How To: Replace Coolant and Water Pump - PartSource: Automotive, Truck Parts & Accessories

How To Replace Coolant and Water Pump

Whether you are getting your car ready for the cold months ahead or if you are prepping your baby for storage, nothing beats flushing the coolant system.

We’ll show you how to get rid of the old coolant and replace it with new. While we’re at it, we’ll show you how to remove and install your water pump. We’re talking easy stuff here; shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours.

If you run into any snags you can always find free print outs and torque specs from Mitchell on Demand at your local PartSource store or you can talk to one of our Parts Pros. They’ll be happy to help.

Let’s get started.

A Few Things Before You Begin

If there is one thing to remember before you begin, it’s this:

Check wheels that are not raised off the ground, unless you don’t mind screaming like a guy whose about to lose his car.

A Few Things Before You Begin

In case you need them, you can always find free print outs of specific vehicle instructions and torque specifications from Mitchell on Demand at your local PartSource store.

Everything you need for this job can be found at your local PartSource store. Ask a Parts Pro about what you'll need for the job. It's better to have extra spare parts ready for anything that might need to be replaced. The last thing you want to do, is go shopping when you have the car up on the jack.

When taking parts apart, be organized. Keep similar parts together in a safe place where they won't get lost and layout parts in a way that will allow you to put them back in the same order.

Make Safety Your Top Priority

Every vehicle is different. When it comes to maintenance and repairs always follow the vehicle's owner's manual.

Make sure you have all of your tools and supplies before you begin – the last thing you want to do is go shopping when you have the car on the jack.

Safety should be your number one priority. Don't smoke, drink alcoholic beverages, or wear a necktie while working on the car. And watch out for hot objects, sharp instruments, hazardous materials and other potential safety hazards in and around your workspace. Always wear your safety glasses, a dust mask and latex gloves.

Don't work with a Philips when the job calls for a flat. Substituting tools can compromise your safety or your vehicle's performance.

Finally, when the fun turns to frustration or if the job requires specialized knowledge beyond your abilities, seek the assistance of a Parts Pro, professional mechanic or installer. The last thing we want is someone getting hurt.

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Getting Started
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Coolant System Flush

For Removing and Installing a Water Pump, click here.

Let your engine cool down. Nothing stings more than skin-piercing fluids or hot engine parts.

Once the engine is cool, raise and support the vehicle. Place a safety stand under the raised part of the vehicle… a good idea in case the vehicle slips off of the jack and crushes you, or worse, kills you.

Remove radiator cap.

Find the radiator drain plug, it's usually somewhere at the bottom or side, and place a drain pan under it. Open it up and let her drain out.

If you are removing and installing a Water Pump, go to that section before continuing.

Make sure you have a couple of extra pails handy when draining coolant. The drains can be located in areas that make it easy for the fluid to run down other parts of the car and drip where you don’t expect it. If it does reach the ground, use the oil absorbent to control and soak up fluids.

REMEMBER: Coolant smells sweet to animals, but it’s very poisonous. Always clean up and dispose of fluids and used absorbent in accordance with your local laws.

Once the coolant has drained, close the radiator drain and fill the cooling system with tap water.

Reinstall the radiator cap and run the engine until it reaches normal operating temperature. This warms the engine warm enough for the thermostat to open up and circulate water through the motor.

Allow the engine to cool again and then repeat the draining process.

Once the water has drained, close the radiator drain it again.

Refill the system with tap water and add the chemicals to flush it out.

Reinstall the radiator cap and run the engine as long as it calls for on the product’s instructions.

Allow the engine to cool and repeat the draining process.

Close the radiator drain and fill the system with ONLY distilled water. Tap water can leave behind deposits that can harm your cooling system if not cleared out.

Start the engine and allow the distilled water to circulate.

With the engine still running, remove the radiator drain, allowing the distilled water to drain out while you add fresh distilled water to the radiator.

When the water draining from the radiator looks clear, turn off the engine and allow the rest of the water to drain out.

Close the radiator drain.

Slowly fill the cooling system with a mix of distilled water and fresh coolant. This is normally 50/50 but check your owners manual for the right mix of water to coolant for your vehicle.

Save time by using premixed coolant from PartSource

Once the system is full, reinstall the radiator cap.

Your system has been flushed. Easy, huh?

Removing the Water Pump

Locate the radiator drain plug, put a drain pan under it and open it up to drain the radiator.

Once the radiator is drained, remove the hose going to the water pump and drain the remaining fluid from it.

Loosen the tension on any belts driving the water pump, and remove the belts.

If your water pump is driven by the timing belt, be extra careful to not turn the crank or camshafts while the timing belt is off. If you have a double overhead cam engine, use a cam locking tool to lock your cam gears together BEFORE removing the timing belt.

Remove any brackets attached to the water pump.

Loosen the water pump pulley bolts then remove the pulley from the water pump.

To make life easy, remove any components that may get in the way while you're removing the water pump like fan shrouds, plastic panels, fan, etc.

Loosen and remove the water pump bolts, then remove the water pump.

Remove any leftover gasket material still on the engine, and clean up the sealing surface until you have clean, bare metal, so the new gasket will seal properly.

Installing a Water Pump

Place a small bead of RTV silicone on the engine side of the new water pump gasket, and on the sealing surface of the new water pump; this will help seal it better and hold things in place during reassembly. Not too much though! You don't want it getting into the cooling passages once you tighten the water pump bolts later on.

REMEMBER: If your water pump uses "O" rings instead of gaskets, do not use silicone. Just remember to clean up ALL the surfaces that the rings will seal against. You don't want any leaks when you're finished!

Let the RTV silicone cure for about 10 minutes, then install the water pump and gaskets so they’re situated exactly the same as what you removed them earlier.

Before installing the water pump bolts, I like to use thread sealant or medium strength Loc-Tite (blue) on the bolts to make sure there are no leaks or bolts loosening later on.

Install the water pump bolts, and torque using proper torque technique and specifications for your application

Always use the right torque settings when installing anything with a gasket. If you over tighten (and believe me, it’s easy to over tighten), you can wreck the gasket before you even start the car. If it’s not tight enough, you’ll get leaks.

Reinstall any brackets and hoses you removed, and always use new hose clamps.

Reinstall or retighten anything you removed or loosened when you removed the water pump (i.e. plastic panels, fans, shrouds, etc.)

Close the radiator drain and fill the cooling system.

Look for any leaks or things you may have missed.

Reinstall the radiator cap and start the engine.

Check for any leaks or problems.

If everything looks good, double check your coolant level again—never hurts to double check.

Congratulations! You just removed and installed a water pump.