The water pump on the 1992 Ford 3.0-liter V-6 engine needs to be changed as soon as you notice it leaking. The bearings and the pulley may also malfunction, in which case you must immediately replace it. If the bearings are bad, eventually they will lock up and throw the belt. If the pulley is bad, the belt won't turn it properly. In either case -- a bad pulley or bad bearings -- the pump is not going to turn, and the vehicle will overheat.
Instructions
- 1
Slide the drain pan under the radiator petcock. Ensure that the engine is cold, then open the petcock to allow the coolant to drain. If you remove the radiator cap, the coolant will drain faster. Discard the coolant in an appropriate manner. It is illegal to pour the coolant onto the ground or in the sewer system.
2Loosen the four water pump pulley retaining bolts, using the appropriate socket, but do not remove them. Loosen the alternator belt's jack screw, using the appropriate socket, to loosen tension on the alternator belt. Lift the alternator belt off the pulleys.
3Rotate the automatic tensioner down and to the left, using the 1/2-inch breaker bar to loosen tension on the power steering belt. Lift the belt off the pulleys. Remove the two nuts and the bolt that hold the drive belt tensioner to the enigne, then remove the tensioner.
4Loosen the clamp on the lower radiator hose, using the screwdriver, then pull the hose off the water pump. Remove the 11 water pump-to-engine retaining bolts, using the appropriate socket. Lift the water pump and pulley out of the vehicle. Remove the pulley bolts, then pull the pulley off the water pump.
5Clean the gasket-mating surface of the engine, using the plastic scraper and shop rags. Lightly oil the water pump bolts. Smear a thin layer of RTV silicone on the water pump's gasket-mating surface. Position the water pump gasket onto the water pump and allow it to set for a couple minutes.
6Apply pipe sealant with Teflon to the third bolt up from the bottom on the water pump, on the left side of the engine (as you are looking down at it). Install the pulley from the old water pump onto the new water pump. Install two of the water pump bolts, then position the water pump onto the block. Screw the bolts in by hand as far as possible. Install the rest of the water pump bolts and tighten them all hand-tight. Using the image (see References), tighten the bolts to the following torque specs: Bolts 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 to 22 foot-pounds of torque. Bolts 11 through 15 to 106 inch-pounds of torque.
7Insert the water pump pulley bolts and hand-tighten them. Reinstall the belt tensioner. Tighten the two retaining nuts and the bolt to 35 foot-pounds of torque. Install the alternator and power steering pump belts. Tighten the jack screw on the alternator. Tighten the water pump pulley bolts to 18 foot-pounds of torque.
8Reinstall the lower radiator, lining up the alignment marks on both ends of the hose. Tighten the hose clamps to 25 inch-pounds of torque. Tighten the petcock. Fill the radiator with 50/50 antifreeze. Leave the radiator cap off. Start the vehicle and check for leaks. Allow the vehicle to run until it reaches operating temperature. Top off the coolant as needed.
