water pump

[hotrodtemptress]

i hate to be so sort hello to all ...
but i need help i have my mothers 1996 silverado suburban with a 350 in it sitting in my yard and i was wondering if anyone could help me with some diagrams or a talk through on how to replace the water pump. i have to have it fixed by tomorrow. thanks bunches

[Mike K.]

Just did mine, here's some pointers...

1. Do not remove serpentine belt before removing clutch fan, no, no, no. Also, rent the fan removal tools from Autozone, they are "free" with big $ deposit.
2. Remove 6 or so bolts holding top-to-bottom rad. plastic shrouding. You can get to lower-right (when standing at grill, looking into engine bay) drain cock of radiator.
3. You now have complete access to all you need to touch (no reaching around, etc.).
4. Go to Autozone.com, and type in model year for pretty decent write-up re: WP removal/install.
5. Use torque wrench, and you will need metric sockets (mostly 10 and 13 mm).

Questions, give a shout.

[email protected]

[JRSpann]

I just changed the water pump on my '98 Silverado Z71 5.7L and found my Chilton manual to be next to no help. Not enough model-specific information. Not enough detailed info for an old backyard mechanic who grew up on '50 Ford flathead 6s.

Example: "Drain the radiator."

It didn't tell me I'd have to remove both front wheels and the rubber inner fender skirts to get to the radiator and block drains. I've spent the better part of two days figuring that out. Thanks to this forum at least I found out where to look for the block drains.

Has anybody written a "1998 Chevy 5.7L for Dummies" book? I'd like to buy one.

[MyTOY]

The autozone website was helpful for me except it wasn't detailed on
"remove fan assembly" or something like that. You will need to hold
the pulley while cracking the big nut. You can try to leave the belt on
& hope the tension will be enough but unlikely. You can get the tool
that holds the nuts on the pulley or I used a strap wrench to hold the pulley
and long open end wrench on nut. A little pop with a mallet on the wrench
took it right off. I also had to disconnect an electrical connection to the
block. Some people move the alternator, I didn't but aligning the pump
back on was a little tricky. Also, the industrial hose clamps had me on the ropes for awhile. A large channel lock wrench to grasp & squeeze them
got it done.
The big nut is all you have to deal with to remove the fan assembly. Don't try to remove the clutch from the fan (pre 96 was different)
good luck

[JRSpann]

Originally Posted by MyTOY

The autozone website was helpful for me except it wasn't detailed on
"remove fan assembly" or something like that. You will need to hold
the pulley while cracking the big nut. You can try to leave the belt on
& hope the tension will be enough but unlikely. You can get the tool
that holds the nuts on the pulley or I used a strap wrench to hold the pulley
and long open end wrench on nut. A little pop with a mallet on the wrench
took it right off. I also had to disconnect an electrical connection to the
block. Some people move the alternator, I didn't but aligning the pump
back on was a little tricky. Also, the industrial hose clamps had me on the ropes for awhile. A large channel lock wrench to grasp & squeeze them
got it done.
The big nut is all you have to deal with to remove the fan assembly. Don't try to remove the clutch from the fan (pre 96 was different)
good luck

I went with the strap wrench on the pulley too, since the serpentine belt wasn't enough to hold the pulley still. I finally ended up removing the belt to give me more room to get the strap on the pulley for a better grip.