Grand Voyager water pump :(

'96 Grand Voyager, 3.8l engine... water pump appears to have sprung a leak (it's
really hard to see with all the other crap in the way, but it doesn't appear to
be a hose). Gonna hafta pull this thing off tomorrow morning... wondering if
anyone here has done it and can offer any tips/advice.

Thinking it's probably as good a time as any to replace the serpentine belt
while I'm in there, so any tips on that would be appreciated too.

Anyone know where I can find a shop manual online? PDF or...??

TIA...

 

Here you go ! Just found it today
http://www.sagiparts.com/Van/97-99ns/index.htm?B197-99+Voyager=++++97-99+Voyager++++++

I have coolant leaking everywhere this morning and thank fully under
warranty as recent second hand purchase. I thought it was cool. Can
you tell me if you have an owners manual and how thick it is, I am
trying to access one.

 

Don't have time to order one online, it's gotta be fixed tomorrow.

I'm looking for one as well.

I found some very basic procedure info at www.autozone.com... was a little
scared at first, as the first procedure shown there involves removing the timing
belt and at least two engine mounts, but then I realized that was for the 2.4
and 3.0 liter engines; for the 3.3 and 3.8 (further down the page) it's MUCH
MUCH simpler.

 

The 3.3 and 3.8 are not as bad. I that once you remove the splash
shield, it is accessible. The power steering pump is another story.

-KM

 

I changed a water pump on a 3.3 a few years ago, on a 1990 grand
voyager. If it's still in the same place on the new vans, don't worry.
It's about as easy a job as you could hope for.

 

Shouldn't be too bad a job. I've done a 1990 3.3L and a 1999 3.8L. They
were basically the same procedure and used what appeared to be a similar
water pump too.

Block the rear wheels and loosen the wheel lugs on the front passenger side.
Jack up the van and remove the wheel. Then remove the inner fender splash
shield to gain access. Doing the serpentine belt at the same time is a very
good idea. Consider replacing the tensioner and idler too if they are still
original equipment and your belt is similar to the ones I've done.

Scrape the old gasket/RTV off carefully and completely. Then make sure that
you get the new O-Ring seated properly before re-attaching and tightening
the new pump. I use a small bead of RTV sealant to hold the rubber O-ring
in place and make for a better seal. Torque all the bolts to the
manufacturer's spec (not handy to me now) alternating bolts across the pump.

It is also a good time to flush the old system thoroughly and replace the
Thermostat too if it has not been done recently.

Good luck. Total time should be about 1-2 hours to replace the pump
depending on how much experience you have.

Bob

 

Thanks... got'er all done, also replaced the bypass(?) hose that jumps between
the pump housing and the thermostat housing, as it appeared to be crumbling...
and finally discovered that there's STILL a leak, apparently a pinhole in the
back of the pump housing. MOTHER@%$^#%(!@!! And the housing is a part of the
big cast front plate on the block. Nice.

We're hoping a little JB Weld might be able to patch it from the inside, if we
can find the hole from there, but if not, it's looking like a very expensive
fix. Ugh. What a stupid design.

 

I'd be willing to bet that JB Weld will fix it if it's just a little
hole. Just make sure you clean everything thoroughly. Scuffing the
metal up wouldn't hurt.

 

Update: opened the pump back up, and with some backlighting, found the hole...
there's a sort of "cylinder" the pokes out the back of the pump housing with a
couple of small hose outlets... the whole back edge of where that meets the main
part of the housing is really rough and "bubbly", almost like there were a bunch
or air bubbles in the metal when it was cast. One of those "bubbles" is where
it's broken through - the pinhole of light is painfully obvious when it's backlit.

So, I've cleaned it well and gone over it with a wire brush wheel in my Dremel;
just waiting for the residual water to dry up now so I can put some JB Weld on
it. This IS an aluminum piece, no? Is there a "special" JB for aluminum or
should the standard stuff work (which I already had for some steel patching)?

 

Alright... patched up the whole area around the hole with a nice thick layer of
Permatex Cold Weld (similar to JB Weld), let it cure overnight, reassembled
everything... it seems to be holding up now.

Anyone seen anything like this before? Looks to me like the result of a really
poor casting job on this particular piece... wonder how many others are out there?