For everyone in the forum, please read!

[Gilly]

The seals are shot. The hole is for pressure relief between the inner and outer seal. The only real risk is the plug of silicone popping out, which I imagine it will do in fairly short order, so the only risk is losing the coolant, which you're used to already anyways.
Yes the rear ones are hard, but not impossible. Just need a medium sized extension and a swivel adapter and a "can do" attitude. I don't let tits1 intimidate me, why let 2 lousy bolts intimidate YOU?
Gilly

[Ivanerrol]

See this DIY



Note that this DIY involves removing the water pump, steering pump and cooling fan pulleys.

Here's the parts I pull off when doing a pump. + the belt tensioner and shock.



Here's an image of where I was a little extravagant - pulled the distributor and all off. Note the rust in the water chamber - P.O. of this car was a little lax with the coolant.



Here's another source of a water leak at the pump.

[lee polowczuk]

it just takes some tongue twisting, and skinned knuckles to get those bolts out...actually one is not too hard, the other you just need the u-joint... i think i used quarter inch extensions and universal, but had a 3/8" ratchet to give me some torque..

i think i have stated that I have done the job twice.... i did pull the radiator to give me a bit more access. also loosened some bolts on the ps pump to move it to the side a bit...

[lee polowczuk]

Originally Posted by Ivanerrol

See this DIY



Note that this DIY involves removing the water pump, steering pump and cooling fan pulleys.

Here's the parts I pull off when doing a pump. + the belt tensioner and shock.



Here's an image of where I was a little extravagant - pulled the distributor and all off. Note the rust in the water chamber - P.O. of this car was a little lax with the coolant.



Here's another source of a water leak at the pump.

i followed sixto's wiki almost to the t

[Ivanerrol]

You will note that in my above image I have removed the first two injectors. This is because this car is a Japanese specced RHD car with a NipponDenso air con compressor fitted. The routing of the AC cables made it impossible to undo the top W.P.inner bolt and extremely hard to tighten the lower bolt as per the DIY instructions. I had to use a spanner between the 1st and 2nd pot inlet manifold to inch the bolt out.

Even then the replacement process wasn't so successful. Ultimately I completely removed the inlet manifold to get this water pump water tight. P.I.T.Ask

[lsmalley]

Originally Posted by Rahulio1989300E

Does/did the water pump pulley have any play to it if push or pulled in an up and down motion relative to the ground? I think these water pumps start leaking when the main bearings inside of them are wearing out. If that is the case, then your pump may have a very limited life.

I did not notice any play at all, as I have tried to wiggle the pulley around to see if it was loose. All other parts were in decent condition as well being that I had the fan bearing bracket, alternator, tensioner, tensioner rod, and idler pulley all replaced about 1-2 years ago.

[long-gone]

The WP on this car is not that bad to do. ALL the bolts are accessible, with a bit of prep ad the right tools. Though ps2cho did his without removing the PS pump I highly recommend onbolting it and pulling it to the side. You may NEED to do this anyway if you're replacing the tensioner. I believe the PS pump and the tensioner share a bracket.
TAKE PICTURES as you disassemble! It will likely benefit you greatly if you're unfamiliar.
You'll need to remove the fan and pulley. It will give clear access to the front area of the pump. There are two small ribs on the timing cover behind the pulley. You should be able to see them clearly, place a rod (1/4"?) with the last inch bent to almost an "L" between the ribs. Turn the pulley until a corresponding hole appears and slide the bent end of the rod into it. This will lock the pulley in place to facilitate removing the pulley bolts.
The WP bolts that are hidden can usually be easily gotten to with a long extension and a swivel joint. A swivel SOCKET of the proper size is best. Though it may work, using just a swivel joint with a socket on it can get clumsy and reduces the already tight working space. As mentioned by another poster, a 1/4" extension may work better in the narrow spaces between the intake pipes. The WP bolts are not torqued that tight, don't over-tighten them. I replaced mine with stainless hex head bolts.
There is a DIY tutorial on the tensioner here somewhere that is excellent and I would say ESSENTIAL. Read it and re-read it. Not only will it guide your set up and installation, but it will provide a good understanding of it's proper function and adjustment.

Hope some of this helps.