GM 12481997 Water Pump Kit

A failure in the water pump can cause serious engine damage due to overheating as the pump will not be able to circulate cooled water through the engine. There are three ways to check the operation of the water pump while it is still installed on the engine and if the pump is suspect, it should be replaced with a new or factory rebuilt unit. With the engine warmed up to normal operating temperature, squeeze the upper radiator hose. If the water pump is working properly, a pressure surge should be felt as the hose is released. Water pumps are equipped with weep or vent holes, if a failure occurs to the bladder of the pump, small amounts of water will leak from these weep holes. In most cases, it will be necessary to use a flashlight from under the car to see evidence from this point in the pump body. If the water pump shaft bearings fail there may be a squealing sound at the front of the engine while it is running. Shaft wear can be felt if the water pump pulley is forced up and down. Do not mistake drivebelt slippage, which also causes a squealing sound, for water pump failure.

It is not economical or practical to overhaul a water pump. If failure occurs, a new or rebuilt unit should be purchased to replace the faulty water pump. First, disconnect the negative battery cable. Then, drain the radiator. Remove the generator drivebelt. If equipped, remove the power steering drivebelt and the A/C compressor drivebelt. Disconnect the coolant hoses from the water pump. Remove the water pump mounting bolts and lift out the pump. On L4 engines equipped with air conditioning, it may be necessary to remove the A/C compressor from its mounts in order to gain enough clearance to remove the water pump. If installing a new or rebuilt pump, transfer the pulley from the old unit to the new one. Ensure the sealing surfaces are clean of any foreign material. Then place a bead of gasket sealant on the pump sealing surface. While the sealant is still wet, install the pump and torque the mounting bolts to specs. The remainder of the installation is the reverse of the removal procedure. Adjust all drivebelts to the proper tension. Connect the negative battery cable and fill the radiator with a mixture of ethylene glycol antifreeze and water in a 50/50 mixture. Start the engine and allow to idle until the upper radiator hose gets hot. Check for leaks. With the engine hot, fill with more coolant mixture until the level is at the bottom of the filler neck. Install radiator cap and check coolant level periodically over the next few miles of driving.

To get rid of a four-cylinder engine, starting by undoing the cable from the negative battery terminal and removing the coolant. Then, take off the water pump belt as well as lower radiator hose at pump support bracket. After that, remove bolts holding water pump and take it out of engine compartment. When fitting new water pump, clean its gasket surface on pump support bracket and apply RTV sealant around the mounting flange of a new water pump. Mount the water pump onto this housing and tighten down these bolts to specified torque. Attach lower radiator hose, install drivebelt for water pump and tension it accordingly. Finally, fill cooling system with fresh coolant while attaching negative terminal of battery then start engine observing for any leakage coming from coolant system. For V6 engine removals begin by taking off right side louvered cover over engine compartment disconnect negative battery cable. Remove plastic shield over battery and drain cooling system. And then unfasten r nut that secures wiring harness to junction block behind battery; remove EGR solenoid vacuum valve along with bracket as one assembly unit. Loosen right rear wheel lug nuts; lift rear of vehicle and remove right rear wheel. Loosen alternator adjusting bolts (two) and remove drivebelt. Carrying on further when you unscrew all eight M8 x 1.25x50 mm flange screws on top of cylinder head cover, you will see that there were also those two M10 x1 .5x80 mm bored blind holes in your casting near each front corner where cylinder head cover was bolted in place on your cylinder block before; now they are plugged. The reason why it is possible to use TSB's for production vehicles is because they involve problems that areredesigns because they were produced incorrectly. Next the nuts and water pump bolts are removed. Lower vehicle and remove top of water pump. For changing worn water pump, clear mating surface on block and apply RTV to the new water pump mating surface. After that put it in position, raise vehicle and install them. Then tighten them to manufacturer's specifications. Rest of installation is opposite of removal procedure. Finally, start engine with fresh antifreeze mixture from drainage system; allow a normal operating temperature for engine before checking for coolant leaks.

A failure in the water pump can cause overheating and serious engine damage because a defective pump will not circulate coolant through the engine. There are three ways to check the operation of the water pump while it is still installed on the engine. If any of the following checks indicate that the pump is defective, replaced it with either a new or rebuilt unit. Squeeze the upper radiator hose while the engine is running at normal operating temperature. If the water pump is working properly, a pressure surge will be felt as the hose is released. The water pump is equipped with a "weep" (vent) hole. If the pump seal fails, small amounts of coolant will leak through the weep hole. You will need to get underneath the water pump to see the weep hole, so raise the vehicle and place it on jackstands. Use a flashlight or a drop light to help you determine whether there is evidence of leakage from the weep hole. If the water pump shaft bearing fails, it will usually emit a squealing sound while it is running. Do not confuse drivebelt slippage, which also makes a squealing sound, with water pump bearing failure. Even before the bearing actually fails, shaft wear can be detected by grasping the pulley firmly and moving it up and down. If excessive side play is noted, the shaft or the bearing are worn and the pump should be replaced.

A failure in the water pump can cause serious engine damage due to overheating as the pump will not be able to circulate cooled water through the engine. There are three ways to check the operation of the water pump while it is still installed on the engine and if the pump is suspect, it should be replaced with a new or factory rebuilt unit. With the engine warmed up to normal operating temperature, squeeze the upper radiator hose. If the water pump is working properly, a pressure surge should be felt as the hose is released. Water pumps are equipped with weep or vent holes, if a failure occurs to the bladder of the pump, small amounts of water will leak from these weep holes. In most cases, it will be necessary to use a flashlight from under the car to see evidence from this point in the pump body. If the water pump shaft bearings fail there may be a squealing sound at the front of the engine while it is running. Shaft wear can be felt if the water pump pulley is forced up and down. Do not mistake drivebelt slippage, which also causes a squealing sound, for water pump failure.

They should be loosened and removed, along with the fan blades and pulley or pulleys from the hub on the water pump shaft.

Disconnect the lower radiator hose, heater hose, and bypass hose at the water pump.

A failure in the water pump can cause serious engine damage due to overheating as the pump will not be able to circulate cooled water through the engine.