washington dc porsche

Still want to do it yourself, Brian?

kromdom

he already has a separate thread about this: old WP is already out and new one is inbound

B r i a n

I think that was Chuck, I am still on for doing it myself in Jan - I will let you know when!

fpena944

What I highlighted above was my thought as well.

I don't remember the pump itself giving me any problems, but the hoses, UGH!

Then again I did this when I had already dropped the engine to replace the AOS so maybe that is the part most people had difficulty with. But I thought the pump itself was pretty easy to get off, those hoses though were hell.

perryinva

Once you own an Airlift kit (like $120, but you do need a decent compressor with a tank), you will use it anytime you bleed a system. It is real easy to use, far better than normal burp bleeding, as it pulls any air from the system to start, and the vacuum fills it. It also lets you know if you have a leak, before you fill the system. The only challenge is attaching the correct cone seal to the opening, like the expansion tank. Once that is done, it's easier to use than a Motive brake bleeder. It's all just easy to use valves and quick connectors.

Well yeah, if you dropped the engine, of course it is easy to take off the water pump, or anything else on the outside of the engine. Most of us don't drop the engine for the AOS and water pump though.

B r i a n

Changed the water pump & thermostat today on my 04 C2 cabriolet (86K miles) today.

Old Impeller looked fine and spun a little faster then the new, but looked in good shape.

Some observations:

1) MAF connector - there are two types of connectors - on mine the release tab is on bottom - it was easier to disconnect by removing box partly and rotating upside down.

2) Belt tensioner pulley - mine was 24mm - some instructions indicate 15mm

3) Used a plastic storage bid to collect coolant - i had the back of the car on jack stands so it could fit underneath - worked out very well.

4) Thermostat removal tool would have been helpful - quicker.

5) Always seemed like I needed a socket between the standard and deep end, I actually end up using a small ratchet wrench i can put a socket on for most of the water pump and thermostat housing bolts.

6) Took me a good part of the day, started around 10:30am finished about 5:00pm - I could probably cut the time in half now that i have done it once.

Time for a beer!

perryinva

Congrats, you did better than I did! So you had no problems with that one water pump bolt in the corner, or getting it out and by the engine support brackets? Just curious, also, did you go 160F T-stat or new stock?

B r i a n

That bolt was the last one out and last one in on the water pump. It was also the one I learned to use the small ratchet wrench that i can put a socket on. It was very hard to start the bolt back on - once started - it turned out easy.
below is a picture of the tool I am talking about.

I went with the regular OEM Thermostat.

I was able to loosen the engine support bracket enough to do everything - but was not that loose and seemed always in the way to make things harder.

I had new metal gaskets for both and did not use any silicone or adhesive. I just cleaned all the surfaces well before I reassembled.

It was a little tricky cutting the old metal gasket off (because it was original, it was connected by tabs to another gasket area).

washington dc porsche

Congrats!

Invius

Congrats. Thus far it has been the most labor intensive job I've performed on my 996, but rewarding since my replacement was not proactive!

KrazyK

Brian, great job. To make things easier, get a factory hose clamp pliers and a hose pick for next time.

perryinva

Yes, that looks to be a handy ratchet. The right combo is really critical to that friggin bolt. Yes, all the rest was exactly the same I ran in to, including the difficulty cutting the original metal gasket.

Viper6

How many gallons of coolant did it take to refill system after WP replacement? So I know how much to buy... thx

kromdom

with residual coolant in system, 2 gallons should be enough (mixed with distilled water) to replenish coolant lost from WP/EP/t-stat work (just had mine done by a local indy).

B r i a n

Thanks all, I think motor mounts may be next DIY (at my next oil change).
Just need a 18mm deep socket.
I concur with the above - 2 gallons of antifreeze should be more then enough, I ended up using less then 1.5 gallons.