Water Pump replacement tips

[1989accordaz]

Can the water pump be removed without taking the lower timing belt cover off?

I have an 89 Automatic, carb and my water pump is leaking. I am getting ready to replace the water pump but I seem to get contradicting stories on how to do it. I really don't want to mess with taking the lower timing belt cover off, but I will if I have to.

I am looking at the Chilton manual and doesn't seem that hard, but I also look at the shop manual and it shows the belt off...any tips and pointers are appreciated.

Thanks!

[nswst8]

Yes, it's not difficult. Just like a puzzle.

[gp02a0083]

yes you can but you will have to still take the valve cover and the upper timing cover off to get a good shot at the front bolts . you will just have to hold the plastic cover back , there also is another bolt towards the rear that you can access through the lower cover that has a rubber cap.

[LX-incredible]

Yes, you'll need to remove all the timing cover bolts though. The crank pulley can be left in place. The pump needs to come out about 3" due to the single stud, so there'll be some moving and bending of the cover. Do not loosen the long 12 mm timing belt tensioner bolt.

[DBMaster]

I had to replace mine with the cover on when I made the mistake of using an aftermarket (GMB) pump. I wasn't trying to save money, just time. The bearing was making noise and the seal was leaking after a mere 18 months. Try to stick with an actual Honda water pump if you can. The advice you have on the actual job so far looks sound to me.

[nswst8]

Damn guys I feel bad now for not taking more time to explain. Guess I'll go and have a coffee.

[kentwat]

I replaced mine without removing the full cover. The hardest part for mine was breaking loose the waterpump pulley bolts. I wish now in hindsight I had just went ahead and put a new timing belt on at the same time due to the amount of work involved in just replacing the waterpump.

[LX-incredible]

To easily break loose the pulley bolts, stick a long 1/4" 10 mm socket and extension through one of the 3 holes in the pulley. It will line up with one of the pump mounting bolts and allow you to hold the pulley while you remove the bolts.

[1989accordaz]

Thank you all for your info, I will give it a shot tomorrow and follow everyone's advice, I am sure it will be fun!....yeah right...

[russiankid]

You just need to remove the top 2 or 3 bolts on the lower portion of the timing cover so when you reinstall the pump you can pull back the cover.

[1989accordaz]

The new pump installation went well. Like you all said, it wasn't necessary to remove the lower timing belt cover. Just a small bending of it to clear the stud did it.

I first used a breaker bar to loosen up the belt pulleys and all the water pump bolts as well. To prevent it from rotating I used LX-incredible's tip ( a strap wrench will work too ) once I removed the pulley I also removed the upper alternator bracket and loosened up the lower as well, but I didn't remove it, just to remove the belt.

With all the bolts loose, sometimes I just used a 3" extension and turn it with my fingers since there is really not that much room to use a regular ratchet.

I did put the front of the car on ramps and it came handy to get to the lower water pump bolt, the one accessed trough a hole in the cover ( mine didn't have that rubber plug or cap, I probably lost it when I did the timing belt years ago ). The rest of the bolts can be accessed from the top.

All bolts and the water pump came off pretty easily, mine was not stuck, I guess I was lucky. To tighten all the bolts I did use a stubby ratchet since it's small in size and does fit in that tight space good enough to turn.

So thank you all for your much needed advice, wish I could have shared a well earned brew for your help!

PS: gp02a0083, I didn't remove the valve cover, just the upper timing belt cover.

[poison2003]

got a question im working on the pump right now got all the bolts off but the pump still doesnt want to come out it seperated on top but feels like something is holding it on the bottom. any idea what i can do to get that thing off?

[Dr_Snooz]

There are five bolts and one nut that hold it on if I remember correctly. Be sure you got them all. Then it's just a matter of persistence.

[pink_sleeve]

Getting ready to do the water pump and timing belt,tensioner,cam seal, crank seal, and valve cover gasket on mine. Is $52.91+ tax a good price on an OEM water pump?

[car6289]

You should probably do the oil pump seals while you have access to the front of the engine. Your water pump price seems to be the going rate for OEM.

[pink_sleeve]

You should probably do the oil pump seals while you have access to the front of the engine. Your water pump price seems to be the going rate for OEM.

I was gonna ask about the oil pump seals also. That is the price i got from a friend that works at a Honda dealer. The price i got when i called the dealer in my city was almost $130 bucks. I told them get bent....