How to Replace the Water Pump on a Ford F-150

Things you will need:

  • Socket and torque wrench
  • Sockets
  • Flat head screwdriver
  • Gasket scraper set
  • Water pump
  • Gasket sealant
  • Hook and pick set

Disconnect the battery.

Unplug the negative (black) battery cable from the smaller, 17mm   battery post. Now you need to drain the cooling system. Find the petcock at the bottom of the radiator and place a clean container under it so that you can catch all of the coolant because you will use this to refill the system when you are finished. Make sure that you recover every last drop of the coolant because it is propylene glycol and is extremely poisonous to dogs and cats. Now remove the air cleaner. and drain the cooling system and remove the air cleaner assembly.

Remove the radiator.

Unfasten the fan shroud bolts and remove it.  Use the flat head screwdriver to loosen the clamps and remove the bypass and heater hoses. Use the screwdriver to loosen the clamps on the upper and lower radiator hoses. If the hosed do not disengage easily, do not force them as these connections are very delicate. The correct procedure for removing a hose where it has bonded to the nipple or hose fitting is to use 90 degree hook and insert it between the hose and the nipple and them carefully work it around the circumference until the bond is broken and the hos separates easily. Use this same procedure to remove all the hoses that are connected to the water pump.   One of the best tools to use for this is Tech Team’s #789 hook and pick set   https://techteamproducts.com/product/scraper-hook-and-pick-set-9-pieces-00789/  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0812C2YXP?ref=myi_title_dp  . This set has chrome vanadium steel shanks and comfortable, easy to clean, TPR handles and includes a full assortment of hooks and picks so that you can easily get those hoses disconnected. You can do a hey Alexa or hey Siri google search for other ideas or just watch the video   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGm7RnF_lXE

Remove the fan and fan belt.

 

Use a breaker bar to relieve the tension on the fan belt tensioner so that the belt goes slack so that you can remove it. Now remove the water pump pulley by turning the bolts connecting the pump pulley to the water pump counterclockwise with a socket, socket wrench and extension. Loosen the fan clutch with a wrench and rotate the fan, shroud and clutch assembly counterclockwise and carefully disentangle them from the pump. Then unmount the fan drive belt and remove it.

 

Remove water pump assembly.

Remove the alternator bracket bolts and power steering pump bracket from the water pump by turning them counterclockwise with socket and socket wrench. You will also need to remove the bolts and pulley connecting the water pump to the timing chain. To disengage the water pump assembly from the engine block take a scrapper with a flat blade and gently use it to pry the pump away from the engine block. You may have to repeat this at 3-4 locations.

 

Scrape off the old gasket from the engine block.

 

Now scrape the engine block where the water pump was with a sharp flat blade gasket scraper to prepare the surface. Surface prep is a very important part of this process so you want to use the right  tools. Tech Team’s #903 3 piece scraper set https://techteamproducts.com/product/00903-tech-team-00903-3-piece-professional-surface-prep-and-gasket-scraper-set/   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09F3SV9M3?ref=myi_title_dp  is a great choice. You can also watch a you tube video  https://youtu.be/9JRJ703z4uE   Now spread a gasket sealer on the water pump mounting surface on the water pump back side and on all mounting bolts.

 

Install water pump.

Place the water pump gasket on the water pump and align the bolt holes with the pump and gasket. Mount the water pump onto the engine block and fasten the pump bolts by hand in clockwise motion and use a socket and torque wrench to tighten them. Before you tighten the bolts, consult the manufacturer for the correct amount of torque to apply.

Put everything back together.

Replace alternator brackets, power steering pump, brackets, radiator, and heater and bypass hoses in that order. Then fasten the hose clamp screws in clockwise motion with the screwdriver. Then install the fan shroud, fan pulley and spacer and fan. Then mount the fan drive belt with specified tension and tighten the alternator bracket.

Finally, fill the cooling system with the specified amount of water and antifreeze and connect the negative battery cable to the vehicle’s battery.