Hi folks. Been a member for a good while. Just haven't posted in a while. I have a question on my 85 vette. It started leaking from what I thought was the bottom radiator hose near where it hooks up to the water pump. So, i took the bottom hose off and inspected it. Upon inspection, the hose didn't appear to have any defects. Could it be the water pump and if so, how difficult would it be for a novice back yard mechanic like myself to install a new pump? Also, is it possible that the leak is coming from somewhere else? The only wet spot that I could see was down at the bottom of the motor near the water pump dripping off of the hose. Keep in mind that I couldn't even see the water pump itself or the last 4 inches of the hose on the pump side because of all the pullies. Thanks for any help in advance.

 

Hi Clayton, I don't have experience on the C4 but from what I've read it can't be too difficult, sounds like alot of wrenching and removing other items to get to the pump but pretty much staight forward mechanics.

 

The only real concern I have is the complete lack of space in that area. From what I can see, I may have to remove two or three pullies just to get at the pump bolts. Mechanics around here want between 5 and 6 hundred bucks to do it. They all say it's a pain in the ***. Just wondering what I'm up against if I try it. I thought it may be one of those "don't try this at home" tasks. I guess a Chilton's repair manual is in order. Thank you for your reply Buckshot.

 

Water pumps are very basic to replace, but you do have a bunch of stuff in the way. The most important is the air conditioning coolant. If you do the work yourself, this is a good time to detail the motor...cleaning up the grease and road grime. I bet it is worth $500 to replace. It would take me at least 4 hours to do it, plus the pump.

 

For a novice tackling this repair, one of the cheap repair manuals such as a Haynes is adequate, about $15 anywhere. They're actually generally pretty good for routine rapairs such as this. If you plan to work on your car a lot in the future, the factory service manual will be an invaluable investment. Put it on your need list.

 

Here are the lungs that need to be removed to gain access to pump. Still thinking about doing it?[:@][:@][:'(]

http://www.hotboatpics.com/pics/show...amp;thecat=500

 

Hey Ironhead, not sure where to look because I clicked on your link and registered on the hot boat site but can't find the info about lungs to be removed. I would be interested in reading it if you can point me in the right direction. I don't want to get into this without knowing what to remove. I also think the Haynes or Chilton's manual is a must for this job. Thanks.

 

There is also a book called "101 Projects for Your C4 Corvette". I got it as a gift. Kinda like it. Easy reading. Describes all tools needed. Lots of pic's. Plus the guy has a pretty good sense of humor

 

air conditioner bracket needs to be removed, there are 3 bolt-studs holding the water pump on, the nuts come off, and the accessories come off. there is a bolt on the top of the water pump that holds the crossover tube for the A.I.R. pump, then remove the diverter valves, and then the alternate air tube. then remove the bolt-studs and the 4th bolt, and pop the water pump off. Clean the oval pump pads, and glue the new gaskets onto the block with gasket sealer, slidetwo bolt/studs into the pump, and start the threads. add the next bolt/stud, and the bolt, tighten them to 40 foot pounds torque, and then reassemble everything you removed. be very gentle with any plastic vacuum lines, as they are extremely brittle when they are this old.

 

its simple repair but make sure its the weep hole in the water pump leaking and dont fix it if it isnt broken, was put a new hose on it with a new clamp 1st so your sure its not the hose, you must rember that the cooling system is under pressure so if it can leak it will. The repair is a pain in the *** compares to what???? a lazy mechanic(not saying there all lazy but some are bad..lol) do it your self, its as easy as stated in the above^^^^^^ post good luck