JasonA Posted February 12, 2006 Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 I just had to vent my frustration after TRYING to change the water pump on our Grand Caravan this weekend. It looks really easy. It's remote mounted, similar to the Cadillac's. It's low and behind the engine, accessible rather easily from underneath with the van up on ramps. Once I got the serpentine belt off and the coolant drained, it was rather easy to remove the 5 10mm bolts which bolted the pump to the housing. It came right off...piece of cake. But I couldn't get it off the vehicle. Huh? That's right...I could get the pump loose, but could not get it to come out of the housing. There was too little clearance between the housing and the vehicle frame. I could ALMOST get it out, if the engine were just a LITTLE bit lower, or if the frame member were notched. Did some searching online, and found out that someone who's done this on his had to lower the engine. There is a lower front engine mount that bolts to the front crossmember under the radiator. Okay sure, I'll try that. Way too much work for a water pump, but lessee how it goes. I put a jack and piece of wood underneath the oil pan, removed the bolts for the mount, and lowered away. Engine didn't move. It was hung securely still by the other 2 or 3 mounts elsewhere in the engine bay. A few looked to only be accessible with air tools. Fuggetaboutit. This is way too much work for a stinkin' water pump. After I got all the way into the job, I remembered the vehicle should be covered by Dodge's 7/70 powertrain warranty. I've never had a warranty on a vehicle before, so I didn't think about it, but this one is still covered. So I buttoned it all back up and I'll take it to the dealer in the morning. All this vs. less than an hour with hand tools and a big socket to do the Northstar water pump. We are so lucky! Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenJ Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 All this vs. less than an hour with hand tools and a big socket to do the Northstar water pump. We are so lucky! Yup, we are VERY lucky where the water pump is concerned. I've heard folk have changed that thing without even draining the coolant (Okay, maybe a little splash on the floor). However, just about everything else is a PITA on our vehicles. Wanna change the blower motor? Go with G-D. Head gaskets? HE won't help you. OTOH, Cadillac's self diagnostics are the best in the land. Regards, Warren There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeckMeats Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 I just swapped out the water pump on my 92 over the weekend. 3 hours total; only had to remove the battery and coolant reservoir first. Some bolts were a bit of a pain to get at but overall it was pretty easy. ALTHOUGH, I did hit a snag. My brother, who had helped put it in, had forgot to torque down the pully bolts. I forgot as well and thought everything looked good for a test drive. Start up the car and... wow... you wouldn't believe the noise. Well, since my powersteering pump had a loose bearing we all thought that this new noise must be the powersteering pump in its death thrull. I get in the car and drive it about 20 feet, smoke spewing out the back. Then, we hear something metallic flying around and shooting out from underneath the car. The drive belt snaps. The car shuts off. One of the bolts was still in the pully, the other two were gone. We found one in the street - the other was lost. SO, we head over to kragen and get a new belt and a stud kit. Everything works wonderfully now... although my pully has a stud protruding about an inch out which looks ghetto as hell. Lots of fun... lots of fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 The 92 water pump is a different animal altogether compared to the NS that is a cartridge. I once changed a 4.9 water pump behind a Marriott with borrowed tools, the 4.9 pump is a biatch considering the lack of room and that a couple of the bolts are hard to reach... Once you do it a few times however it become routine. Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeckMeats Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 Yeah, the A/C accumulator was the biggest pain in the *smurf*. We didn't bother removing it though - once the coolant reservoir and battery are out you've got just enough play in the A/C line to move em a bit. Doesn't the 4.9 water pump look like a strange alien embryo? hehe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 It looks flimsy to me, but then a gain I am used to the old CAST IRON crabs that they used to use.. Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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