Ok, I think my water pump is toast. Its REALLY hard to spin by hand, even with no belts on it...This is bad isint it...I have a spare pump from another engine and it spins freely...I guess Im gonna have to pull this one off, and swap them out...I wasnt looking forward to that. Does anyone have any advise or tip for me when I take this on? Thanks.



~T.J.

 

Does the water pump even need a gasket? Common sense tells me it does, but Schuck's website says that they dont carry anything like that...So I assume its special order, but you never know...Thanks again.



~T.J.

 

Does it over heat?

Leak? or make noise?



Why are yopu gonan put a Used* one on?

 

Firstly, it does have a gasket but using silicone gasket maker will work as well. Yes it should spin freely. I am not sure which year/model car you have, but the 84/85 SE's took a shim below a particular bolt to avoid leaks. Also you are supposed to torque the bolts in sequence shown in haynes or factory manual. That's all i can think off, when it comes to wp replacement.

 

removing the water pump is a bit of a pita; you have to take out the fan and fan cover (I think) plus it requires taking the adjusters off the alt and air pump. Once you get if off, check for cracked blades on the propeller, or if its tight it might have lost a bearing, although I understand that the water pumps on these things are almost indestructible you still could have lost one.



Remove all the old gasket off the housing and pump with a razor, make sure you get it all off. You can use some good gasket sealer but I would recommend just ordering the gasket from your dealer, its only about 5 bucks.



If you do use the silicon gasket seal, make sure you get a nice even bead especially around all the holes. Go all the way around them with it; not just the outside edge.

 

Hey, I got it taken care of, new pump, new gasket, and RTV just for good measure (suggested by Mazda dealer). Works like a charm...Now if I could just fix that pesky radiator leak, Id be all set...



~T.J.