AnotherOldJeepGuy

Just for FYI and future reference, I did the job without removing the mechanical fan and it only got in the way a little. In hindsight I think the biggest trouble this caused was it being in the way for "easily" removing the electrical fan. BUT this is probably because of my "modified fan shroud", which was broken most of the way by some repair shop, so I broke it the rest of the way and converted the top piece to a shroud with removable top. So without this "feature" removing the fan/shroud for better access definitely would seem to be a good idea. At one point before I dove into this I considered taking it to a shop, and wanted to help them by letting them know which screws to remove and warn them the washers are not captive .

Yay! A good cleaning of the belt and the pulleys, no more squeak! And at least for the moment no leaking either, so I'll monitor that for a bit to see what I see. Thanks to all that helped out!

I took the belt off and scrubbed it down from end to end with a toothbrush. Then cleaned all the pulleys. Found a little gunk on the one that I believe is the harmonic balancer. It wasn't much but maybe enough to squeak, but it was really not much, All the pulleys spun free by hand and made no noise as I cleaned them, except for the alternator, is had a very faint squeak, once per revolution. So I guess that's also a possibility, but I re-note it didn't squeak when I put it all back together yesterday. OK, things should be dry now, time to reassemble and see what happens....

It's better today from a leak standpoint, I saw a few drop right at first that I could not 100% tell where they came from but after a few minutes they stopped, or blew away. Either way it doesn't see to be leaking now. I think this uncertainty may lead me to replace the tstat housing soon, but not today. The problem now is it squeaks like a blanche. I have tightened the belt about 1 turn at a time to look for improvement but I don't get any. The new pump and idle pulley seemed to spin just fine when I put them on, but I guess I can't rule them out. So the new question is now, if the squeal goes away for 20s or so if I squirt a little water on the belt, does that say the problem is the belt? I did not put a new belt on because the one already there looked good to me. Anyway, before I do that I'll still ask if the water test points to the belt, or does it not work good enough to say it does? Oh it is probably worth mentioning that yesterday when I tested the reassembly the first time and found the leak, there was no squeaking...

Yeah I almost never torque either, judgement has gotten me through to this point. Just figured this might be something to torque since I am having trouble getting a water tight seal. (And I guess because I picked up an on sale torque wrench not too long ago )

Gotcha. I have a strong need to be done today, so I am really hoping for a success from the reinstall. I'm trying to follow the actual instructions on the RTV package (bad habit not to read this stuff) and as I reread it, I may have already failed. It says to install hand snug, then wait 1 hour then torque to spec then wait 24 hours. Well I read it yesterday as hand tight then wait 24 hours, then torque, I think this is worth a dammit! So at this point I'll just go ahead and torque and finish the 24 hours wait. My Haynes manual says the t'stat bolts torque to 13ft-lb, does that sound right?

I did use a scraper and wire brush on both surfaces but I didn't use much pressure just lots of strokes. The engine side does look better that the t'stat housing but they both seem pretty smooth. I am hoping that my failure was not waiting long enough before I added coolant fired up the engine, and also the surface might not have been completely dry on the engine side. On the redo I made sure to get both surfaces dry, and I finished up about 1pm Sat and it's been setting since then and I'll try again after a full 24 hours passes. Oh, and I did go ahead with a new gasket cause like you said thay are cheap. If it fails the second try I think I may go ahead and replace the t'stat housing, it's not expensive either. https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NOE9023010

Hmm, don't know what gremlin I had last night, but I was able to get the Napa pipe in today and everthing else back together. That;s the good news. The bad news is there's a leak at the thermostat. Do I have to let the RTV cure for some amount of time before starting up the truck? The new gasket doesn't look damaged, can I add more RTV and reassemble with a seal expected or do I need to put in a new gasket each time I try?

Well, day one was a failure! The Napa inlet pipe looked like it would work, it seemed to route well, but the rookie mistake was to also consider the ability to put the thermostat cover and the two hoses connected to that back. The inlet pipe blocked the access to do this . I was able to get the old inlet pipe out of the old pump with the assistance of a vise and a 12-in pipe wrench, but I could not get the new pipe out of the new pump without removing the pump, the gasket didn't survive the removal. I have a new gasket on the way that is supposed to get here in about an our, then I'll start attempt #2!

