Alright, so first time changing water pump V6 engine. What is the coolant draining and refilling procedure for this job? Thanks

------------------
Richard
1985 Fiero SE V6
1986 Fiero GT

quote Originally posted by Bluearmz: Alright, so first time changing water pump V6 engine. What is the coolant draining and refilling procedure for this job? Thanks

I don't have any official procedure, but this is what I did:


1 - Remove the plug in the radiator, and let it all drain out.
2 - Remove the cap on the engine, and remove the thermostat.
3 - Take a garden hose, and hook up the inlet and flush all the fluid out as best as you can.
4 - Let all of that water drain (as much as possible.
5 - Put the plug back into the radiator, and then remove the cap on top of the radiator.
6 - Begin filling a 50/50 mix of coolant in from the engine side. Do this until coolant starts to flow out of the top of the radiator cap.
7 - Put back the radiator cap, and continue filling as much as possible from the coolant neck on top of the engine. Do this until you've topped it off.
8 - Put the cap back on (without the thermostat) and start the car.
9 - Shut the car off after like a minute, and remove the cap.
10 - Top off the coolant again.
11 - repeate these last couple of steps again and again until it's totally topped off.
12 - Take the car for a quick ride, let it cool off, and then try topping it off again, and it should be fine. Put the thermostat back, and you're done.


That's how I've always done it, and I've never had a problem.

If you want to do a flush of the coolant, do what is posted above. If you are just changing the pump, slide a pan under it and pull the pump off. To refill it pull out the thermostat and poor it back in. Put the cap on and run it a little, add more coolant. Leave the thermostat out for a full heat up cycle, then put it back in.

Some tips:
Do yourself a HUGE favor and replace the torx head bolts with standard head bolts. It’s much easier to loosen and tighten them not to mention when you can’t see them.

Don’t forget to silicon the bolts. I do them all just to make sure I don’t miss one that really needs it.

Remove the battery and side wall (for the battery). You’ll be amazed how much room it gives you.

Get one of those oil filter removing tools that is a rubber strap on a handle and use it to grab the water pump pulley to get the bolts loose and to tighten them up.

Glue the new gasket to the pump (GasGacinch Gasket Sealer).

Trust me, you don’t want to do this one twice

quote Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]: I don't have any official procedure, but this is what I did: 1 - Remove the plug in the radiator, and let it all drain out. 2 - Remove the cap on the engine, and remove the thermostat. 3 - Take a garden hose, and hook up the inlet and flush all the fluid out as best as you can. 4 - Let all of that water drain (as much as possible. 5 - Put the plug back into the radiator, and then remove the cap on top of the radiator. 6 - Begin filling a 50/50 mix of coolant in from the engine side. Do this until coolant starts to flow out of the top of the radiator cap. 7 - Put back the radiator cap, and continue filling as much as possible from the coolant neck on top of the engine. Do this until you've topped it off. 8 - Put the cap back on (without the thermostat) and start the car. 9 - Shut the car off after like a minute, and remove the cap. 10 - Top off the coolant again. 11 - repeate these last couple of steps again and again until it's totally topped off. 12 - Take the car for a quick ride, let it cool off, and then try topping it off again, and it should be fine. Put the thermostat back, and you're done. That's how I've always done it, and I've never had a problem.

Um, you skipped the burp procedure. It's extremely important.

quote Take both the radiator cap and the thermostat cap off. Remove the thermostat. Lift the back of the car as high as you can up to about 12-18" and be comfortable that it's stable and safe. Pour coolant into the thermostat opening on the engine until it comes out the radiator, then put the radiator cap on. Fill the recovery tank to the cold full line. Continue to add coolant until it appears to be full at the thermostat cap. When it appears to be full, put the thermostat cap on loosely and start the engine for 30 seconds or so. Check coolant level. If needed, add more coolant and run the engine again. Keep doing this until you can add no more coolant. Lower the car. Add more coolant if you can. Put the cap on and start the car letting it warm up. The thermostat is still out at this point so you have full circulation. Let the car cool off so you can safely remove the thermostat cap. Add more coolant if required. If you can add a lot, then go back to the starting for 30 seconds until you can't add anymore procedure and then warm it up again. Eventually you will get to the point that you can add no more coolant. At that point, replace the thermostat and put the cap back on being certain that you have it on tightly. Watch your temps for the first few trips. A rapidly fluctuating temperature needle (shaking) is an indication of air in the system.

Brad

[This message has been edited by twofatguys (edited 03-20-2012).]