Nick98Z28

iTrader: (3)

My water pump is slowly dying. I have the new one in my garage and wondering how hard this will be to do myself. Does the radiator have to come out? I don't have access to a lift so is this something a out of house mechanic like myself might be able to handle?

BlackScreaminMachine

iTrader: (17)

On LT1 cars yes.

On LS1 cars there seems to be alot more room but again I will say yes. Ive done them from the bottom and not remove the radiator but took long, did it from the top with the radiator removed, saved time.

Get a good manual and you should be fine. As far as workin on Fbodies are concerned

warp10

iTrader: (5)

I replaced mine a couple of years ago and didn't have to remove the rad. Took about 1-2 hours going slowly.

blkbird

iTrader: (28)

It is very simple to do. I did mine from the top without removing the radiator. There is plenty of room..... 6 10mm bolts hold it in place. 1 bolt will have to be taken out with a regular or rachet wrench because you will not be able to get a rachet in there. That is the hardest part and still very simple to do. Also, put a couple of bolts on either side to hold the gasket in place when you are reinstalling the pump. Hope this helps.

bluehawk2

iTrader: (74)

The water pump is not a problem. you don't have to remove the radiator-you would probably waste time removing it. It will probably take a couple hours to do it for the first time, but if you have any basic mechanic skills you will be able to do it.

Mr Incredible

Water pumps are pretty easy. I had to do mine last summer, did it all from the top, and needed no special tools.

Tip: If you have no short term memory, take plenty of photos. It helped me. Also, I used little baggies to keep the different bolts separate.
Tip: The old gasket was a real bear to get off the block. Have a good scraper handy and take your time.
Tip: I vacuumed out the pieces that got into the water passageway. The coolant helped clean out the tiny bits as it got sucked out.

Sneakyws6

What are some options for the stock water pump replacement? Are there any more efficient or higher flow stock replacement without going with a electric pump?

99kamarokid

iTrader: (5)

ttt, i have the same question

98redM6

iTrader: (39)

You could do it easily within 2 hours, that includes going slowly and reading directions. t is not necessary to remove the radiator. You'll need to remove the airlid, maf sensor, bellow, and the throttle body. This gives you enough room to work with. I think the most laborious part of it is removing the waterpump and taking off all the old gasket material from the waterpump.

Mr Incredible

I just went ahead with a replacement part from Advanced Auto. It shipped from the factory and I had to wait a couple of days, but it fit right and has worked well. The orininal one lasted seven years and 88k miles.

Since my car is basically stock I saw no reason to spend the extra money on a fancy water pump. The other one worked just fine. However, I'm sure there are plenty of expensive name brand waterpumps if you looked in the online parts catalogs.