Water Pumps

Remove the fan shroud, four bolts on top, two on the sides. Remove the fan blade, four bolts. You do not need to remove the radiator to do this job but I found it goes much faster if you do. If you do, loosen the nuts on the transmission lines by using a flare nut wrench. I would not use a regular open end since if you screw up the nut, it can be a real pain. Remove the serpentine belt by sticking a 1/2" drive breaker bar into the 1/2" square slot on the tensioner. I suggest you look at how it is routed and maybe even take a digital picture so you see how to put it back on if you are not that familar with this. Then, remove the bolts attaching the water pump. You will know how many to remove by counting the holes on the replacement unit. Now, even after you have removed all the bolts you will notice it is still stuck on. Sometimes you can yank it with your hand, but I usually take a plastic mallet and give it a rap while I am hilding it. With a little luck, you ill be rewarded with a gush of green blood as the pump comes loose. Carefull clean the old gasket off the mounting surface on the block, I use a putty knife and sometimes a wood chisel to accomplish this. Then coat the mounting surface of the new water pump with Blue RTV. Let it dry for 15 minutes then carefully press the new gasket on. Then coat the gasket surface with Blue RTV and let dry for 15 minutes. The Blue RTV must skim before it is attached. Clean the threads on the bolts and then coat the threads of the bolts with Blue RTV as sometimes they go into the waterjacket and will leak if you don't. Then, pop that puppy on there and do everything you already did backwards. Fill the radiator with anti-freeze straight until it reaches almost to the top. Turn the heater on hottest and full fan and start the car with the radiator cap off. Watch until the thermostat opens, the add more anit-freeze. Once you have a good circulation and the level good, put on the cap and drive the car. Top off the coolant reserve tank with water unitl it is at the hot level.

Then, go cruising!

VBdenny

• On the 4.3L V8, There is no shroud in the way as the twin cooling fans are electricly driven. The water pump is driven by the camshaft. The serpentine belt comes off first and there are four bolts securing the pump. The hoses and any objects that may interfere with acess to the bolts must also be removed. Suggest buying an inexpensive Haynes or similar service manual to refer to while you are doing the job.

like they was saying check the hoses and make sure they are tight then check to make sure you didnt leave any old gasket on the water pump if all else fails and you cant find it put some uv dye in your raditor and run it for a little bit then use a black light to find it

I also own a Buick LeSabre although mine is a 1994. The following is the exact process. Loosen and remove the long bolt which goes directly through the motor mount. Next, loosen and remove all six bolts and one nut which hold the motor mount to the engine and frame. Next, you will need to find or make a block of wood that will be used to raise the engine. I used four pieces of 2" x 3" (5" long) and tie or strap them together. This block was then inserted directly in front of the oil pan (under the car on the right side). Next, position a hydraulic jack directly under this block of wood. Slowly raise the right side of the engine just high enough to remove both parts of the motor mount (about 8-10 inches). You now can replace your defective water pump. After you have replaced the water pump, just reverse the process and you are finished. It took me about three hours after I figured out what I needed to do. Good Luck! Deano/Illinois

Thanks for the help, it was driving me nuts. I still have a problem though. I removerd the top nut for the part of the mount that attaches to the motor, but it seems like I will need to remove the bolt that it was on in order to get the motor mount to move? Is that the case?

I just did mine on a 92. I could not get the mount out because there is not enough room to slide it off the stud from the block. After cursing all American cars and their engineers, I noticed I could swing it to the right to get the pump bolts out. So although you have to remove almost all the mount bolts, if you can't slide it out, try sliding it to the right. I also jacked up the front of the motor until the power steering punp tank touched the cross member bar. Really not that bad - about 3 hours.

Oh Yeh ! autozone.com has a great site having instructions and pics on how to do it.

This is a pay back post. I couldn't have done this without what I found on the net !!!!!

Wow, lots of pumps are being replaced. I did mine last week. The way i did it on my 95 lesabre was to jack up the motor so that the bolt that is in the rubber of the motor mount comes off easily. Then take off the half of the mount that is connected to the car(4 bolts, 2 top and 2 side) Then proceed to take off the one on the motor( 2 bolts and on nut) Then you have to jack up the motor a little bit more and slide that half of the mount out then slant it up to get it out.

It was a bit of a hassle but it is much easier to put back together. I would have to say that the Toyota camery that i helped replaced the pump on was much more a pain in the butt. Less space to move around, along with having to remove the motor mount, was not worth it.

I too had to change the water pump on my 96 LeSabre. Unfortunately, It took over 5 hours the first time because I had to find out on my own what to do with the motor mount. I also made the mistake of listening to the parts clerk and because he didn't know what he was talking about, I had my whole project put back together only to realize that it was lacking Gasket sealer and I had to restart. After knowing what I was doing, it only took me around 2 hours to complete.

