Water pump replacement
 

Hey all, noticed I was loosing coolant at about an inch in the reservoir every half hour to hour of driving. Found fresh coolant right underneath the water pump, so I'm guessing a seal went bad in it. I was reading the manual on replacing it, and it seems pretty straight forward. Has anyone done it and know roughly how long it takes to do? Trying to determine if I do it this week before I have to take it somewhere on the weekend or just keep topping it off in the mean time. Also any helpful tips on replacing these?

It's an easy process. A few hints.

1. Replace the T-Stat at the same time. Get a factory Mazda T-Stat from the dealer. The small jiggle hole goes on the top/higher side when installed so air can bleed easier.
2. Ensure you have a T-Stat gasket. You can make one cheap from gasket material.
3. Make sure to remove the water pump housing and replace the gasket on the backside. Either make or buy.
4. There are two very thin washers on the backside of the water pump housing to make up the difference where those two studs do not have the gasket. Don't forget to put those back.
5. I use a thin skin of orange sealer on both sides of all my gaskets. Don't go crazy but just enough to ensure to helps make a good seal.
6. Also a good time to replace things like hoses and belts.
7. Make sure you have all your supplies before starting.

[QUOTE=KansasCityREPU;12306118
5. I use a thin skin of orange sealer on both sides of all my gaskets. Don't go crazy but just enough to ensure to helps make a good seal.[/QUOTE]

the orange stuff is an old old old sealant, please use the Ultra Grey or the "right stuff", or the OEM Three Bond 1207B

the Mazda number is R2Y1-10-431, but its $40 a tube.

You use this for the water pump?

I heard this little "ting" when I was bolting the top flange/ nozzle/thermostat on the water pump housing. One of the holes where to bolt goes in cracked! The housing is cast iron so no welder would touch it. I had to buy one from a rx-7 cannabilizer. Thank goodness for the internet.

So be gentle.

Also a good idea to take pictures as you disassemble things.

Clymer's manual says it is a semi skilled job that takes 2.2 hours for a professional mechanic that knows exactly what he is doing. I'd multiply that by 3 to take into account time spent scratching your head.

Mind your torque specs when tightening, and there is a specific tightening order to the bolts. Great advice to use an OE thermostat!!!


Stu Aull
80GS
AZ

Obviously it's your first time, so set aside a day to do it. It's not likely to take you anywhere near that long, but better to overestimate than to underestimate. Use your manual and take your time. It's not hard, but it can be a pain in the ass - especially if you end up having to re-do it because of a mistake.

Please, pay ATTENTION to this! Very important and can possibly be the easiest part to get wrong. KansasCity REPU outlined it all pretty well, only thing I would add is drain the system from the intermediate housing. It's trivial and may sound silly, I know ... but when I did my first water pump, I didn't know that.

i use a little of the grey or black stuff, the takeaway was that the orange stuff is an old formula that has no place on a car

I like black RTV. Even though it is designed for oil pans, it works ok on waterpumps and is black so looks better than orange, or even blue. The orange stuff barely works and can be rubbed off a surface with your thumb once cured.