How do you replace the water pump on a 1994-2001 Dodge Ram 1500?

Answer 1

To replace the water pump isn't complicated for the handy individual however there are a few procedures that need to be followed and if you are uncertain to proceed, the Chilton manual for your vehicle is a good investment providing you with pictures along side step by step instruction. First you will need to drain your antifreeze into a container. You will find a release valve at the bottom of the radiator (usually on the drivers side), this valve you will turn counter clockwise to open. Next step is to remove the fan. Behind the fan is a large nut and often can be released by hitting the edge of the fan clutch nut with a punch and hammer. Should it not move, carefully heat up ONLY the nut with a torch and use a large crescent wrench to get the nut moving. It won't take much at this point, then spin off the fan. The next step is to remove the serpentine belt. You might want to draw a diagram as to how it sits as the diagram that comes with the vehicle may not be adequate. There is a special tool to release the serpentine belt from the tensioner but you can use a long 9/16 wrench. The water pump is more accessible if you remove the fan cover, it's only four bolts.

Undo the hoses from the pump and the heater hose from the small black tube that goes into water-pump. There are several bolts around the pump they are 9/16 head size. Usually there are 7 bolts, 8 if you include the one that secures the black tube that goes into the water-pump. If you are not sure just look at the new pump to see if you have removed all the bolts. The bypass hose that attaches to the nipple on top of the pump is often stuck on so use pliers to remove the clamp then pry the hose off with screwdriver being careful not to puncture it as to replace this requires removing all things above the water pump. To make reassembly easier if you have a squeeze clamp on bypass hose replace it with a worm clamp (a band style clamp with an attached screw). Make certain you scrape off the old gasket from the engine block and lightly sand to ensure a clean surface (if you don't ensure a clean surface you will end up with a leak). Attach the gasket keeping it in place with a thin layer of silicone. Assemble starting with the bypass hose and a couple of bolts to ensure the gasket won't shift from bumping. Some bolts are longer than others but you won't mix them up as the short ones won't work in the long holes and vise versa. Hook up all remaining hoses and refill cooling system let your engine run a while - check for leaks. Top off the coolant bottle and recheck in a day or two.