NOAGGE
Active member
After much reading in preparation to replace my waterpump on my 1996 Corvette, I took
to the job last weekend to do it myself.. I thought I would put in my two cents since I was successful and give my point of view...My top concerns were getting new pump on with no leaks, not destroying the opti, and bleeding the system once on...What I learned.....
1. The middle driverside bolt wasnt a lot of fun..I got it out with taking my time..Fortunately the bolts were not very tight nor should they be when putting it back together..I was worried about the opti vacuum hose that is oh so close to the this bolt I was afraid I might damage it but it is fine...
2. It seems I scraped on the surface area of the block for an hour to rid it of the left over gasket material..i wasnt sure if I got it clean enough but it isnt leaking so I guess I did alright..
3. I wasnt sure if I was getting the opti to wet or not, I was trying to be careful of where the coolant was coming out, but it survived so I guess I did alright on this part also..
4. Once all buttoned up and pump back on I tried to find the throttlebody bleed valve...I did not find one...In the end it proved not to be a factor...It was not a problem bleeding without it...Note, I did use a brand new GM waterpump..I decided I wasnt going to use an aftermarket pump...When I opened up the bleed valve on t-stat housing I started pouring in 50-50 dex-cool...I had some gurgling in surge tank as I was putting in the fluid, but no air was coming out that bleed valve to much chagrin....after I put in 2 gallons of coolant I decided to take bleed screw out and poof here comes a burp of air and water...I guess that did it..I did protect the opti at this point and time with a trowel made of aluminum foil..That worked well...
5. All buttoned up now with wiring checked drive belt back in place...Double and triple checked..Start up went great no strange noises and no hesitation to make me think opti is ok..Did my first light drive to temp and all seemed well..Still seems well after 3 cold to warm drive cycles.
After all was said and done I am glad I did this repair myself..I feel I am above average mechanically but would like some help in larger cases...I did not have any concerns with bleeding of which I was expecting it to get hot quick but this did not happen..i guess it is the design of the system...This job took me about 5 hours total of work but I was going slow and double checking myself at all points
Also note to self..Dont get Brake-kleen in your eyes..I flushed with water for about 5 minutes and i can still see...If anyone thinks I missed something feel free to comment..If you have any questions feel free to ask also.... Thanks Ron...
to the job last weekend to do it myself.. I thought I would put in my two cents since I was successful and give my point of view...My top concerns were getting new pump on with no leaks, not destroying the opti, and bleeding the system once on...What I learned.....
1. The middle driverside bolt wasnt a lot of fun..I got it out with taking my time..Fortunately the bolts were not very tight nor should they be when putting it back together..I was worried about the opti vacuum hose that is oh so close to the this bolt I was afraid I might damage it but it is fine...
2. It seems I scraped on the surface area of the block for an hour to rid it of the left over gasket material..i wasnt sure if I got it clean enough but it isnt leaking so I guess I did alright..
3. I wasnt sure if I was getting the opti to wet or not, I was trying to be careful of where the coolant was coming out, but it survived so I guess I did alright on this part also..
4. Once all buttoned up and pump back on I tried to find the throttlebody bleed valve...I did not find one...In the end it proved not to be a factor...It was not a problem bleeding without it...Note, I did use a brand new GM waterpump..I decided I wasnt going to use an aftermarket pump...When I opened up the bleed valve on t-stat housing I started pouring in 50-50 dex-cool...I had some gurgling in surge tank as I was putting in the fluid, but no air was coming out that bleed valve to much chagrin....after I put in 2 gallons of coolant I decided to take bleed screw out and poof here comes a burp of air and water...I guess that did it..I did protect the opti at this point and time with a trowel made of aluminum foil..That worked well...
5. All buttoned up now with wiring checked drive belt back in place...Double and triple checked..Start up went great no strange noises and no hesitation to make me think opti is ok..Did my first light drive to temp and all seemed well..Still seems well after 3 cold to warm drive cycles.
After all was said and done I am glad I did this repair myself..I feel I am above average mechanically but would like some help in larger cases...I did not have any concerns with bleeding of which I was expecting it to get hot quick but this did not happen..i guess it is the design of the system...This job took me about 5 hours total of work but I was going slow and double checking myself at all points
Also note to self..Dont get Brake-kleen in your eyes..I flushed with water for about 5 minutes and i can still see...If anyone thinks I missed something feel free to comment..If you have any questions feel free to ask also.... Thanks Ron...
