How to Install a Water Pump on a 1994 Pontiac Grand Am 2.4 Liter
Drain all the coolant from the engine., Remove the exhaust manifold, since the water pump is located right below it., Disconnect the exhaust pipe from the exhaust manifold., Take off the last bolt., After you have removed the last bolt, the manifold...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Drain all the coolant from the engine.
Most likely, your old water pump has failed and most of the coolant has already leaked out, so there might not be much coolant in the pump.
Be sure to dispose of the old coolant properly, as it is poisonous and could be lethal to unsuspecting animals. , On the manifold there is a heat cover along with an oxygen sensor.
Remove both the heat cover and the oxygen sensor.
There are 10 bolts connecting the exhaust manifold to the engine. 9 of the bolts you can reach from the top of the car that connects the manifold to the block.
Remove these 9 bolts.
We will get to the tenth in a couple more steps., You will need to jack up the car to do this.
Once underneath the car, you will see two bolts connecting the pipe to the manifold.
These bolts have springs on them (I think it's to ensure consistent tension).
You will need to loosen one a couple of turns and then loosen the other a couple of turns, switching back and forth between the bolts until you get them out.
By now, the pipe should be free from the manifold and you should be able to pull it back and down to disengage it from the manifold.
There will be a little ring spacer between the manifold, and the pipe should fall free when you do this so watch your head., You will be able to see it from under the car:
It will be directly under the spot where the pipe and manifold join., You're now to the easy part., The cover will have two bolts going into the block of the engine, two going down to the where the thermostat is mounted, and 5 going to where the water pump is mounted.
These are all 10mm bolts.
Just loosen them, and the housing should come free; the housing also has a hose coming out of the front of it that runs underneath the exhaust manifold to the other side of the engine.
Disconnect the hose and take the whole housing out., It will have 4 bolts connecting it to the engine.
Take these out and it should slide right out of there., For this you need to support the engine either from above with an engine lift or from below with a jack and block of wood.
Once the engine is supported, it is time to take off the engine mounts., This is located on the left hand side of the engine.
It is supported by locking slots and one bolt.
Take the bolt out and slide the tank out of the slots.
Disconnect the back two hoses on the tank and move it out of the way., WITH THE ENGINE SUPPORTED, start taking off the bolts.
Once you have them off, save them and go to the store to get new ones.
You have to get new bolts for engine mounts once they are removed because they stretch and lose their strength.,, carefully lower the car with the engine supported to raise the engine., (You might want to drain the oil out of the engine before you do this since it will probably run out.) Once the cover is off you should be able to see the tensioners.
Remove these to release the chain from the gear of the water pump.
Once this is done, it should slide right out., Take your time and make sure you get them clean., Also, while you have it all apart, consider replacing the thermostat., Apply bolt grease on all the bolts before reinserting them, so in case the water pump breaks again, you won't have to struggle w/ seized bolts., If everything checks out okay, then put the rest of it back together.
If it sounds like too much work, feel free to visit your mechanic. -
Step 2: Remove the exhaust manifold
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Step 3: since the water pump is located right below it.
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Step 4: Disconnect the exhaust pipe from the exhaust manifold.
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Step 5: Take off the last bolt.
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Step 6: After you have removed the last bolt
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Step 7: the manifold should be free
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Step 8: so take that puppy out of there.
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Step 9: You should be able to see the water pump housing
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Step 10: it's located on the left hand side of the engine in the back.
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Step 11: Now you should see the water pump.
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Step 12: If the water pump does not slide out with ease
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Step 13: you have to take the tension off of the timing chain which drives the water pump.
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Step 14: First you need to remove the secondary coolant tank.
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Step 15: Now you should be able to see the first engine mount.
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Step 16: Next you disconnect the brake fluid booster hose from the engine and remove the other two mounts.
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Step 17: The car should still be raised from when you removed the exhaust manifold.
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Step 18: Start taking off the timing chain cover bolts.
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Step 19: Clean off the old gasket and the water pump cover.
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Step 20: Apply sealer onto the gasket and then put the gaskets on.
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Step 21: Start putting everything back together.
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Step 22: Before putting the manifold back on
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Step 23: put some water into the radiator to make sure you don't have any leaks.
Detailed Guide
Most likely, your old water pump has failed and most of the coolant has already leaked out, so there might not be much coolant in the pump.
Be sure to dispose of the old coolant properly, as it is poisonous and could be lethal to unsuspecting animals. , On the manifold there is a heat cover along with an oxygen sensor.
Remove both the heat cover and the oxygen sensor.
There are 10 bolts connecting the exhaust manifold to the engine. 9 of the bolts you can reach from the top of the car that connects the manifold to the block.
Remove these 9 bolts.
We will get to the tenth in a couple more steps., You will need to jack up the car to do this.
Once underneath the car, you will see two bolts connecting the pipe to the manifold.
These bolts have springs on them (I think it's to ensure consistent tension).
You will need to loosen one a couple of turns and then loosen the other a couple of turns, switching back and forth between the bolts until you get them out.
By now, the pipe should be free from the manifold and you should be able to pull it back and down to disengage it from the manifold.
There will be a little ring spacer between the manifold, and the pipe should fall free when you do this so watch your head., You will be able to see it from under the car:
It will be directly under the spot where the pipe and manifold join., You're now to the easy part., The cover will have two bolts going into the block of the engine, two going down to the where the thermostat is mounted, and 5 going to where the water pump is mounted.
These are all 10mm bolts.
Just loosen them, and the housing should come free; the housing also has a hose coming out of the front of it that runs underneath the exhaust manifold to the other side of the engine.
Disconnect the hose and take the whole housing out., It will have 4 bolts connecting it to the engine.
Take these out and it should slide right out of there., For this you need to support the engine either from above with an engine lift or from below with a jack and block of wood.
Once the engine is supported, it is time to take off the engine mounts., This is located on the left hand side of the engine.
It is supported by locking slots and one bolt.
Take the bolt out and slide the tank out of the slots.
Disconnect the back two hoses on the tank and move it out of the way., WITH THE ENGINE SUPPORTED, start taking off the bolts.
Once you have them off, save them and go to the store to get new ones.
You have to get new bolts for engine mounts once they are removed because they stretch and lose their strength.,, carefully lower the car with the engine supported to raise the engine., (You might want to drain the oil out of the engine before you do this since it will probably run out.) Once the cover is off you should be able to see the tensioners.
Remove these to release the chain from the gear of the water pump.
Once this is done, it should slide right out., Take your time and make sure you get them clean., Also, while you have it all apart, consider replacing the thermostat., Apply bolt grease on all the bolts before reinserting them, so in case the water pump breaks again, you won't have to struggle w/ seized bolts., If everything checks out okay, then put the rest of it back together.
If it sounds like too much work, feel free to visit your mechanic.
About the Author
Dennis Price
Enthusiastic about teaching pet care techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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