How do you replace the water pump on a Ford Escape?

Answer 1

What engine does it have? 2.0L - 3.0L?

4-wheel drive - 2-wheel drive?

Call your local Ford dealer or the local autoparts store. & They should be able to help you. Don't forget to pick-up a manual written just for your escape. This a great help for alot of small repairs & mantaince.

I just replaced the water pump on my 2003 Escape. Here are the details. My model is a XLT with 4 wheel drive and the 3.0 engine (6 cylinder). If you have a 2003 you need to check the mfg sticker in the driver's door jamb for the manufacture date. It is given in month/year. Mine is 06/03. This is important because in April of 2003 Ford started using a different water pump. They look the same from the outside but the blades are different and the older model will not work on cars manufactured 04/03 and on. I bought my pump at AutoZone for about $52. I also purchased a new thermostat and gasket as well as some gasket sealer and a new water pump belt.

NOTE: I elected to not drain the radiator. I just used a catch pan for spilled coolant while changing out pump then reused the coolant. You may want to drain radiator at start then refill at end.

Disconnect battery (negative first then positive).

Remove the bolts holding the skid plate on the driver's side. I left the fastener furthest back in the wheel well in place and just pulled the skid plate to the side. This gives you room to place a catch pan under the water pump.

Place a couple large towels (makes for easier clean up) and a catch pan (available at parts store) directly below pump.

Remove the plastic engine cover.

Pull the plastic pipe that runs from front valve cover to snorkel to rear valve cover. I pulled it off the front valve cover and the snorkel and moved it the left. It is just a push on/pull off piece but do it gently.

Remove the water pump belt by pushing the top of the belt tensioner back towards the large crank pulley and then lift belt off. No tool was required.

Disconnect the two hoses next to the water pump (just disconnect the ends next to the pump and use bungee cords if you have them to hold the hoses out of the way). I used channel lock pliers to squeeze OEM clamps open (I replaced these with traditional clamps when I put the hoses back on). If you placed the pan in the correct spot you will catch most of the coolant that comes out (adjust pan if necessary).

Remove the front of the thermostat housing. This is the plastic piece the lower hose was attached to. There are three bolts. After removing the front piece reach in and pull out the old thermostat and gasket.

Disconnect the electrical connector located below the thermostat housing. Push the release tab in the center while pulling.

You should now have room to remove the water pump bolts. The pump is held to a housing by 5 bolts. In addition, there are 3 longer bolts that pass through the pump and housing and hold them to the block. Some of these bolts can be hard to get a socket on. I used a combination of a 3/8 and ¼ socket wrenches and a 1 ½ inch extension. Once all the bolts were out I pulled the pump and gasket out of the housing.

Make sure the housing surface where the new gasket will go is clean. Take the new pump (TURN IT BY HAND AND MAKE SURE IT SPINS) and apply a thin layer of gasket sealer to it then press the new gasket on it. Apply a thin layer of gasket sealer to the other side of the gasket. Make sure the bolt threads are clean (use a wire brush to clean if necessary) and press the new pump into the housing and secure with the bolts. The Alldata spec for the bolts is 89 inch lbs if you have a torque wrench. If not make sure the bolts are tight. Double check all the bolts.

Place new thermostat and gasket in housing and reattach housing. Plug electrical connector back in. Place new/old belt on. Reattach the two hoses. Reattach the skid plate. Re-connect the battery. Remove coolant reservoir cap and fill reservoir with coolant in catch pan. After filling the reservoir if there is any coolant left in the pan set it aside for now.

I prefer to let the car sit for 3 or 4 hours to give the gasket sealer some time to set up.

Start the engine and check to make sure the water pump belt is moving and there is no coolant leaking from pump, thermostat housing or hoses. Allow the car to "burp" (get air pockets out of system) by letting the engine run (leave coolant reservoir cap off) until the engine is hot enough to open the new thermostat. You can tell when this happens by watching the temp gauge and you will notice that as the temp gauge rises it will stop rising somewhere near the middle and may even drop back a small bit. If the temperature does not stop rising and goes to the hot level then the new thermostat may not be working and you may have to replace it. When the thermostat does open the coolant level should drop in the reservoir and you can add the left over amount from the catch pan. You should turn the engine off and let it cool then repeat the "burping" process again. After a couple "burps" the coolant should be at the cold line after cooling. If you need more coolant and are not sure what type you have (Ford uses an extended life coolant but many owners have flushed the system and are using the "traditional" green coolant instead) you can purchase a "universal" coolant at the parts store that can be used with all coolants. Put the cap back on the reservoir. You probably spilled some coolant while "burping" the engine and the coolant spilled from the disconnected hoses needs to be rinsed off the engine so grab the hose and rinse lightly.

Put the plastic engine cover back on.

IF YOU SPILLED COOLANT MAKE SURE YOU CLEAN IT UP AND RINSE THE AREA OFF. KEEP THE KIDS AND PETS AWAY FROM IT.

Answer 2

Need to know how to replace water pump