K996

Okay I tackled replacing the waterpump tonight.

Everything has gone pretty well up until now...unfortunately "now" I have all the bolts removed and the pump is loose but I can't get it out past the engine carrier bracket.

I'm following the instructions herehttp://p-car.com/996/diy/waterpump/ but I'm stumped at this point.

The carrier nuts are backed off about as far as they'll go without coming off but there's still not enough clearance to pull the impeller out and up (I assume the old pump is removed through the top) since the drive pulley hits the carrier.

Should I jack the engine up more? Remove the left engine carrier nut completely?

I need some ideas here because even if I get it out I'm not going to be able to put the new one in without potentially screwing up the gasket.

Photo below of where I'm stopping for the night.


Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks,
Keith

dresler

Wish I could help you. Is there danger of the engine not being supported if you take that bolt out?

K996

Thanks for the offer Dresler,
but after sleeping on it I decided against pulling out all the carrier bolts as it seemed rather risky with not being able to get them back in if something shifted. Then I went back and looked at the photos on the DIY again and noticed that he had removed the large coolant hose going into the thermostat housing as well. hmmm....

But from my perspective it was the small metal coolant hose running under/beside the engine that was preventing me from pulling it out from underneath. So I loosened all the engine clamps for this hose and by shoving it to the side it gave me enough room to pull the old pump out! (Successs!!!)

Now I'm taking a break before working on getting the new pump (and gasket) back in.....you don't know how tempted I am to just use the old gasket since it's held in place on the engine and I don't have to dick with getting it properly lined up with the bolt holes and trying to not bend/damage it while stuffing the new pump in.

Will update when everything is complete or I've called for a flatbed!
___________________-

Update: Got everything assembled and bolted back together (even the gasket wasn't as bad as I thought since the pump housing has two small collars that tightly press-fit the gasket and keep it in place while it's being manipulated back into position).
Final assembly was interrupted again since I didn't have any distilled water or even a funnel to refill with.

Drove it around and it seems to be maintaining pressure and temperature so I guess I'm finished.

Total time: about 8 hours split over two evenings...so it's a darned good thing I don't get paid to do this! Lol

I'm glad I did it but if it goes out again and I'm still employed I'll probably just pay the $300 to have it put in. The good thing is that I also replaced the main serpentine belt and put on the skidpan while I was under there since the car has been lowered recently. Oh yeah and I built some wooden 'drive-on' style ramps while I was at it....waaay easier than jacking the car up. So that was productive.

Biggest benefit? It's been almost 20 years since I've put a water pump on and I still got the mad skillz to do it.

Tippy

Lowering the engine:

To answer your question, you can remove the nuts on the engine carrier completely out (jack supporting engine under oil pan), and lower engine until the lowest case bolt touches the rear crossmember. The rear crossmember will support the entire engine weight. Lets engine down about 3-4 inches I'd say.

Glenn

I have the DIY printed as well for the water pump replacement. Is there no way I can get the pump out through the engine compartment? Does it have to go through the bottom?

Tippy

Did mine from the top. Loosened all the motor plate nuts (to their last thread) that secure the plate to the engine and used a pry bar (between the engine and plate) to gain enough clearance for the impeller. There was a hard line that passed right underneath the pump that prevented it from coming out from the bottom. I am not sure if that line is on tip cars only or not.

Glenn

Thanks Tippy. Mine is a tip as well. Going to get into the extraction of the water pump today.

nick49

I just sold a new 996 water pump and shipped it today. And I was thinking that it cost me more to fill the gas tank in my Jeep than what I got for the pump and shipping.

ryan_magisyn

First, I just wanted to say thank you for everyone that contributed to this. After getting a quote of 1200 bucks from the dealer I did a little research, found this, and decided to tackle this myself. The gasket and pump from the dealer was just under 400 so all in all I saved myself a boat load.

For the next person who tries this a couple of things:

I used a locking vice grips to get the hose clamps off the water pump and thermostat housing it kept things in place and didn't damage the clamps. I re-used the ones that were originally on it. The hoses were "hard" to get off but a friend of mine told me that next time to use a channel locks pliers to loosen the hose. You have to be careful to not damage the hose. I ended up using a very small screwdriver to loosen it away from the connection. Is there a special tool for this?

I didn't know what torque to put the bolts on with so I bought the "Porsche 996 The Essential Companion" and it did have torque specs but there is no way I could the torque wrench that I have into most of the bolts that I wanted to apply them to. Is there a special tool for this?

There is one picture of where to lift the engine from. It is in line with the oil pan and is a 2 inch by 3.5 inch rectangle with a line in the middle. I created some blocks so that the jack wouldn't touch any other part of the oil pan.

Many, many thanks! All of this information helped remind me that it's still just a car.

RPMulli

wow old thread resurrection.

billyboy

Hey ryan, there are some tools you were asking about. Waterhose pliers are available at most tool places cheap. And there are nice little 1/4" drive torque wrenches for low torque settings and tight places.

Years ago, I had a friend who insisted on buying a new tool every time he worked on his car. He rationalized it was cheaper than paying the dealer. I followed suit and now my box is full of good .. and weird stuff.

ryan_magisyn

Thanks for the pictures that helps a lot. Definitley next on my list of tools to get on the next trip to the auto parts store.

I have the same bargin with the wife; it's how I have so many wood working and home improvement tools.

Old thread or not, this helped me a TON and was actually pretty fun to get my hands dirty again.

GASGAZ

Hi all, love the site. I think there is quite a good walkthrough of the water pump replacement on youtube. Search 'water pump replacement on 996' or similar from memory.