Water Pump

[sunmicroman]

I just found out I need to replace the water pump in my '94 Metro. I replaced water pumps in other cars before. But what is involved in replacing one on this Metro? I took it to an auto shop because it is overheating and I already tried the thermostat & radiator myself and didn't want to keep dumping more $ into the car unless I knew exactly what was wrong. The guy wants $590 just to replace this water pump!! I thought that was kind of high but is it because it is very invloved to do?

[mik13usa]

take it to a Goodyaer or reputable local shop and have the timing belt (if needed, alternator belt, if needed) and water pump done at the same time ... shouldn't charge more than 275$

[sunmicroman]

Thanks for the reply, but I am going to do this myself. I was wondering how involved it is and if anyone can tell me from experience what to expect.

[avfan]

You have to remove the timing cover and the alternator,there are 5 or 6 bolts holding the waterpump on.it is relativley easy,but make sure you use a thin coating of sealant on the waterpump gasket,mine leaked until I replaced it and used silicone

[tude123]

You will also have to remove the timing belt. And since you are under the timing belt cover you might just as well replace the belt. Put your front end up on stands, pull off the right wheel, and the plastic shield in the wheel well. Carefully loosen (but do not remove) the left/front motor mount bolts so you can lower the engine and work on the water pump straight on from the right wheel well.

You can do this job with standard hand tools easily in one day if this is your first try at this job. Good luck.

[Crvett69]

unless its leaking or you didn't run any antifreeze in the car not sure replacing water pump will fix your problem. did one on a toyota the other day they had run straight water in and even with the pump vanes 50% gone it still didn't overheat. make sure your fan comes on when it gets a little over half gauge and also run hand across radiator fins, should be evenly hot across width, if its only hot on outside edges its probably plugged

[sunmicroman]

Yep, the fan comes on and is plugged in. I already have replaced the radiator (cost me close to $200 just to find out it wasn't the problem. Oh well, it's a '94 probably needed it anyway) and the thermostat. Yes, it intermmitently overheats. It first would just spike the gauge once in a while but now consistently pegs it then goes down. I also have to add coolant everyday and the overflow tank is full. There is no coolant in the oil either nor oil in the coolant. Plus the auto shop I took it to (after spending the $ on the radiator and thermostat just to have the problem still) told me it was the water pump. I'm sure they would've done a pressure check and let me know if it was anything else. Thanks for all the replies though. It doesn't sound too bad to replace the pump. It kind of sounds similiar to one I replaced (at the the time of doing the timing belt since I was in there anyway) on a 1994 Pontiac Sunbird I had once.

[chembrad]

Do the work yourself. Replace the waterpump, gasket, & use thin coat of Permatex waterpump gasket sealer. If you replace the timing belt at the same time, the whole job might run you $60. Plus you learn a lot about your car and clean up all the crap that accumulates around the engine. Mechanics don't have time to do that.

Don't forget to give your starter a look over while you are in the area. Watch for corrosion developing on the connectors and brush it off.