bad water pump..

[LaDyInReD]

hello,

How hard is it to replace the water pump in my 92 240sx? I just got my car back from the dealer after having it checked out (my coolant kept being used up pretty quick with no visible signs of leaking ) and apparently a leaky water pump is the cause..

Anyway, the dealer quoted me at $525! to have that water pump replaced and to also change the drive belts (cracked) and I wanted to know if this would be an easy job to do..

Thanks
Modified by LaDyInReD at 7:32 PM 10/7/2004

[navysnail]

well, assuming you have somewhat of a mechanical background its not that hard, you have to losten up the belts and take them off, then remove the pump, put rtv on the new one, bollt it back on, get the belts back on it, and your done

[varn]

I don't know anything about a 240sx, but, if it's made of the same alloys as a 280Z, watch out when removing the water pump bolts. You might twist them off!

Try and loosen the bolts first but breaking any corrosion they might be between the threads. You can do this with a drift and a hammer. Place the drift at the center of the bolt head and strike it a few blows with a hammer. This might loosen the corrosion locking. Next, try to slightly (and I mean slightly) tighten the bolt. Then turn it to loosen it. Do this several times until it seems like the bolt is now OK to finally remove. You may have to repeat the hammer and drift exercise too.

Anyway, I followed the procedure on my 1978 280Z and one of the bolts still twised off. Of course the water pump had not been replaced for many, many years (maybe 10 or more). So, the corrosion had plently of time to lock that bolt in place. Now, I have to get it out. This will be another story.

But, $525 sounds like a heck of a lot of money to remove and replace a water pump. It must be quite a job on the 240sx. Or, maybe the dealer has the possible broken bolt removal labor time built into this price, just in case a bolt does break off. However, I did have the head replaced on my Z and two head bolts did twist off and there was an extra charge to remove them. But, the complete cost of removing and replacing the head (including the replacement head and all parts) was somewhere around $650. A brand new (not rebuilt) water pump for my 280Z cost about $40 at Motorsport (I think that was the price.)

You wou be better off to find a reliable independent shop that has a good reputation of working on your type of vehicle. If there are any parts stores that specialize in 240sx parts (other that a dealer) you can ask them who they would recommend.

[navysnail]

yes, breaking bolts is a possibility

240 water pumps arnt that hard to replace, but since the dealer is using a flat rate book to determine the labor costs, its gona cost the same weather it takes them 45 minutes or 2 days

[LaDyInReD]

thanks for the heads up on those bolts

well, i personally don't have much mechanical background.. so i wouldn't really know where to start--but if I can get the help of some friends that do, we might be able to tackle the job.. and hopefully those bolts don't break on us! But if not i guess i'll just have to find a good shop that can do it for a better price.

Thanks

[s13sr20chris]

the dealer is overcharging. they quoted you the price to do the water pump on a t-belt motor. dumb service writers!

[carnal_c30]

hey whatsup? I replaced the water pump on my 240, not the easiest thing to do, as you have to remove the fans, the shroud, the belts... but it just takes some time, the shroud was the hardest part, just because it was hard to find all the clips.... but worth $525

if you need a mechanic, my friend in SOuth City SF is ASE certified and works on Nissans all day, he drives a turboed Maxima... he will charge alot less than the dealer and he does good work

if you want his info, contact me [email protected] and I'll talk to him for you

[Altiman94]

its not really a hard job, just a few things need to be removed to get at it. It's a little rough getting the belts the first time. I've done this many times now. It's fun:)