How to Change a Water Pump on a Plymouth Breeze

Changing the water pump on your Plymouth Breeze is easy enough that you can do it yourself and save a lot of money on labor charges at a repair shop. Signs that your water pump is bad could be the car overheating, or you see leakage around the water pump bearing where the pulley is located. The most difficult part of this project is the fact that you have to crawl under the car to get to it, unlike most other vehicles where you can access the water pump from the engine compartment. The project will take you about two hours to complete.

Remove the negative cable from the battery using a wrench to loosen the nut on the terminal. Place the wheel chocks behind the rear wheels of the car. Jack the car up on the passenger's side. Place the jack stand under the car near the jacking point and raise it up to the frame.

Crawl under the car and remove the inner splash shield using a wrench to detach the bolts. Loosen the accessory belt tensioner with a wrench and remove the belt from the car. Drain the engine coolant from the car by placing a drain pan under the valve on the bottom of the radiator. Open the valve with a wrench.

Place the second jack under the car’s engine and jack it up far enough to support the engine. Use the wood block to protect the underside of the engine from damage when you raise the jack. Remove the right side motor mount using a wrench.

Remove the timing belt cover, then the timing belt tensioner, using a wrench. Mark the position and direction of the timing belt and remove it from the engine. Remove the camshaft sprockets by loosening the retaining bolts with a wrench.

Access the water pump by removing the rear timing belt cover using a wrench. Remove the bolts from the water pump using a ratchet and socket. Pull the water pump away from the engine. Clean any gasket residue from the water pump mounting surface using the scraper. Remove the O-ring from the water pump mounting surface and discard it.

Place a new O-ring on the water pump mounting surface. Place the new gasket and water pump on the engine. Tighten the bolts with the socket and ratchet. Reattach the rear timing belt cover and tighten the bolts with the wrench.

Put the timing belt back onto the engine according to the marks you made when removing it. Put the tensioner back on and draw the timing belt tight. Tighten the bolt with a wrench. Replace the camshaft sprockets on the engine and tighten with a wrench.

Attach the right motor mount and tighten the bolts with a wrench. Lower the jack away from the engine. Reposition the accessory drive belt on the engine and tighten the tensioner with a wrench. Replace the inner splash shield and tighten the bolts with a wrench.

Remove the jack stand from under the vehicle and lower the car to the ground. Reconnect the battery terminal, tightening the nut with a wrench. Start the car and check the system thoroughly for any sign of leakage.