Water Pump on '94 Grand Am 3.1L

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benjamming

benjamming

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Jan 3, 2004
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Location
northern Alabama
The water pump on my 1994 Pontiac Grand Am GT 3.1L is leaking at a rate of 1 drop every 25 seconds. I took the wheel well cover off last night & cleaned up so it's pretty obvious. What is repair time and difficulty level? Any 'gotchas' to look out for? I assume that coolant will need to changed at the same time as well? The car has ~ 176k miles on it with < 5k miles on the coolant. The serpentine belt was changed last at ~92k miles.

A local mechanic wants ~$150 for parts & labor.

One stealership wants $137.20 for a new AC Delco and another stealership wants $114.56. I didn't ask about the warranty.

AutoZone - $19.99 new for Duralast lifetime warranty assembled in USA
Carquest - $38.69 new for AeroTex - ASC lifetime warranty assembled in USA
O'Reilly - $21.99 new for Master Parts Division(?) lifetime warranty assembled in USA
Advance - $23.48 new for ASC made in China
Napa - $26.99 new for Napa TFW(?) lifetime warranty
Parts Warehouse - $31 new for AeroTex assembled in USA 2-year warranty
Rockauto.com - $21.89 assumed new as site didn't say reman as it did with others Cardone with gasket warranty N/A on site
 
BTDT
Not extremely hard.
How long you gonna keep the car?
Those 'lifetime' warranties assume you've had the car for a while and are likely to get rid of it before the pump takes a dump again.
I had a hard time getting the pully bolts tight as they should be; strap wrench worked.
I recall a gasket came with, you'll need one, make sure it's there.
Grand Am is a tight fit with the V-6, hence the labor charges you're seeing.
Plan on it taking twice as long as you think--it usually does.
 
benjamming,

Just out of curiosity, since I'm in the same area as you, which repair shops in Huntsville do you use & trust? Which one quoted you the price on this job?
 
The shop was Stringfellow Auto Repair on Evangel Circle. Gary Sulley is the chief there. Sure they've messed up before, but he makes it right & keeps the guy on the up & up.

I plan on keeping the car for a while - no oil leaks, no tranny slippage, no rust. It's not fun to drive, probably never was even when my wife bought it new, but it's functional. I guess we'll keep it until the block cracks or it slings a rod.
 
The name sounds familiar, but I've never dealt with them personally. The only shops I've used in Hsv. were the VW dealer & LBJ Automotive. Other than the rip-off prices at VW, both shops always did a pretty good job on my vehicles.

The only shop I've used in the past 2 years for anything is Rousseau's in Scottsboro. Good folks over there. They work on the wife's Expedition, but I wouldn't let them touch my VW. Johnson's in Hsv. would be my go-to-garage, if I needed any repair on the VW.
 
To stay on topic, I'm sure your Grand Am's engine is exactly the same 3.1L that was in my '94 Beretta. I replaced several engine-related items on the Beretta, and after tearing my hands up & swearing more than the world's dirtiest-mouthed sailor would, I finally gave that car away (& bought a 'reliable' VW GTI).
laugh.gif


In a weird sort of way, the VW has actually saved me a lot of money; VW's service rates drove me to buy my own tools & do all the basic maintenance on both my vehicles. I've got to be ahead at least a couple grand at this point, as far as the $$$ are concerned.

With that said, if you can spare the cash, I'd recommend paying a shop to do the WP job. It's not worth the headache, IMO, especially as hot as it is lately. Keep your hands (& sanity) intact, and stay in the comfort of your air-conditioned home or office, while the pro's handle the dirty work.
 
I changed the water pump on my '94 Corsica (same engine, very similar body) several years ago, and it was a pretty easy job. You'll need a strap wrench for the pulley.

Drain coolant
Remove belt
Remove pulley
Remove water pump
Clean off gasket
Install water pump, pulley, belt, and new antifreeze.

Pretty simple.

I bought the cheapest water pump that Autozone had. It's been at least 5 or 6 years now... no leaks or problems otherwise.

Do yourself a favor and antisieze those bolts. It's a good idea any time a bolt goes into aluminum... especically if coolant is anywhere near it. You'll congradulate yourself on your foresight if you have to remove that pump again some day.
 
Wow those are pretty cheap, the OEM Honda water pump in my car was nearly $70 (not including labor, of course) I would just get the AutoZone one. I've actually had pretty good luck with Duralast parts. I'm using one of their thermostats in my car right now and it works perfect.
 
Also it calls for pipe sealant on the coolant pump bolts GM p/n: 1052080. What is the equivalent of this p/n?

Is it really necessary to drain the old coolant as it doesn't have many miles on it?

The thermostat & radiator inlet & outlet hoses have never been changed before either. The car is 13 y/o so I guess I could change those at this time as well. I have replaced the radiator cap before though.
 
Thanks for everyone's replies thus far. I bought the Duralast water pump from AutoZone. They also had the serpentine belt remover on their loan-a-tool program.
 
If you haven't done the job yet, Crack the pulley bolts loose before you take the belt off. This will save you from having to buy a strap wrench.
 
I still haven't changed it yet. I changed the brakes on our '02 Accord Saturday and was busy Fri-Sun with Father's Day stuff, testing at work, working on house/yard, etc.
 
The loan-a-tool program is free, so you're set, but just for future reference, the serpentine belt is easily removed by pushing on the tensioner with an about-appropriate sized open-ended wrench. I don't think there is an easier engine in the world to change the belt on. I can literally change the belt in under a minute.
 
I do have a gripe about AAP's website. They say that Goodyear & Gates hoses are available at the local store. I stop by on my way home from work yesterday & all they carry is Drive Right by Dayco. He says the website is for Kragen, etc. so maybe those stores out west do carry the other brands, but that the ones around here do not. What a worse than useless website. Off to Napa I go on my way home today.
 
Quote:

Quote:

Also it calls for pipe sealant on the coolant pump bolts GM p/n: 1052080. What is the equivalent of this p/n?

Click to expand...


PERMATEX 2B


Click to expand...


So, I found that the 2A, 2B, and 2C are all the same product just different product size. I didn't realize this yesterday at the store.
Also, it says that "assembly is operational after 4 hours" and fully cure after 24 hours. So, do I guess waiting 4 hours after fully buttoned up before running the car would be in order or would I need to wait the full 24 hours?
 
Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

Also it calls for pipe sealant on the coolant pump bolts GM p/n: 1052080. What is the equivalent of this p/n?

Click to expand...


PERMATEX 2B


Click to expand...


So, I found that the 2A, 2B, and 2C are all the same product just different product size. I didn't realize this yesterday at the store.
Also, it says that "assembly is operational after 4 hours" and fully cure after 24 hours. So, do I guess waiting 4 hours after fully buttoned up before running the car would be in order or would I need to wait the full 24 hours?

Click to expand...


The 2B is the ONLY one to use; it's their NON-HARDENING gasket sealant.

If there were ever a fool proof/bullet proof chemical compound, this is it.

There's no cure time to wait for; you assemble the parts and go. This compound is nothing like silicone. As soon as you get some on your hands, you'll know exactly what I mean.
 
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