'87 2.5 4cyl Water Pump.

[High Mileage]

My '87 Century appears to have just puked it's 2.5's water pump. The hoses and connections are dry in back of the pump. But it's dripping from
right under the pulley. Afterall,it does have 290,000mi on it.

I took the belt off. The pulley spins ok with no play. But it's prolly leaking out of the vent hole. The AC comp is in the way,so I can't see under the pump.

I'll be tackling this in a few hours. Does anyone have any tips? Does the AC compressor have to come off? I do have an FSM.

I've got to get this apart today,then drop the new and old pump off at a nearby Mobil so they can change pulleys. They are closed on weekends.


Thanks!

[LordDurock]

here the only duke pict i have the alt when above the pump and the ac when below... im away form home right now so hope this helps. i think theres 4 or 5 bolts that hold the pump neck to head or there the load of bolts (in the pict) that hold pump to the neck
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb167/lorddurock/DCFC0166-1.jpg

[High Mileage]

Thanks for the pic. That is an older 2.5 judging from the V-belts. Since mine is an '87,it has a serpentine which is prolly easier to deal with as far as belts are concerned.

Well, 1hr 15min is what it took me to get the pump off with no reference to anything. The FSM is vague and I have never changed a 2.5 water pump before.

It wasn't even the pump that was leaking. It was the housing-to-engine block port. The pump bolts to a housing. The housing bolts to the engine.

Here's how it goes:
1) Remove serp belt. (15mm wrench)
2) Disconnect battery.
3) Remove alternator.
4) Unbolt A/C compressor from H20 pump housing. 2-13mm bolts near the pulley,2-10mm bolts at rear of the compressor near the exh pipe. The 10's are a pain to get to. A 10mm wrench turned little by little.
5) Drop compressor down/out of the way.
6) Drain cooling system.
7) Remove heater hose from H20 pump housing. Move out of the way.
8) Remove lower rad hose from housing. Hook it out of the way.
9) 4-13mm bolts hold the housing onto the engine.

Don't try to get the pump off the housing while on the engine. There is one bolt sort of behind the pulley,on the bottom. You *can* get on it with a "wobble" 1in extension....sort of/maybe. But,the car body is right there....and...there's no room...and...*Angry/mean FUUUUU face!* lol

*** Do yourself a favor: Take the housing off the engine (step 9). The pump and housing will then be off in your hand as one unit. Otherwise,cleaning the gasket surface will be a pita. Installing the pump will be a pita. And you have that-one-bolt,plus 5 others. Good luck.

Besides,it was the housing-to-engine surface that was leaking. Lots of old seepage there in the last 290,000mi. Finally it got worse. There is no gasket there. Only RTV.

The Mobil down the street has the old and new pump right now. They are going to remove the pressed on pulley and press it on the new pump.

That hardest part is gonna be getting that compressor back on. I'll put 'em all in loose,first.

I'll use Ultra Black for the housing-to-block surface.

Amazingly the 290,000mi pump was still good. But,while things are apart,$27 for a new pump seems like a good idea.

Watch this new pump fail in a few weeks! lol (it better not)

Tomorrow (Friday) is assembly time.

[occupant]

The beauty of working on cars with over 200K is you get to see how it was cared for and what was or wasn't changed in the past. You get a feel for what works and what doesn't. AC Delco parts are always preferable IMO but if something else does the job then go for it. And you might find a gasket here or there that just ain't right, and you can tweak it to fit better when you re-assemble. Working on cars is too much fun to leave it to a mechanic!

[LordDurock]

accutly thats a 91 or 89 pulled form a low mile wreck.

[High Mileage]

accutly thats a 91 or 89 pulled form a low mile wreck.

That's interesting. What '89-'91 body style would that be out of that would still have V-belts?

Wasn't every 2.5 equipped with a serpentine belt system by then?

My '87 2.5's are both serpentine.

[87Cutlass Ciera]

That is weird that the engine actually has V belts! My 87 and 88 were both Serp belts, but my 86 was V belts so I assumed that they did switch completely over to Serp belts by the time 1987 rolled around

[86euro]

The Grand Am's and Calais' used that belt setup, IIRC.

[High Mileage]

I guess we'll have to wait and see what car that v-belt 2.5 came out of.

But I'm fairly sure that '86 was the last year for them in 2.5 equipped A-bodies. Maybe the J-bodies didn't switch until later?

[High Mileage]

That looks like the newer style oil cap. Plus,I don't see the oil filter sticking out if the back of the block....

[LordDurock]

the motors out of a skylark (n body) and the oil filter is the fiero style ware it in the pan. idk i just pull it out of a 40k wreck that been at my house sence 94 or 95. scraped the car 2 years go keeped the motor ecu and trans form a project or to sell
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb167/lorddurock/buick%20skylark%201991/DCFC0169.jpg
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb167/lorddurock/buick%20skylark%201991/DCFC0173.jpg
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb167/lorddurock/buick%20skylark%201991/DCFC0174.jpg
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb167/lorddurock/buick%20skylark%201991/DCFC0172.jpg

[CamoDeafie]

Lorddurock, how heavy is the 2.5 engine, estimate?

[High Mileage]

<sigh>. Mine in my '87 Cent is getting so tired. It's climbing above 290,000mi now. Still pinging at part throttle. Now it leaves a traffic light with a little mild pinging and a puff of blue smoke.

Ahhh. I remember back in Jan '97 when I saved the car from the crusher. It had 162,000mi....rust water for coolant,and oil that wouldn't drain from the pan. Removing the valve cover uncovered a Jello mold of sludge.

[Prospeeder]

Yea theres a 6000 wagon with the tech4 in town and it too puffs blue smoke and knocks like a siv. Yeesh why would you keep a 2.5 for a project, thats the engine you throw out of the car to put somthing esle in as the project.....

[CamoDeafie]

lol..prospeeder, here's an idea ;) you find me a 2.5 4 cyl engine thats pretty good, hell, one out of a grumman mail truck ;) and then pay me $200 ( or whatever............................ nah.figures you;d be paying what, 200something for the engine or so?) so i can go get the 82 Ciera iwth the v6, or the 87 Buick Cebtury with the 3.8 SFI LG3(LN3?) engine, and we'll meet up at yer garage or something, do the swap, and you walk away with either the 3.0 v6 or 3.8 v6 ? there also is a high mileage(sorry high mileage lol) buick century with the 2.8 MPFI engine....the buicks are 4 doors, the olds is a 2 door

[High Mileage]

Yea theres a 6000 wagon with the tech4 in town and it too puffs blue smoke and knocks like a siv. Yeesh why would you keep a 2.5 for a project, thats the engine you throw out of the car to put somthing esle in as the project.....


I don't really think of my '87 2.5 Cent as a project. It is more like my old stand-by/errandmobile. It's white,plain looking but has 15in Dodge Shelby wheels on it because they were free.

If it's pouring rain outside (today),the Cent comes out.

If it's time for a greezy j/y run or I need to get a trunkfull of firewood,the Cent is called to duty.

I have cut the rear firewall supports at the bottom. ...take the rear seat
out,recline the front seat...and a 9ft step ladder slides in and the trunk shuts.

After 13yrs of owning this car,I know what's been done front to back. problems have been the usual electrical stuff. Including it's $100 (yes,one hundred) purchase price,it doesn't owe me a thing.

I'd just hate to scrap it when all it needs is another 2.5.

Finding one up here in upstate NY is tough.

It will be motoring along again today. Lots of errands to run/shopping to do. The weather sux,so I'm not bringing the 46,000mi '90 Ciera out and have to clean it again.