How to Replace the Water Pump in a Plymouth Voyager

The water pump is the heart of the Plymouth Voyager's cooling system, circulating the coolant. When the water pump is faulty, it can cause serious damage to the engine of your Plymouth Voyager. Make sure to change out a bad water pump.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

2.4L & 3.0L Voyager Engines

1. Disconnect the negative battery cable.

2. Place a drain pan underneath the radiator. When the engine is cool, drain the cooling system from the radiator into the pan.

3. Remove the right inner splash shield and the accessory drive belts. Support the engine underneath and remove the right motor mount with the bracket.

4. Take off the front cover and remove the timing belt along with the timing belt idler pulley. Also remove the camshaft sprockets, the rear cover to the timing belt and the alternator with its bracket.

5. Loosen and remove the bolts to the water pump and remove it from the engine.

6. Install the new water pump after inserting a new o-ring gasket. Tighten the bolts to 105-inch lbs. Make sure that the pump can move freely by rotating it by hand.

7. Replace all components in reverse order. Tighten the camshaft sprocket bolts to 75 foot pounds and the timing belt idler pulley to 45 foot pounds.

8. Refill the cooling system with coolant and reconnect the negative battery cable. Start the engine and check for leaks when it reaches normal operating temperatures.

3.3L & 3.8L Voyager Engines

9. Disconnect the negative battery cable.

10. Place a drain pan underneath the radiator. When the engine is cool, drain the cooling system from the radiator into the pan.

11. Remove the right inner splash shield and the accessory drive belts.

12. Loosen and remove the water pump pulley bolts.

13. Make sure that the water pump is positioned just between the drive hub and the pump housing before removing. Then remove the pump.

14. Place the new seal into the housing groove of the water pump and install the water pump between the hub and pump body, placing it loosely. Tighten the bolts to 105 inch pounds.

15. Insert the water pump pulley, tightening the bolts to 250 inch pounds and rotate the pump by hand to ensure that it is not too tight and can move freely.

16. Refill the cooling system with coolant and reconnect the negative battery cable. Start the engine and check for leaks when it reaches a normal operating temperature.

Tips & Warnings

• Loud noises coming from the cooling system could be a sign that your water pump needs replacing. A leak in the coolant may also be an indicator. You can expect that a water pump will need to be changed every 70 to 100 thousand miles or so in a Plymouth Voyager vehicle.
• Disconnecting the negative battery cable may reset the on-board computer system or parts of the computer system, so be aware that you may have to reset certain settings.
• Never attempt to drain the radiator when the engine in your Plymouth Voyager is hot. The steam and the hot coolant within the radiator can cause serious burns.

[SKIMMOORE]

on 10/1/2008 tHIS IS A HORRIBLE REPAIR TO DO. IF TACKLING IT ALLOW YOURSELF THE ENTIRE DAY!!! MY MECHANIC SAID IT IS THE WORST JOB HE HAS EVER DONE!!!

[SKIMMOORE]

on 10/1/2008 THIS IS A VERY HARD JOB SO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AN ENTIRE DAY SET ASIDE!!! MY MECHANIC SAID IT IS THE WORST REPAIR HE HAS EVER DONE.