2.5L water pump

[JoeyJeeper94]

So I’ve determined it’s time to replace my water pump. I have a 97 2.5L with about 110k miles. I watched the video you posted on your Chris and read the forum but my understanding is the 2.5L is a little different? Atleast that’s what I’m reading. Any input or tips for a painless process? Thanks guys!

 

[Jerry Bransford]

The biggest hint I can offer is to make sure the gasket seating surface on the engine block is 100% absolutely perfectly clean. Clean enough to eat off of. Clean enough an ant couldn't hang onto it. Any specks of the old gasket material remaining behind when you install the new gasket will cause it to leak. Clean it off with a putty scraper or similar, then use a fine wire brush to clean it some more, then wire brush it again and wipe it off thoroughly. I changed a water pump 17-18 years ago and managed to leave just a speck of the old gasket material behind and it cause the new water pump to leak where it was bolted to the block. It was over 100 by the time I had completed that job so having to redo it was no fun.

Another hint is to carefully mark where all the water pump bolts came from, they are different lengths and you have to make sure the bolts go back in exactly where they came from.

Finally, do NOT overtighten the pump's mounting bolts. The last thing you want is a broken or stripped bolt hole in the block. The factory specifies only 22 ft-lbs. of tightness for the water pump mounting bolts which isn't much. I'd use nothing larger than a 3/8" drive ratchet wrench to tighten those bolts to "real tight". Using a 1/2" drive ratchet wrench on them makes it a lot easier to strip those bolt holes out. Or go to Harbor Freight Tools and buy/use one of their inexpensive 3/8" click-style torque wrenches to tighten them down to the required 22 ft-lbs. of tightness. A 1/2" torque wrench is not accurate enough at a low ft-lbs. like that and it could overtighten them.

 

[RaymondT]

Best choice,

https://www.wermopar.com/oem-parts/mopar-water-pump-assembly-68382489aa/

and this

https://www.wermopar.com/oem-parts/mopar-gasket-5010956ab

 

[xackley]

does it require any goop and if so what kind?

 

[Jerry Bransford]

does it require any goop and if so what kind?

No, just use the gasket that comes with the water pump. The cooling system requires no RTV anywhere to be leak free.