Water pump replacement
 

2002 Ram van 2500

2 & 1/2 years and 10k miles ago I paid $500 to have the water pump replaced. It had 1 year or 12k mile warranty on both parts/labor.

I'm not paying $500 again, let alone every 10k miles for a water pump replacement. I'm going to do it myself.

Any advice or tips (from those of you who have done this) would be appreciated.

Get a GOOD quality pump. (gates?) Change the belt too.....

Are you saying Gates is good quality or not? Because I'm looking at a Gates for $55 and a Mopar for $125.

The belt is near new. Less than a year old.

My main concern right now is removing the fan clutch. Is that a 36mm tool I need for that?

10K/2.5 years is a short lifespan for a water pump. Don't ignore the fan, or the fan clutch as being a possible issue. A worn clutch can cause an imbalance, resulting in a premature failure of the water pump bearing and/or seal.

If you wanna spend the money, go for the mopar pump. That one should last longer than 10K. :D

Agree with alloro as well. make sure the fan clutch isn't sloppy, and allowing things to vibrate.

I used an adjustable wrench, even a pipe wrench will work... Put it on the nut, smack it with a hammer a couple times to get it to break loose, then it threads off by hand.

I haven't had a water pump last more that 5 years, I lost count on how many i put on already. The last one i got had a two year warranty and it's about up. See how long this one lasts. If you plan on keeping it get a genuine mopar one. If mine fails soon that's what I'm going with. A big adjustable wrench and BFH usually works every time(keep the belt on). Remember to put never seize on the threads of the new pump so you don't have problems getting it off next time.