Well Haynes is notorious about over disassembly...

OK I'll keep that in mind if the new parts I have don't take away all the squeak.

Well I have a new pump and a new idler pulley so I'll do both and I'll get it either way! Also putting in new t-stat and belt just because it's a good time to do it.

Thanks good! For Future Ref, @AZJeff was right on, there was no need to remove the compressor at all, the Haynes manual was smokin something.

Great, the website says it should be ready to pickup in 30 min. Hopefully it is not fibbing...

Tried to add a link to the youtube, you see above how that worked. Attempting to do it again.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWJZZiy5F8M

Perfect! I just watched a you tube video for this on a 98 Cherokee XJ, looks very similar but I never got a good look at the AC area. This guy didn't remove the AC compressor, my Haynes say the AC compressor has to be disconnected. So should I expect to have to dismount the compressor?

I am trying to visualize what you are saying.... Are you saying you hold the screwdriver in one hand bracing against two of the nuts while you tighten the others with the other hand?

I like the home depot option if I can't reuse. Since I'll need to go there anyway maybe I'll look to see if they have any high temp Teflon, just in case.

I like that idea although it looks like if I want to finish tomorrow I need to manage to salvage and reuse cause none of the close by auto parts outlets stock these, at least that's what they tell me on the phone. What are you using for tape?

There's a short piece of pipe for the top hose connection. I hope I can reuse the one I have, but if not, is this a standard part I should be able to get at the autozone in walking distance? Also I assume I need to put some type of thread goo on there, I have plumbers tape but I suspect it can't handle the temps, so what do I use on this? Can I use the same RTV I will be putting on the mating surface when I install the new pump?

The fan cowl seems to be impossible to get out of there with the fan on short of cutting it in half. At least that is the way it seems to me.

Aren't there special tools needed to take off and install pulleys?

I had a chirping belt at first after I replaced my lower hose due to some coolant but I sprayed it down with some soapy water and rinsed it, and after it dried the squeak stopped, but this sounds more like clicking. What is a bit odd though is that I didn't loose all that much based on the level in the overflow tank. My doctor gave me a bag of water so I could top it off before driving home, and when I got home the drip was not there anymore, and the coolant level was about the same, but I do still hear the sound, and the pitch definitely follows the RPMs, does that sound more like the pump if it follows RPMs

Ah I do have some de-greaser, but no pressure washer. I have degreased it, somewhat, a few times recently before and after replacing the valve cover gasket and an injector, so it's not bad but could still use a bit right in the area of the pump.

At my doctor appointment this morning I looked out to the parking lot and there was coolant dripping from my front end. I just replaced the lower hose 2 weeks ago cause the old one split, so this was unexpected. Now I have a chirping water pump. I don't see leaking from the new hose. A few questions before I attempt the replacement that I didn't find already answered here. I do I need to remove the mechanical fan? I know the electric one will need to come out, and I think the answer is yes, but I don't know for sure since it looks like it might be possible to get the pump replaced without removing that fan. If so can I assume the fan is symmetrical and I don't have to try and match the orientation to put it back? There's a pulley on the water pump, the new pump I have don't have this so clearly I need to transfer this, and I assume doing it is easier with the pump still installed, an possible at least for the removal it will be easier to knock loose the bolts while the belt is still on helping things stay put while I try to remove them. When I replaced the lower hose I had to put in somewhere between 6-8 quarts of fluid. I have noticed the fluid color has remained looking clean since then. Actually since a while before that as well. Can I assume that if the coolant still looks clean with a month or more use, that flushing the system is not a critical need, possible not even a minor need? The main reason I ask it that the radiator is not original and this one has no drain plug, so flushing become a whole lot more messy. Can someone direct me to torque specs on the bolts I will been to remove? Lastly, any other words of wisdom from the experts before I embark on this task? Thanks in advance