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I'm hoping to get the water pump and lower rad hose changed this weekend, and wanted to get a rundown on any unforeseen problems that may crop up. Any hints, etc would also be appreciated. I've changed water pumps before on a C***y 350 and a Nissan Maxima FWD.. now THAT was not a whole lot of fun, btw. Just lookin for any engine-specific tricks.
A couple things I might suggest. First, if the new water pump has the backing plate already installed, remove it and put some RTV on both sides of the gasket. I simply checked that all of the bolts holding the backing plate were tight, as soon as I fired the engine water poured out from between the backing plate and the pump. Second is to look real close at how corroded your bolts are, it's a good idea to run to the hardware store and buy some new ones that are the right length. It is NO fun if you break off one of these cuz it's weak, especially one of the ones that goes through the timing cover into the block Oh well it gave me an excuse to throw in a bigger cam while I was in there.