How big is a water pump change.

[tyranical]

Anyone give me a brief overview of how to change a water pump? I know it varies from car to car. Is it something you can do yourself if you have reasonable technical knowledge? (I'm an aircraft fitter by trade)

Car is a '99 citroen saxo 1.4 if that makes a difference.

[maniac0796]

IIRC it's driven by the cambelt on a saxo, so you'll have to get a new cambelt aswell

The hard bit is getting to the cambelt, and it's not even that hard on these engines. Taking the cambelt off, taking the water pump out and putting the new bits on is easy.

I'm trying to remember the way of doing these now

EDIT:

Okay, I think, but some of this might be different, these engines have been in everything.

Take the O/S wheel off
Take the top cambelt cover off
Take alternator belt off
Take crank pully off
Take bottom cambelt cover off
Time engine up (should be marked)
Take tensioner off
Take belt off
Take water pump out
Put new tensioner on
Put cambelt on

Reverse!

You may have to jack the engine up and take off the engine mount at one point. Can't remember for saxo's.

If i'd done one yesterday, then I could of told you all the bolt sizes. Expect most of them to be 13mm and 10mm, and something bigger for the crank pulley bolt.

Edited by maniac0796 on Tuesday 14th December 19:44

Edited by maniac0796 on Tuesday 14th December 19:46

[rt106]

As I'm sure you realise the pump runs off the cambelt. Changing the pump itself is an easy five minute job, the hard and time consuming part is the removal and replacement of the cambelt. However, it's not all that hard if you have a Haynes manual, a reasonable tool kit, and a bit of common sense and patience.

[tyranical]

I suspected as much as yes it is cam belt driven so the cambelt would need replacing/resetting etc I am guessing, making sure the timing is all right etc?

[mrtwisty]

tyranical said:

I suspected as much as yes it is cam belt driven so the cambelt would need replacing/resetting etc I am guessing, making sure the timing is all right etc?

You would generally change the belt(s) when you were doing the pump, and vice versa. (unless you'd just changed one the previous weekend :-/ )