Well, I replaced the water pump this weekend, it wasn't too hard. I got the fan clutch tools from O'Reilly at no charge.

Got it all back together this afternoon and hooray, no leaks...until the system pressurized! I torqued the WP bolts to 15 precisely, but apparently that wasn't enough, so I managed to put a couple more clicks on them after the fact.

But the real culprit was the stamped metal water outlet (aka thermostat housing). I googled a bit and found that it is a chronic source of leaks. I'm going to redo it with RTV, because I can't see spending $40 on a steel reinforcement bracket.

Took me all weekend because I spent a lot of time cleaning the engine area. Apparently the previous owner never bothered with that. Also I was meticulous about cleaning up bolt heads and threads, wire brushing the brass heater hose outlet, that sort of detail.

Started off Saturday morning with a pressure wash of the engine, top and bottom. (1000 psi wand at the local car wash). Rubber banded plastic bags over the fuse box, alternator, and intake. After an initial wet-down, I sprayed everything with uncut Simple Green, which got rid of the oily film and most but not all the loose dirt. I took extra care to degunk the drain area and hole at the rear of the valley. There's an oil or fuel leak coming from somewhere in the valley (as evidenced at rear of oil pan and bell housing), so now hopefully I'll be able to see what is going on.

Steering gear, cross member, etc, was caked up to 1/4" thick with something not unlike concrete (Colorado mud plus ???) . 1000 psi pressure wash tip had no effect on it! Ended up using a gasket scraper after softening it up with Simple Green.

The painted areas under the front of the hood were covered with something that looked like hardened adhesive residue, but it was more or less uniformly deposited, so I guess it was just years of accumulated road grime and dust. Simple Green had no effect, so I used adhesive remover (Goof-Off).

While the batteries were out I cleaned battery terminals, platforms, etc. PO had battery insulation bags that were rotted, and had wrapped the battery carry straps with grey duct tape which was also rotted - more adhesive remover.

I noticed the plastic loom on the engine wiring harness is wrapped with electrical tape all over the place. I read somewhere that diesel fuel can degrade wire insulation (not sure if I believe that), but in my experience electrical tape eventually degrades, breaks, and unravels, leaving a sticky ugly mess. Any recommended neater alternatives? Maybe use small black tie wraps every 6" or so to hold the loom together?

 

Sounds like a good maintance weekend. Welcome to the fourm btw.

 

Just uploaded some pics of the water pump replace job, see my albums. Also uploaded some pics of the truck as I bought it, prior to doing any cleaning. After I get her all cleaned and shined up inside and out, I will post another similar set of pics.

 

I always figure there are two points where you feel the truck is actually yours. First, is when you clean it up enough to feel like the old owner has been expelled. And the second is when you have driven it for more miles than you got it. That will take years for me ... 221k. But the cleaning part I almost have!
Good job. I'll check out pics when off my phone and back on a computater