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Monkey Boy
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11/29/2009
22:50:27

Subject: 2001 Dakota 3.9 Water Pump. Tips
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Thanks to this forum I was able to change my water pump with some degree of confidence. I truly appreciate the experience that posts to this board and plan to become a paying member here.

First things first-It does help to have the right tools!

The first step for me was to remove the fan shroud. 3 bolts and a pop rivet. The rivet is on the passenger side towards the bottom of the shroud. Remove the other 3 nuts, pull the shroud aside, drill out the rivet from the inside. No need to replace it with anything.

Next step was to remove the belt. The tensioner is on the passenger side and is the farthest pulley to the left as you are facing the engine. Use a 5/8 box wrench to pull the tensioner inboard and slip the belt off.

Then remove the fan. There is a special tool for this job. Forget it. I used a old flat bladed screwdriver as a shim. I just pounded it in behind the water pump pulley until the pulley no longer moved. I used the largest adjustable wrench known to man ($49.99 at Sears Hardware) to unscrew the nut. Whack it once or twice then wrench off.

There is a pulley to the right and just below the alternator. Remove it to just get it out of your way.

The lower radiator hose (Gates part number 9182. I mention this because Auto Zone's database lists the wrong part) comes off next. Then the lower clamp on the bypass hose. You may have to cut this hose to get the pump off. No big deal because you should replace it anyway. It is located on the upper right hand side of the pump. You may have to look to see it. Then remove the heater hose from the long nipple on the right side of the pump (all of my directions are in relation to facing the engine). There are 7 bolts that hold the pump in place plus an 8th that holds the aforementioned nipple in place. All of the bolts come out with a socket except the one directly above the pump pulley. For that you'll need a 5/8 box wrench.

Your pump should be out at this point.

Your new pump has a threaded nipple for the bypass hose. I used a long pocket knife to lay across the notches to tighten that up. Remove the other nipple from the old pump. Clean it up and remove the old O ring. There will be a new O ring included with your new water pump. Watch for it because it can get lost easily. It is likely in the bag with the gasket, threaded nipple, and instructions. That old nipple comes off the old pump easily (at least in my case) but I soaked it overnight with WD-40. I put a pair of vise grips on the flange and worked it back and forth until it came apart. The design here makes you kinda scratch your head and you'll question the O ring. However, once you reassemble the new pump. it works fine.

Now you need to remove the air cleaner cover. Once you get that out of the way, you are going to remove the alternator and the bracket that the alternator and A/C compressor sit in. Yes, completely remove the alternator. It takes just a minute and makes the job that much easier.

Once you remove the alternator, you'll see 4 bolts that hold the bracket to the block. Remove them. Then there are 4 bolts on top of the intake. One is attached to a thin bracket that is attached near the right side of the alternator. Remove the bolt that sits in front of the carb. The other 3 (located atop and to the back of the compressor) hold the compressor to the block. They are in a triangular pattern. Remove all 3. This will allow you to move the compressor just enough to remove the top clip on the bypass hose and give you enough room to replace it.

Also, once the alternator is out, you'll have enough room to get to the hose clamp on the upper radiator hose (This hose is sold in 2 parts. Block to Cap and Cap to Radiator as an FYI). You need to remove this just to get it out of your way. While you have it off, I strongly suggest you replace the thermostat since it is right there and you've already done half the job.

Now the hard part is done. Just reassemble in somewhat reverse order (save the fan and shroud until AFTER you check for leaks), flush and refill. I haven't flushed and filled yet and have seen two different capacities for the coolant. I've seen 14 quarts and 20 quarts. I am going to guess that the 3.9 has a 14 quart capacity. We'll see.

Hope this helps!








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