Da Mail Man

Greetings All,

Before I Tackle This Problem This Week-end, I Thought I Would Put Out Some "feelers".

I Have Developed An Anti-freeze Leak At Or Around The Water Pump. I Have Not Placed The Car In The Air As Of Yet So, I Do Not Know If The "weep-hole" In The Pump Is The Source.

Is The Replacement Of The Pump A Big Job? Also, Is There Any "bypass Hoses" Connected To The Pump Way Far Underneath, Say, Heater Or Otherwise, That Could Be Leaking And Not Actually The Pump?

A Visual Inspection From "up Top" Is Virtually Impossible Due To All The "crapola" On The Engine. Chime In With Anything And Thanks!

CG77VETTE

I had a coolant leak that looked like it was leaking from the pump but was actually a cracked hose at the front base of the throttle body. It was leaking straight down the front of the block around the pump and gave the impression that the pump was leaking. I found the leak by pumping air pressure into the radiator exposing the leak. The hose is about four inches long 5/8" in diameter and is curved. I'm not sure if you have the same setup on your '88 as my '86 but it's worth checking. Good Luck!

Z51JEFF

It wont be fun.As you know there is ALOT of crap hung on the front of the motor and its all got to come off.The first time I thought my pump was going out it was the pump bolts backed out and caused a leak but have since replaced the pump.Start early on a weekend and go from there.

aj1988

It has been 3 years since I replaced mine so the memory is sort of 'dim' but I do remember that the biggest problem I had was not knowing chevy decided to run the heater hoses thru a bracket and I fought with that for quit a while. After overcoming ignorance it didn't take very long.

vader86

There are a couple hoses that have formed small leaks on mine before, difficult to get to, but that saves the money of a pump.

I dont think replacing a WP on any SBC is a real ordeal, but the tight fit of the engine bay means you should be careful what you disconnect.

If you do replace, I'd replace with a Stewart Pump.

zog

I did mine last winter...the actual culprit was a cracked radiator tank, but while I had it out I decided to replace the pump and all the hoses...a pretty time consuming job, but not hard. There was so much stuff to take off, I decided that for just a few more bolts I could replace the timing chain, too (86 with 107,000 miles). Then, since I had to drop the oil pan anyway, I opted to add a new oil pump....that was probably the easiest part of the job....lots of room to get the pan off.

Back to the water pump...not hard but lots of time and patience...good luck

Da Mail Man

Thank You All For The Advice!!,

Tomorrow, I Will Jack The Car Up From The Side After Riding It Around A Bit To Build Up Pressure. Hopefully It Will Be A Loose Hose Instead Of A Pump. I Will Get The Pump While I Am Out And Go From There.

I Recall After Replacing The Serpentine Belt, That I Slipped A Few Times And May Have Damaged Or Loosened The Hose. Yea, I Know, Probably Not But, It's Good To Dream!......i'll Let Ya Know!.........thanks Again!

aj1988

DO NOT forget to bleed the fuel pressure before you start. If you follow the directions in the manual you need to disconnect the fuel line. I didn't do this and I was leaking fuel for the entire time I had it apart.

ClarenceT

Fuel lines can be caped if you don't bleed them, that's what I did. Not "ALL" has to come off. AC compressor needs to be unbolted, flung back; AC bracket, alternator, smog pump, smog solenoid dist. box thing, and that's about it. If you have the frisbee on the water pump, don't put it back on. While you're there check your tensioner pulley bearing, and any cracks in the serp. belt... Took me 3 hours with air tools, first time around, but no problems. Remember to put some gorilla snot on both sides of the gaskets bef. you slam it back in (you wont like it when they leak after you put everything back together )

Da Mail Man

Greetings All,

H2o Pump Update. Well, After Studying The Problem, It Took Me 6hrs To Do The Job.....the First Time! It Seems That I Had A Gasket Shift During Installation. So, This Morning (sat), I Took It Down Again And Finished The Jon In 3hrs And This Time No Leaks! Thank You To Everyone With Input.

However, I Did Notice One Thing. When I Loosened The Gas Lines To The Rails, I Had Very Little Or No Pressure At All. The Gas That Escaped Would Not Have Even Filled 3 Thimbles.

This Is A Problem That Has Has Be Stumped. I Replaced The Fuel Pump Relay About A Month Ago. I Did This Because Each Time I Start The Car, I Do Not Hear The 1.5 - 2 Second "pump Prime" That My Fuel Pump Is Supposed To Make Priming The Injectors. I don't Think I Replaced The Wrong Relay.

Any Ideas Or Could Someone Post A Picture Of The Relay Location As Helms Pict Is Sorta Crappy!......thanks!