I just picked up a 96 GSR Sedan with 95K miles on it. The previous owner changed the timing belt but declined the option to change the water pump for some reason. ( I wasn't told this, but was given all the service records and that's what it said). Is this something I should be concerned about? When should I change the water pump? Is it a DIY job or should I take it to the shop?

Thanks

 

when did he change the timing belt, has it been a while cause if it has you might as well change it again. If you have never done it, seek help...

 

Timing belt / water pump isn't exactly a good choice as a first DIY job, however if you are comfortable working on cars... it's really not that hard. (Although air tools help A LOT)

 

i am in the process of changing the t-belt and w-pump now, my car is literally in my uncles garage torn apart. its not like a tune up, this job is time consuming. you have to have all the right tools, and yes, air tools help alot. the crank bolt was the hardest to remove, but some heat can help that.
my car has 125k miles on it, it still has the original belt and the belt lookes fine. the w-pump was also fine, no leaks or anything.
if i were you, i wouldnt worry about it until you notice a leak or something, people usually do it when the belt is off, because its right there.

 

worst thing I ever did was had the 90K timing belt done without doing the water pump. About 20K later, it started to leak. I let it leak and watched it until 137K when I needed a new clutch (orignal one finally when out!) and ended up ordering a new water pump, timing belt, clutch, and flywheel. I ended up just pulling the entire motor and working on it outside of the car since I needed to work on the engine and tranny.

 

When I did my timing belt, I didn't do the water pump because it looked so good, the bearings spun real nice. Now at 118k I just had to change the water pump because it started leaking. The bearings still spun real smooth...

Since I changed it myself, it wasn't too bad. But if I was paying for dealer labor, I'd have really been pissed at myself for not doing it with the timing belt. It all depends on how you get the work done.

 

Thanks for all the feed back guys. Unfortunately the timing belt was just changed like 3000 miles ago. I guess I just gotta wait until it leeks before I change it. Do I have to remove the timing belt to get to the water pump? Also, how much you think a shop will charge to change it out ( rought estimate, I know it will depend on which shop I take it to )?

 

Yes you have to remove the timing belt to change the water pump. That's the only reason everybody does them together, because it's just 5 more bolts after you get the timing belt off.

There's no guarantee that yours is gonna start leaking next month. Or next year...

 

thats why you get both done at the same time...the previous owner was an idiot or thought the mechanic was trying to get more money out of them, but it becomes more costly.

 

what are signs of the water pump leaking?

 

I don't know how much it is just for the water pump. But when I got the complete service done(timing belt, water pump, acc. belts) it ran me $650. I think majority of the expense is the labor. I just bought a Helms, and wished I had a long time ago. I highly reccomend buying one now, It will help you with this and many, many more DIY projects.

 

The timing belt and waterpump change is not a easy job. It's not something simple like a tune-up or brake change. I don't understand why the guy didn't change the waterpump, guess he knew he wasn't planning on keeping the car and wanted to save the $$$$. When you take off the timing belt, the waterpump is right there and can easily be taken off. I don't recommend you do the timing belt/ waterpump change yourself unless you work on cars on a daily basis.

Just a note, the gsr waterpump is very expensive, around $80-$100. The regular non vtec motor ones are about $40. If you can, opt for a factory OEM waterpump. You don't a waterpump that fails in a 2 or 3 years and have to pay the full price of a timing belt/waterpump change. Many shops have told me when it comes to the timing belt and waterpump, always use the OEM one.

 

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lol...... when it leaks you will see wetness around the lower timing belt cover.

 

I changed mine when I changed my timing belt. However, I was Changing my timing belt because My water pump needed to be changed. Both mine and my brothers went on the same day.

 

Changing the belt and water pump is a day job. You can do it yourself if you have time and all the right tools. I would also recommend having some one there who has done it before. It cost me about 80$ for the belt and pump. I got both from the dealer. Good luck if you do it yourself.