[Will59]

Okay, So I replaced my water pump yesterday. It took me the better part of a day. (I'm slow - I just turned 61) Used a cheap eBay water pump but it looks good. 240 k miles. I followed somebody's detailed instructions here, so I had an idea what I was getting into. Thanks to that person and the reliability of my '05 TB 4x4 LT I don't work on her much. The pump rattled, sort of, and engine made no such noise with belt off, so I knew it was an "accessory". I spent the morning trying to "hammer" or whack the big nut loose, but had no luck, none whatsoever. 15 years and 240k miles makes them stubborn I guess.?. Used a wedge and modified it 3x, left belt on. Read internet, watched YouTube. Lots of specialized tools. I want to show you all what I used because it worked so beautifully. And I didn't see anything like it on the net so... You might have to bend an old half inch wrench like I did, but I broke one first and they aren't easy to bend. But the idea is to attach the half inch wrench to the engine hoist hook - I used a closed end double sided wrench that I showed in the photo. The big nut didn't stand a chance, but my old adjustable wrench needed the breaker bar for leverage. This won't tighten the half inch (?) water pump pulley nut. It only pulls on it. Also, kudos to the person who said that they replaced their water pump in a half an hour. He is a super star mechanic. I got a quote from my mechanic for 4 hours shop time, which I'd say is still pretty worth it!

 

[RedBolide]

I had the same difficulty getting mine off since I don't have a lot of specialty tools. I ended up wedging a prybar into the bolts around the fan, then using a pipe wrench and a long pole to break it loose. Not elegant, but it works!

 

[olerox]

Well done Will59! I struggled with the fan clutch replacement job too. I said a boat-load of bad words all during the fight with the nut which seemed welded on. I'm sure your account will help others.

 

[rcott01]

I use a piece of swing set chain. Take one of the 4 water pump pulley bolts out and put the one end of the chain through it and thread it back in. Then take the other end of the chain and attach it to a bolt on the engine. When you loosen the nut on the fan the chain keeps the pulley from turning. You can do the same thing to put it back on. It works every time.