I just finished my 96 LeSabre...I DID NOT HAVE TO REMOVE THE MOTOR MOUNT. I just took the battery & cooling fluid reservoir out (very easy) and it left me plenty of working room. The only reason I would have had to take the mount off is if I was replacing the serpentine belt(which was in great shape). I just took it off the pulleys & worked around it. I did have to take the power steering pulley off to get the last water pump bolt out. (there are 2 bolts that you access through the power steering pulley holes -one above & one below)

It took me all day but I didn't even know what a water pump looked like until I took the new one out of the box. YOU CAN DO IT! All you need is rachets , screwdrivers , patience . It'll much easier next time. Thanks to all for the advice above . Autozone.com has great diagrams but don't worry about taking that belt off unless you need a new one.

I didn't have to remove the mount on my 93 leSabre...but I did have to remove the bolts and move it to one side. Here are my steps: (1) Losen bolts on water pump flywheel while belt still on car. (2) Remove belt (3) Take a 2x4 long enough to cover oil pan and use a jack and jack-off car till engine raises quite high. It helps if you position the jack wheels such that the jack can move side-to-side across the front of vehicle. Just watch when you jack-up that power steer pump doesn't hit cross bar on the top side. (My first mistake was not jacking high enough.) (4) Remove long bolt from center of motor mount. (5) Remove two bolts and one nut from engine side of motor mount. (6) On the frame side of motor mount there are 4 bolts to remove...two on top and two under the mount that are on its bracket that you can't see. Remove them. (7) Remove the 4 previous loosened bolts on the pump flywheel. (8) Take a 3 foot section of 2x4 and whack the corners so its a wedge. Jam it down against the engine flywheel and the frame and move the engine over towards driver's side. If you do it right the mount bracket will separate and shift to the front of the car just enough to expose the two bolts on the pump that you normally can't get to. And it will allow you to remove the pump flywheel. (9) Remove the pumps little bolts and big bolts. I think there are 4 and 4. (10) Remove pump, clean gasket, install new pump and reverse order. (11) Curse GM for making a simple job a real pain in the butt.

By the way....before you start pick up a can of PB BLAST in Wally World's automotive section. Its a yellow can with a bunch of tacky-stuff printed on it. It works great on freeing bolts...just spray on, go have a beer and remove later.

I would suggest you invest in a repair manual. It cost around $12 at most auto parts stores, and will contain the info you need to complete this repair and many others. It will pay for itself with this one repair

Water Pump Replacement

This is a How To on how to replace the water pump in a 3rd generation Maxima with the VG30E engine. (89-94 GXE and 89-91 SE models only) The VE's may be similar but I am not sure since I do not have one.

Tools needed:

jack STANDS

jacks

tire removal tools

flathead screwdriver

8, 10, 12, and 14 mm sockets

1/4" and 3/8" drive socket wrenches

Impact wrench with a 27 mm socket

(if impact wrench is not available you can use a socket wrench but you'll need a long tube for more leverage and something to hold the pulley still, like a rubber wrapped steel cable wound around the pulley a couple times then fastened to the frame of the car)

Air compressor (if above available)

Hammer

Rubber mallet

Large sized 2 or 3 jaw puller. Autozone OEM part number 27078

Items needed:

Water pump (of course)

gasket (if not supplied with the pump)

gasket sealer/compound

WD-40 (just incase you have to take off the lower plastic coverings)

water (for you)

anti-freeze with a 50/50 mix, or 70/30. whichever you prefer and whichever the bottle says to do. 70/30 is good in the winter but just do 50/50 cause it's easier

GoJo with pummice (you'll get very dirty but you can use others)

Removal:

1. Unplug the negative wire from the battery terminal.

2. Drain all of the anti-freeze, if newer get a container and keep it for re-use.

3. Raise the car up off of the ground and secure with jack stands.

4. Take the front right wheel off.

5. Take the plastic cover that exposes the engine 10mm

6. Take the bottom plastic coverings of the car. 10mm(BE CAREFUL with these screws. They get very rusted and break easily. I recommend using WD-40 A LOT and tightening and loosening those bolts until they come out all of the way. The work on doing that is better than having to drill out broken bolts later on)

7. Remove the hose from the radiator to the splitter thingy. There is a metal piece holding the hose on. Take a 12mm socket and take the piece off. should be under the distributer. 12mm bolt and 2 flathead s/d bolts

8. Remove the other hose that goes from the splitter thingy to the thingy right below it (right to the top left of the water pump) 2 flathead screwdriver bolts

Note: you may need the screwdriver to pry off the tubing cause it gets kind of stuck on there. just work the screwdriver around the tube.

9. Take off the top cam gear cover. 8mm bolts

10. Unbolt but do not take off the water pump pulley. 4 10mm bolts

11. There is a tensioner to the rear of the main pulley. Get out a 14mm socket and loosen (not take off) the tensioner pulley. Then, with a 12mm socket you will turn the bolt on the bottom clockwise (tighten) this will actually loosen up the belt. Get it loose enough where the belt slips over the water pump pulley easily. Now you can take off the water pump pulley

12. While you are down there loosen the bolt on the top of the alternator and on the bottom, then turn the tensioner bolt counter-clockwise (loose). Then take the belt off. 12mm all

13. Go back to the top of the car and there is another belt. The tensioner puller is right to the rear of the a/c. Loosen the pulley bolt then turn the tensioner bolt counter-clockwise. Get it loose enough to pull the belt off.

