Pray your water pump doesnt go bad

[Disturbed_One]

because it is one big PAIN IN THE ASS to replace that sucker

ours went bad about a month ago, found it was on the passenger side of the engine...under the timing cover, with the belt

after removing the wheel, and an engine mount, raising the engine, removing all kinds of covers, crankshaft gear, the hydraulic tensioner, the pulley, the timing belt, and THEN the water pump

then in the reverse order to put it all back together...but having trouble with the timing belt because it kept moving the gears and mis-alligning them, lol


well it was a big pain, but a lot cheaper than taking it to the dealer, and now its finally running

[eXcelon]

im glad you got it running again. you changed your timing belt too since you had it off right ?

[riley texas]

did you need a special puller to remove the crank shaft gear? I've got a water pump out too, but have yet to fix it. just discovered the problem this morning. sounds like a lot of cursing will go into this little project. any advise or tricks would be greatly appreciated. your monza is probably a fun car to drive,with the power to weight ratio. all i own are dodges 97 1/2 ton p u, 2 69 darts and a mini van.

[wafrederick]

Yes,you do need a special puller for the crank pulleyy.There is a special three jaw puller and the crank pulley does not have bolt holes for a harmonic balencer puller.

[joanndelellis]

I have a 2001 Stratus R/T. How did you know that the water pump was out? I took my car into my mechanic because of a lound growling noise and the car was overheating. He diagnosed it as a bad water pump. Does this sound right?

[KimMG]

If the bearing goes out, it will make noise and not circulate coolant. Was it leaking?

[joanndelellis]

Well the car does growl...however it has done this for years...especially when it is cold. I never see puddles in my garage or driveway, so I'm guessing there are no leaks. However, I have to fill the coolant reservoir once a week. Today, I realized that the fan doesn't kick on...maybe the car is using more coolant since the fan isn't doing its job??

[Matts3100]

they do make a plastic cam-lock tool to keep them from moving while you work on the car without the timing belt. I think snap-on/blue point makes one fairly cheap. Saves a lot of headache!

[cavedweller3366]

Had same problem about a month ago. Had backyard mechanic replace timing belt also since he was in there to do the pump. Hopefully he didn't nudge the gears around because I have a seriously ill idle now. It's as if the car has a heartbeat, a smooth idle for three seconds and then a quick higher rev for one second, followed by a 5 seconds putter at the end......but only while in park and idling or at a stop sign or red light. While cruising, car has plenty of power and speed. Also need to replace my balancing cams chain....really really noisy. Good luck to you.