of van on jack stands
-- Remove RF wheel and spash shields to expose front of engine
-- Loosen radiator cap to remove pressure
-- Remove lower radiator hose from radiator to drain radiator coolant
-- Remove air conditioner pulley from crankshaft, and remove air conditioner belt
-- Remove the serpentine belt
-- Use impact wrench to loosen the harmonic dampener and serpentine pulley bolt from the crankshaft, and remove those components from the crankshaft.
-- Disconnect electrical harnesses that get in the way
-- Support the bottom of the engine with a jack under the oil pan (pad with a piece of wood).
-- Remove top bolt and cross bolt and disconnect engine mount to fender. Remove bracket from the fender.
-- Remove the idler pulley for the serpentine belt.
-- Remove two bolts that go through the power steering pump into the front engine mount bracket. (guide the bolts out through one of the holes in the power steering pump pulley.
-- Go to the rear of the engine, and loosen one mounting bolt for the power steering pump, and remove the other, so that the power steering pump remains there attached lossely, but can be rocked in the front.
-- Remove harness and nuts that hold the A/C compressor to its bracket, and slide the compressor out enough to access bolts to remove the compressor bracked from the engine. You do NOT need to disconnect the air condition lines. Just let it hang there.
-- Despite what some instructions say, you do not need to loosen the alternator or its bracket.
-- Remove the remainder of the bolts holding the engine mount bracket to the front of the engine. One long bolt might have trouble getting past the inner fender. If so, raise the engine slightly until it clears.
-- Take the engine mount support bracket off the front of the engine. You’ll need to tilt it away from the engine on the right side (as you look at it) and guide it out from behind the power steering pump pulley.
-- Remove the covers for the timing belt.
-- Suggest you get the timing belt pulley marks aligned to their pulley positions. Then put a mark on each pulley and a corresponding space on the timing belt. This will help when you put the belt back on. Even if you decide to put a new timing belt on, later you can lay them both on the floor and count the teeth to put the same marks on the new belt you are going to install.
-- Remove the timing belt tensioner spring
-- Remove the timing belt.
-- Remove the water pump, following the instructions above, taking out only the larger bolts around the bottom and one large bolt coming down vertically from the top.
-- The water pump should pull straight out and off. It is pushed on a water pipe to the engine with a rubber seal, so you might have to work it a little to get it to pull out forward.
--While the water pump is off, you might consider putting on a new timing belt, and a new lower crankshaft seal. Instructions can be found elsewhere on the internet.
-- Reassemble in reverse order.
-- Dealers say this is a 4.5 hour labor job. Maybe if you’ve done several of them, you might be able to do that. I’d plan for at least twice that long.
#13
06-17-2012, 10:15 PM
