Water Pump

[abeye28]

I have a small coolant leak. It seems to happen when the car idles for a period of time. All the hoses seem ok and the connections all seem tight. I am assuming the water pump may need to be replaced. If I change the pump, is there anything else you guys recommend I look into. Also, do I need any special tools for replacing the pump?

[Kameix1]

You should also do your fan clutch and thermostat while you are there. You will need one special tool depending on how much rust is on the fan clutch threads. It is a fan clutch holder, basicly it holds 2 of the 4 ten mm bolts that hold the pully to the water pump, this allows you to undo the fan clutch bolt. There are other ways of doing this too but I dont know them.

[Mark 88/M5 Houston]

I always order a couple of extra gaskets for the water pump. I generally need at least one more than comes with the pump, especially if it is getting dark while I'm installing it.

I also like the "Permatex Aviation Form-A-Gasket No. 3 Sealant" (brown non hardening sealer) on the paper gasket.

[Bryan in SB]

Make sure to get the right pump. The M5 takes a different pump than the standard M30 motor. While a standard pump will work, the M5 pump flows better. And of course, it's more expensive.

If you're changing your pump, I would change out the hoses and plastic hose fittings as well. No point in doing only part of the job.

[Steve Haygood]

I'll sell you an M5 pump,but the std m30 pump works well enough in the sunny hot south