My water pump has been complaining for a long time so I think I am going to replace it. Sounds like a bearing going bad. I am looking at CD's that I bought from a forum member a few years ago and it is supposed to be the FSM but it is so old that it actually needs Netscape Navigator 4.0 to work and most of it will not even open. So I am having a dickens of a time trying to find out how to replace the water pump and what needs to be removed.

Anyone got a clue? Also what kind of gasket sealer should I use? Guess I should check youtube too.

Thx for any help.

Do a file search on your CD. You are looking for 20-210.
Then open the one for the 617 engine.

Fan comes off
All belts off
Water pump pulley off
Then water pump
I put my new gasket on dry and it hasn't leaked
Don't recall torque spec for pump bolts.
You should get a new set since the old ones are probably corroded
Not a bad job
Get the pump with the cast impellers. Not stamped.
The one I got from the dealer was marked made in Japan

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1983 300CD Turbodiesel

What about removing the radiator?

If not do I need to drain the radiator?

I don't think I took my rad out

Just maybe the upper hose to get some room

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1983 300CD Turbodiesel

Great.

Drain the radiator into a clean container then pour it back in when done.

Sixto
83 300SD
98 E320 wagon

Makes sense. In the old days they had a pitcock at the bottom of radiators so you could drain them; it was easy. Will be interesting to see if mine has one. Of course they had real anti-freeze then. Now you pay more but get half anti-freeze and half water.

Nope, just looked and do not see a pitcock.

On my SDL there is a blue plastic drain plug about 3/4 of the way over to the driver's side. It is on the very bottom of the radiator support, visible through a hole. Large flat bladed screwdriver takes it right out. I'd imagine yours is similar.

Antifreeze is normally a 50/50 mixture of water/antifreeze. That mixture raises the boiling point and maintains good heat conduction. 100% antifreeze is actually a worse heat conductor than the 50/50 water mix.

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Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

Will look for that drain; thanks.

Yes, I know about anti-freeze. You used to buy anti-freeze and mix it with water in the radiator. Then take a squeeze bulb tester and suck out a little in a glass tube and see how far down in Fahrenheit degrees you were protected. I am not sure they sell undiluted anti-freeze any more so you are paying for water.

Checked out Kent Bergsma on youtube. Learned to be careful removing the steel bolts from the aluminum housing. Really not much more to be learned from him.

-just a tip-
Cut a piece of cardboard (bankers box, or moving box is a good donor) to fit/cover the radiator on the engine side. This will save you some grief when you get to that "Oh S**T!" moment when the wrench slips or a bolt breaks & your tool &/or hand tries to go through the radiator. Saves the rad, & your knuckles, too.

That's what I call a good tip.

Thx.

Hardest part is loosening the alternator to get the belts off the w.p. pulley. Your year is a bit easier, but still need a good choice of wrenches to get at all the bolts (1 pivot, 2 clamping bolts). Note that the front nut is welded to the bracket and doesn't turn.

Try to buy a water pump w/ a cast-iron impeller, instead of sheet-metal. Once you unbolt the water pump, you can slide the radiator shroud out w/ the fan. You need to ground down one side of 10 mm box wrench to slide it over the w.p. bolts. I replaced w/ bolts w/ a larger head (12 mm?) from Ace so I now use an open wrench w/o risk of rounding off the hex head.

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1984 & 1985 CA 300D's
1964 & 65 Mopar's - Valiant, Dart, Newport
1996 & 2002 Chrysler minivans

Will get out my grinder.

And you just made my day telling me about the welded bolt. Last year I finally took the SD to Pep Boys to install the alternator because I could not get one of the bolts to turn. Welded - who knew???