14. Pull the belt off.

15. Remove the a/c belt tensioner completely off of the car by removing the 2 12mm bolts located on the rear and the bottom of the tensioner and the 14mm bolt located on the front of the tensioner.

16. Get out the Impact wrench with the 27mm socket and take off the bolt on the main pulley.

17. Get the 2 or 3 jaw puller and set it up on the pulley. If you've never taken the pulley off before once you get the puller set up you might need to use a hammer and hit the bolt that tightens the puller to kind of knock loose the pulley. Tighten the puller until the pulley is almost off. Pull the pulley off with your hands because you don't want this 8.35 pound piece of metal to hit the ground and bend or scar.

18. Remove the bottom cam gear cover. 5 8mm bolts

19. Now you have full access to your water pump. Get the 12mm socket and socket wrench out and remove the 6 bolts holding the pump in. Notice there is a different bolt on the top front of the pump. It has a threaded end. Make sure that goes back into the same spot. 6 12mm

20. MOVE BACK and pull of the pump. Some anti-freeze is sure to come out (cause it did on mine and if you read my story you know i had none)

Installation:

1. Get the new pump and clean the surface then put some gasket compound on the pump then put the gasket on the pump. Clean the engine where the pump goes. Add some more gasket compound to the top of the gasket. Kind of clean up the inside of the pump if any compound got in there.

2. Carefully manuever (sp?) the pump into the correct spot without hitting anything to dirty up the gasket and put a bolt or two in there.

3. Put the bottom cam gear cover back on. 5 8mm bolts.

4. Put the top cam gear cover on. x(?) 8mm bolts

5. This is out of step if you reverse it but makes life a little easier. Get the water pump pulley and kind of put it on the pump (it won't fit right on cause it's going to be a little snug) Line up the bolt holes and finger tighten one in there. Spin the pump around and put a bolt in the oposite side of the one you put in. Now put in the reset of the bolts. Get the shorter of the 3 belts and put it over the water pump pulley. Hold the belt down as hard as you can and start tightening the bolts on the pump pulley. Just do a cross pattern i.e. do one, then go right across to then next, then do the one beside, then go across (i hope you understand what I'm saying) Do this until the bolts are all of the way in and the pulley is on the pump all of the way. When you get all of the belts back on try to tighten all of the bolts again just to make sure. There is more tension so it won't move this time making it easier to get the bolts tightened all of the way.

6. Put the main pulley back on and hit it as far in as you can with a rubber mallet.

7. Put the main pulley bolt in and tighten it with the impact wrench. 27mm bolt

8. now just put on the plastic pieces and the tubes and you are set.

While all vehicle water pump hoses are replaced "basically" the same way there are different ways of removing them.

First, be sure to allow the vehicle to cool down before attempting to remove a hose of you will get burned.

If the lower hose is being replaced you must first drain the radiator completly so be sure to use some kind of container to capture the anti freeze, even if your nor going to re-use it. Of course if the lower hose blew out while driving, your radiator will already be empty.

If the upper hose is being replaced you still have to remove some of the antifreeze, to below the level of the hose.

Be sure to have some rags on hand to soak up any spilled antifreeze

After the vehicle has cooled down, carefully remove the radiator cap, drain the radiator as needed, remove the hose clamps, grab and twist the hoses close to the mounting point to remove. Sometimes the hoses need a little coaxing so be patient.

Place the clamps on the new hose, being sure they are loose. If the removed clamps are old I would suggest replacing them with new ones. Install new hose and tighten the clamps.

Be sure to refill the radiator !

Start the motor and check for leaks. If needed, retighten the clamps. Drive for a few minutes and re-check for leaks.

Loosen and remove the bolts in a crisscross pattern from the center outward. Insert a rag into the block opening and scrape off any remains of the old gasket.

WARNING When working on the coolant system (for example, replacing the water pump or thermostat), a certain amount of coolant will spill on the floor. The antifreeze in the coolant causes it to be very slippery. Always immediately wipe up any coolant that spills to reduce or eliminate the chance of injury.

When replacing a water pump, always follow the procedures recommended by the manufacturer. Most often a coating of good waterproof sealer should be applied to a new gasket before it is placed into position on the water pump. Coat the other side of the gasket with sealer, and position the pump against the engine block until it is properly seated. Install the mounting bolts and tighten them evenly in a staggered sequence to the torque specifications with a torque wrench. Careless tightening could cause the pump housing to crack. Check the pump to make sure it rotates freely. The water pumps on many late-model OHC engines are driven by the engine's timing belt. When replacing the water pump on these engines, always replace the timing belt. Make sure all pulleys and gears are aligned according to specifications when installing the belt.

Sorry the water pump is not driven by the timing belt but by the serpentine belt.