I helped a friend replace his water pump last week. After the miserable conditions of 20 degree weather, the thing still leaks.

It will leak cold and not running, as well as running and warm. It does not look like the lower hose but by the time the water actually falls, it is half way down the oil pan. Is there a freeze plug behind the timing chain cover?

What does the short hoes that runs under the intake go to/do? I know on older chevys this is a bypass that is often caped.

 

No, there's no freeze plug behind the timing cover.
That short hose is the heater bypass hose.

Is he getting coolant in the motor oil, or does the motor oil look normal?

 

The oil looked good and I did not see any oil in the water.

 

Wouldn't the pump need to be running for water to get to the upper hose/intake?

Also, is there any easy way to get to the heater bypass?

 

Since the oil is okay then the timing cover is not the problem. The coolant level is (normally) up to the top of the radiator, that means any spot in the system below the top of the radiator can have coolant without the pump running. To change the bypass hose you have to remove either the water pump or the intake manifold.

 

I believe you will find the short bypass hose to be the problem. You can change it with out pulling either the pump or the intake but it will take some work to get the new hose onto both of them.

 

My hunch after it was still leaking was that short bypass hose, but the problem is I could not see, even with the pump out, how to replace that hoes.

 

My question is how did you get the pump out with out removing the AC/alternator bracket? On the three engines I have replaced the pump each had to have the AC/alternator bracket removed in order to get the pump out.

Once you have that bracket removed then you will have clear access to the bypass hose. I would also suggest changing the thermostat, upper radiator hose, and the heater hose that is beside the thermostat housing as well.

 

We took the water pump out by removing the upper radiator hose, top piece of the fan shroud, core support bracket?, lower radiator hose, and the metal pipe from the water pump. We left the fan on and snaked it around the AC lines. To put the pump back in we took the auto tension hose clamp off the bypass hose, along with the fan for easier instillation.

To clarify, this pump has a pressed on pulley, and the van is a 2500. I am unfamiliar with these vans but thank you for the tip on removing the ac bracket.