Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Replacing the water pump can really SUCK!

I replaced my plastic impeller water pump with an AutoZone metal impeller pump today. Two words. "It" and "sucked."

If you have big hands and arms like me, even removing the battery and pushing the hoses around leaves too little room to work. *grumble*

And if you're not careful enough, you can get the flimsy little gasket to tear. Mmmm...leaky. Luckily I bought a new pump for both my Contours, so I had another gasket.

I idled the car long enough to get it nice and hot, then I pulled the battery and cranked down the bolts on the pump just a little more. Went out for a lengthy test drive, and it is perfect!

As long as you're in there, you might as well get a new belt for the pump. I think it cost all of $3.00. Cheap peace of mind.

Oh, yes. Cat litter makes for an excellent antifreeze absorbent.

Hey when you do that job, take out the battery and the hoses and then remove the battery tray. Thats how I did mine and it was a smooth job. I also use that High Tack copper spray and that makes the gasket stick to the housing so that you do not have to fumble with it!

Thanks man! That spray may be the ticket...

Another thing to try is a product called 3M weatherstrip adhesive.... it sticks the gasket in place so that you dont have to mess with it.... the spray does work too, but I am posting another alternative, as the spray can sometimes get messy. Then once the gasket is glued on, I usually use some high temperature silicone (Permatex makes it and the stuff is brown... I dont remember off hand what it is called) on the housing side of the gasket and put it all together.... tighten the bolts to 17-18 ft lbs. and it makes a very water tight seal. I did this to my Contour with the housing out of the car, and it was relatively easy... the only thing is make sure the Permatex dries fully before installing the assembly, otherwise you can get a real mess on your hands. Drove the car from TX to PA and back this summer after doing this, and the car loved it. HTH!

Tnanko and others.
This copper spray, does it contain actual copper particles ? It be ok to use on cast iron block, but not sure if it I'd be using on aluminum?
Galvanic action of dissimilar metals. I know from my solar collector installations, copper is on the + side and aluminum is on the - side. Copper & aluminum will corrode each other very quickly. Even in electrical wiring special adapters are required when making connections between copper & aluminum wire.
Actually it's a current flow or electron flow that is created and can't remember if it's negative to positive or reversed????? Metal is transferred.
Paul

It's not that hard to do it with battery and tray installed. Even without jacking up the car, all but the top 2 or 3 bolts can easily be reached just by laying down and sticking your arm up from underneath, though this would be tougher (impossible?) to do with SVT ground effects. Using a small 1/4 inch drive also helps.

Probably this doesn't need saying, but for spray tac's it's always easier to spray the gasket rather than the part to limit getting it all over everything.

Damn... I just left the battery in and did it all in about two hours (I'm a pretty big dude too), used the origonal bolts and RTVd the flimsy gasket. 20k miles and NO problems yet

-Chris

PS if anyone wants my old plastic one, you can have it for free, just pay shipping. It's in perfect condition, I replaced it at like 49k for preventive maint.

Me=big guy
WP=easy

Sorry you had so much trouble Sidewinder! I had no problems with changing mine out. I didn't remove battery, tray, or any hoses. I just removed the plastic front cover, unbolted WP from top and bottom (from under car). When I put the new one on I did use a very small about of RTV to hold the gasket in place on the pump.

It's possible to do without removing any hoses or the battery. You need a small 3-4" long ratchet drive and be willing to work on your back. There is just enough room to do it from underneath, just need some ramps to get the car high enough to fit under. If I can find a digital camera to borrow I'll take some pics for future souls..

Personally, I think it is easier to just take the battery out, but some may find it easier to do from underneath. A coolant shower isn't very apealing.