For everyone in the forum, please read!
 

ok guys, im gonna do it; im gonna replace the water pump myself, but I'm gonna need a lot of help from you all as I will be taking pictures and taking notes on what I do so that I can add it to the forum. I just went out and bought a torque wrench [(120-960 in-lbs), my friend has a 42-2xx ft-lbs if i need it. I figured that anything under 100 in-lbs could be easily calculated as it isn't a lot of torque.] Here is a list of a few things I am ordering so i can replace them, but I want you all to let me know if I am missing anything or need to order or not order a specific part, i will order tomorrow so that I can have everything by the weekend. I also wanna seal my power steering pump as it is leaking...suggestions welcome, as i have never done that before either:

1. hose clamps (I'm guessing hoses too, but I can get those from autozone)
2. water pump
3. silicone
4. belt tensioner
4. serpentine belt
5. thermostat w/ gasket
6. expansion tank
7. expansion tank cap
8. coolant level sensor
9. belt tensioner shock

things that were recently replaced already are:

1. overprotection relay 7/9/10
2. transmission flush/fluid/filter/pan & pan gasket 7/3/10
3 a/c evacuated and recharged 6/10/10
4. a/c cut-off switch 6/9/10
5. auxillary fan switch 6/9/10
6. air temp senseor 6/9/10 (by air intake boot next to radiator)
7. air filter, distributor cap, distributor rotor, fuel filter all done on 5/22/10
8. O2 sensor 10/7/09
9. spark plugs 10/6/09

2.3 or 2.6???

The expansion tank has no cap.

So how do you add coolant to your system?

2.6.....Expansion tank has no cap???? Mine does, but since I'm replacing the tank, I might as well do the cap too.

Man, the tiltle of your post made me think you were giving away money.

Ya, where is my money?

well once I get this together you will all save money in the long run.

Does this mean I have to buy a 190?:confused:

What is the silicone for? you don't need any for this application

If you're not using silicone, you're doing it wrong.

Its not that hard, honestly those are really straightforward jobs, the WP can be tricky just from lack of space but thats all.

try reading the original post

I'm sure it is a straight forward job for someone that has some experience with cars, but this is my first time. I have never done it, never read a book on it, never seen it done before....doing cosmetic surgery is easy to me, but I'm sure it would be a little challenging for anyone of you that has never done it before. I just need a little guidance, I'm pretty much going in blind....anything can happen that I wanna be prepared for like stripping a bolt, breaking a piece off of something that I need to move to get to the water pump, etc. I'm already aware that I need to get a new belt tensioner since I heard that they tend not to re-tightened once removed. Two of you are arguing about the use of silicone for this application, I do not know which one of you are right. I only planned on putting it around any adjacent parts as a precautionary purpose, but should I or should I not? Input from someone that has done this job before on the same or similar model would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

The biggest torque setting you'll need is 80nm for the main tensioner bolt. Follow the guidelines carefully for resetting the tensioner. Doing it out of order can prematurely wear the bushings inside.
This is half the reason so many break is because uninformed mechanics or DIY'ers do not do follow the manual at all, or follow it incorrectly and seeing as the bushings are already aged, it just finishes it off.

You don't need to remove the power steering pump though as the manual states. I got away without as shown here:

http://w124-zone.com/downloads/photo...premoval_4.jpg

I recommend getting new allen bolts since more than likely you'll chew them up a bit. Just remember to crack the bolts with a swift palm hit rather than just using increasing pressure as that'll just strip them then you are in for some fun...The DIY on this site at the top covers the procedure pretty well if you have not reviewed it yet.