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Old 08-29-2005, 04:09 PM   #1
Kyle4213
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1995 Legacy LSi
white

Default waterpump

hey guys how hard is it to install a waterpump..i was wondering if its worth doing the trouble yourself or not i kno if you dont have it exact itll **** your car up so do you have to take of the bumper or radiator or anything like that..or can you just get at it using a jack or a lift...the price wasnt ba from subaru so i dont know...
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Old 08-29-2005, 09:00 PM   #2
fastenova
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Not your usual 1997
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It's easy. The hard part is dealing with the timing belt and getting that lined up perfectly. You don't have to remove the radiator or bumper or anything. The procedure is like this:

Drain coolant and discard (recycle it if you can, don't feed to your dog!)
Remove alt. belt.
Remove A/C belt.
Remove radiator fans (disconnect electrical connectors first).

Remove crank pulley:
-----If 4EAT, there's an access hole on the top of the tranny, under the throttle body on the passenger side. There is a rubber plug/plate that you have to remove first. Stick a screwdriver in there and it'll catch on a notch in the flexplate. Use a breaker bar on the pulley bolt.
-----If 5MT, set the parking brake and put it in first. Use a breaker bar and the pulley bolt should come loose without too much trouble.

Remove right and left timing covers.
Remove middle timing cover.
Remove timing belt tensioner.
Remove timing belt.
Remove water pump.
Clean old mating surface of any sealant/grime.
Seal and install water pump.

Install tensioner (You have to recompress it slowly, and use a nail to keep it collapsed until after you have the belt in place).
Install timing belt.
Install covers, crank pulley, belts, and fans.

If you're going to do this procedure, get a Haynes. It will tell you how to line up the timing belt (which you may want to replace since you're in there, as well as the front crank seal and oil pump o-ring), how to reinstall the tensioner, and outline this entire procedure.

I can't remember the sealant I used on the water pump. It was the same type that is used on a thermostat housing. I think it's the red high-temp RTV silicone stuff.

-Aaron
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Old 08-29-2005, 10:51 PM   #3
Subietonic
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Replacing the water pump is easy, once you get through the timing belt "stuff". Just as a precaution, put a thin piece of plywood between the front the engine and the back of the radiator (once you get the cooling fans removed), just to make sure you don't farcle up your radiator.

As Aaron mentioned, get a Haynes of a Chiltons (prefer Haynes myself) manual both for the pics and the step-by-step directions. Be especially careful with the cam belt tensioner. Follow the directions to the "T" particularly on this piece.

Also a good timing belt replacement primer on the 2.2L SOHC engine. 2.2L Timing Belt Replacement

Dale
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Old 08-30-2005, 01:19 AM   #4
wrx_driver_2002
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Since you're doing a waterpump, and the coolant needs to be drained anyways, why not remove the radiator? They're extremely easy to remove... All you have to do to remove it is undo the upper and lower hoses at the radiator, the two 8mm bolts that hold the radiator to the car (and if it's an auto transmission, the two cooler lines that go to the radiator)... Then it will just lift out, and you won't have to worry about poking a hole in the radiator, and you've got about 2 extra inches of room.
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Old 08-30-2005, 01:57 AM   #5
fastenova
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wrx_driver_2002
Since you're doing a waterpump, and the coolant needs to be drained anyways, why not remove the radiator? They're extremely easy to remove... All you have to do to remove it is undo the upper and lower hoses at the radiator, the two 8mm bolts that hold the radiator to the car (and if it's an auto transmission, the two cooler lines that go to the radiator)... Then it will just lift out, and you won't have to worry about poking a hole in the radiator, and you've got about 2 extra inches of room.
Not a bad idea, but I will say that I've never needed to myself. I've replaced a water pump, adjusted the timing belt on two separate occasions, and torn heads off all with it in place. But, I also was working in a driveway at night most of the time with crappy lighting when I tore the heads off, so the radiator was the least of my worries

-A
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Old 08-30-2005, 03:40 PM   #6
Mx5racer
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How long to water pumps typically last on these cars?
(i.e. when did yours go out?)
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Old 08-30-2005, 03:44 PM   #7
fastenova
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I replaced mine at ~125K because I was troubleshooting cooling system problems, which actually turned out to be a blown head gasket, but I think it's a good idea to replace before ~150K miles. I know lots of people who've gone 200K+ on their stocker, but I think it's more common to fail earlier.

-Aaron
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Old 08-31-2005, 01:21 AM   #8
Subietonic
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Typically the only causal factor in short-lived water pumps (< 150,000 miles of driving) is not changing your coolant regularly (at least at the maintenance intervals) with OEM Subaru coolant or using other than an adequate Subaru coolant substitue in an emergency and then not flushing and replacing it with genuine Subaru coolant as soon as practical.

Our Sube's engines are all aluminum alloy and as such, corrode when the wrong type of coolant is introduced into the cooling system. That corrosion circulates and collects along the seals and shaft of the waterpump, eventually causing undue wear on the shaft and compromising the water-tight integrity of the pump seal itself. Check out this Coolant Link for more info.

Pre-mature (read less than 150,000 miles) mechanical failure is rare on these items. Only one other item, I'm aware of that can impact the water pump, is a failing cam belt tensioner or something else in the timing belt path, which causes the cam belt to put undue pressure on the pump shaft, therefy causing the pump bearings to fail. This is rare too. FWIW - I've never had a Subaru water pump fail in 30+ years of Subaru ownership.

Subaru has not done a good job of engineering their PH I head gaskets and so they regularly fail. That said, it's my personal opinion that not changing the coolant regularly with Subaru coolant AND not properly bleeding the coolant system when the coolant is changed, can lead to premature head gasket failure. High-revs and un-attended-to misfires will compromise the HGs too, but in my experience, it's the lack of routine coolant change-out that gets the head gasket. Again, just my opinion.

Dale
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Old 08-31-2005, 07:23 AM   #9
kevinsUBARU
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I had the waterpump on my 1995 Impreza sieze at 58,000 miles (shortly after I had taken ownership of it) and it was up to date on maintenance. Not to scare anyone or anything like that
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Old 08-31-2005, 09:01 PM   #10
Kyle4213
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thanks for the help ansd info cause were goin to get started on it on sun..i got those parts you talked about to for the hell of it they were cheap only gaskets
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Old 08-31-2005, 11:40 PM   #11
Subietonic
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kevinsUBARU
I had the waterpump on my 1995 Impreza sieze at 58,000 miles (shortly after I had taken ownership of it) and it was up to date on maintenance. Not to scare anyone or anything like that
Makes me wonder whether the coolant was replaced with other than genuine Subaru coolant. At nearly 60,000 miles, it would have had at least 1, possibly 2 coolant changes if the 30,000 mile replacement maintenance schedule was followed. It's amazing how fast the non-Subaru stuff reacts with our engines and especially the coolant system jackets and the pump. And it's not pretty.

Kyle4213

Good luck and let us know if you need anything and how it all comes out.

Dale
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Old 09-01-2005, 03:09 AM   #12
JPX
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mx5racer
How long to water pumps typically last on these cars?
(i.e. when did yours go out?)
My 1996 water pump started making a squealing noise around 80,000 miles. Then at 89,000 miles, the squealing suddenly stopped and shortly coolant started pushing out the front bearing/seal of the pump.
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