For the past few weeks, I have noticed a slow loss of coolant in the system from around the thermostat housing and at the bottom of the water pump. So, I started reading up on water pump replacement. This will be a multi-day project (due to the weather) and I will post updates as I go through.

Day 1: 2/5/19
Thanks to the abundant resources available here on the FTE and some able guidance and enabling from @Nicmike I decided to upgrade the water pump to a more robust IH T444E unit. Mike, as always, has documented this in detail in this thread. There is a lot of good information, do's and don'ts, lessons learnt, how to, what else etc. in this long thread.



Unlike Mike, and many others from that thread, I decided to just get the kit from Dieselsite instead of piecing it together. Placed the order on Thursday last week and received the package last night. This is a heavy (~25lb) duty unit. The total package weight was ~35 lbs including all the mounting hardware, spin on filters, hoses etc. The pump itself is cast iron. So, following what others have done, I put down 2 coats of Engine paint this morning to prevent rusting. Here are some pictures of the unboxing and paint that I got done earlier today before it was time to leave for work.






Spin On Baldwin filter threads





Prepped for Paint

Mike had suggested to get a paint that was rated for up to 250-275*F. This was Engine Enamel rated for up to 500*F. I wanted Red/Blue, but I could only find black at Home Depot this morning.

 

The reason we pieced it all together when that thread was created, was because the kit had not been invented/marketed yet. I would wager a large amount of money that they put that kit together because of that thread and a couple of others on 2 other truck forums.

You will find it is not a difficult job. Congrats on taking it on. Your knowledge and skills will grow as a result = Always a good thing.

 

Thanks Mike. I am trying to kill 2 birds here - Water pump and Oil Cooler reseal. Weather is always the factor for me to work on the EX. I'm missing out on a few days of great weather here 'cos not all my parts have arrived. I should've ordered stuff a couple of days earlier

 

Now that's a COOL water pump! I briefly looked at the referenced thread and it has a picture of a filter broken open...I may just have to cut mine open when I disconnect it for the final time before the Cummins swap to see what it looks like after using coolant filters on the 6.0 for the better part of 100K miles.

 

I put a remote filter on when I changed my water pump back in 2007 or 8 and I have found that once I changed my coolant filter 2 times, I've gotten VERY little out since.

 

Good to know. IIRC, Mike had mentioned similar results in the other referenced thread as well.

 

Looks like this project will have to wait for better weather in March

 

I installed that pump and the matching thermostat with aluminum housing late 2016, been great since. It completely slipped my mind to paint the water pump till I saw the surface rust later. It's a very simple install, be sure to survey your job first.
In my case, while transferring the coolant temp sensor that was mounted to the OE aluminum pump housing, over to the new cast iron pump, the black plug socket broke off. I ordered a new one from the dealer, and he chose the wrong sensor, it was the wrong plug style, and wrong resistance value. At that point I just gave him the part number off the sensor it's self. The pump sensor controls your dash gauge on the 7.3, and the sensor he sold me communicates with the ECM. Your heater core hose from the original pump can be re-routed too, there is no need to cut off extra hose, you will have to take it loose from one or more of it's mounts further back, then re-route. Been a few years since mine, so my memory is fuzzy. I'll take a pic of mine later today for you.
You're more than likely going to need the proper fan clutch removal tool too, rent able from Auto Zone and the like. I bought the huge wrench, and tried everything to hold the pump pulley while using the wrench to remove the clutch, no luck till I just got the tool kit, then it just popped off like it wasn't even tight. Your crank position sensor will be seen plain as day when you remove the original pump, you may want to replace that too while you're in there, buy OE Ford only for that.
How did those Captains' seats turn out after the recover?

 

Reading that thread on the 7.3 forum and chatting with Mike helped a lot so far.

The pictures will be helpful. I did read somewhere else about the confusion with sensors. I believe the correct part number is F65Z10884AA that I have ordered. Hopefully, it will come out of the water pump unscathed. Please correct me if I am wrong. There is a new heater hose in the kit. I was going to replace the old hose as a preventive maintenance item.

I have a couple of options for tools to remove the fan clutch. I have an 18" adjustable wrench from Harbor Freight and one of these fan wrenches as well. Hoping one of these will do the trick. Otherwise, the local AAP and NAPA stores are just a few minutes away from home. Planning to use a ratchet strap to hold the pulley.



My CPS was recently (Oct 2018) replaced with a MC unit, and I have a spare MC CPS in the parts bin as well.

I have taken it to a couple of shops around here, and they have all turned me down. Still searching for someone around here. I have a couple more leads to go a little further west from suburbia. The seat shop also has said they don't have the templates for this seat

 

I'm a fan of the air hammer technique for fan removal.

 

I have taken it to a couple of shops around here, and they have all turned me down. Still searching for someone around here. I have a couple more leads to go a little further west from suburbia. The seat shop also has said they don't have the templates for this seat [/QUOTE]


Your sensor part number is correct.
Turned you down? The guy I took my whole interior to used my original coverings as templates. That's a sign of a good shop. I stopped in a few times, they deconstructed the seats, and ripped all the stitching out and used them as templates. I kept all the old panels from the original interior in-case something needed to be re made down the road.

 

 

They don’t want to deconstruct this seat for the template for a one time deal. I’ve got some recommendations for a couple of shops that are an hour away from me. I’ll be calling them next week. I may just have to send them to your guy😀
[/QUOTE]

I think that's sad, the best template made, is the one that came from your OE cut material. Dunno why they can't just quote the proper additional labor to use your panels for templates.
Maybe if you find a shop that you trust otherwise, you can just remove the covers, a rip the stitching yourself, leaving the panel templates for them to trace and make new ones from. Labor time to rip the stitching after the covers are removed is not a very lengthy process, they make stitch rippers that allow you to glide through the stitching anyway.
The company I used, added an upgraded backing foam to the leather, it was pink, it made a huge difference in the firmness once installed over the seat and seat-back cushion foam.

 

Well, It has been many months of procrastinating, being lazy and not motivated to work on the EX. This week, I had no choice but to work on the EX to get the broken CPS hold down bolt extracted to replace the CPS. I took this opportunity to work on the water pump replacement as well. Started with draining the coolant. Tried to be smart and pulled the lower radiator hose first and ended up taking a shower in coolant. I got about 5 gallons of coolant out. next was the radiator, fan shroud and fan. Nothing special about this process.

The water pump replacement was also a pretty straightforward process. I had sprayed a copious amount of PB Blaster on the bolts in anticipation of rusted bolts, but every one of the bolts came off very easily. Same with the water temp sensor as well. With the radiator and fan out of the way, there is a lot of room to work with.


Water pump that came out of the EX.

Overall, the body is still pretty clean and there's no cavitation or scouring.

New pump ready to go on. I did not pre-assemble the components and preferred to use the mounted pump as a stable base to then reinstall the hose barb, temp sensor etc.




All put together. Took this opportunity to replace the reservoir, Serpentine belt, and all the hoses carrying coolant including the 'behind and around the belt" upper radiator hose.

 

I have included this thread in the 7.3 PSD Tech Folder which can be found at the link below.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post18782217

Well done sir!