Water pump Replacement advice? (Page 2/5)
Kitskaboodle MAY 14, 10:18 AM
Maybe I missed it above but…..
Can someone tell me exactly how many bolts go through coolant? In one of the threads, someone said that there are several bolts that go through coolant. I thought it was just one. Which bolts will require sealant before installation and exactly which specific bolts?
Kit
Vintage-Nut MAY 14, 11:33 AM

quote
Kit:
Which bolts will require sealant before installation and exactly which specific bolts?



Only Number 4 Bolt Needs Sealant



------------------
Original Owner of a Silver '88 GT
Under 'Production Refurbishment' @ 136k Miles

Kitskaboodle MAY 14, 12:38 PM
Thanks for confirming! 😊
Kit
Patrick MAY 14, 12:50 PM

quote
Originally posted by Kitskaboodle:

Maybe I missed it above but…



You did. It was mentioned at least three times in my thread that I linked to, including the following...


quote
Originally posted by Patrick Here:

...it demonstrates perfectly which bolt (there's only one) that protrudes into the water jacket, and therefore needs to have sealer on it.




82-T/A [At Work] MAY 14, 01:19 PM

quote
Originally posted by Patrick:

You did. It was mentioned at least three times in my thread that I linked to, including the following...




I remember doing this in the parking lot of my apartment complex when I was 19, and for the life of me... managed to figure out where everything went without a map. I remember being incredibly frustrated... and while I remembered where most of the big ones went, it was mostly trial and error where I wouldn't realize it until a bolt bottomed out, or it didn't fit... haha....

EDIT: Also... now I know what that bracket was for... mine never came with instructions, and I just threw that in my tool box because it didn't really make any sense. I assumed that big "gap" where there's no spacer was so that I could get a big ass flat-head screw-driver in there and pry the water pump off.

[This message has been edited by 82-T/A [At Work] (edited 05-14-2024).]

Kitskaboodle MAY 14, 07:51 PM
Bad news… (and a word to the Fiero wise) I just got my box from Rockauto and the Gates 43092 water pump is made in China but even worse than that, the description at Rockauto says it has a cast iron impeller but in fact it’s clearly black plastic. 😧 I have already initiated a return with Rockauto but disappointingly I have to fork out $7.50 to return it back. Well, I guess that’s how the ball bounces. I do wish they would go back to the way there were in the old days to where you could actually talk to someone.
So, I’m back to the drawing board on selecting a proper, quality water pump……
Kit
olejoedad MAY 14, 08:28 PM
That's exactly why I use a local parts store, never Rock Auto, Amazon or FleaBay......
You may pay more for the parts locally, but you need to factor in down time from improper parts and return shipping costs.

What's your time worth?
css9450 MAY 14, 10:22 PM

quote
Originally posted by olejoedad:

That's exactly why I use a local parts store, never Rock Auto, Amazon or FleaBay......
You may pay more for the parts locally, but you need to factor in down time from improper parts and return shipping costs.




Especially for a common item like a water pump. That same water pump was used on dozens of other GM models in the 1980s, cars that sold in huge numbers. Any local parts store should be able to get it by the next day if not sooner.

Fun fact: Rock Auto used to have an all-new AC Delco pump available.... Apparently not any more.
Kitskaboodle MAY 14, 10:36 PM
Ya, I didn’t have much luck finding an AC Delco pump. Anyways, I visited a few Fiero threads on water pump quality and a few mentioned that Bosch made a good quality one. I was able to confirm that the Bosch pump did have a metal
Impeller. Not sure if it’s the disc type or the exposed fin/propeller type. We will just have to wait until it arrives. As a reminder, the Rockauto website info for the Gates pump specifically said it had a metal impeller. It’s their website that has wrong info.
By the way, another confusing aspect of all this is that many water pump brand descriptions don’t even bother to tell you what kind of impeller material is on their pump. Maybe it’s a secret? 😊
Vintage-Nut MAY 15, 01:44 AM

quote
css9450:
That same water pump was used on dozens of other GM models in the 1980s



If you want a 'classic' GM water pump with a METAL impeller, search these discontinued GM numbers:

14024302 (1980)
14024302 was replaced with 14029860 (1981)
14029860 was replaced with 14033483 (1982) and discontinued 1984

14033234 is interchangeable with 14054847 and 14054555 (1984)

14054555 was replaced with 14033483 (1986)
14033483 was replaced with 14101304 (1987)
14101304 is interchangeable with 10054510 (1988)
10054510 was replaced with 10120945 (1989)
10120945 was replaced with 10174860 (1993)
10174860 is interchangeable with 12482696 (2003) corresponding ACDelco p/n 251-621