How long does it take to replace a water pump? I have a leak and I have checked all the little stuff so I think it's the water pump. Trying to figure out the ETR so the dealer wont try to BS me.

 

BUMP

 

damn i caught this thread at the wrong time, i would have checked my labor book and told u the hrs, but im off til monday. my guess would be atleast 4hrs though.

 

My mechanic did mine in 4.5 hours. It's quite a challenge. You do not have to remove the timing chain or its cover, but the room you have to work with is so damn tight.

DW

 

I agree, this is a very hard job, even though the labor costs a lot, I would rather pay it then mess somthign up myself. You need to go through a lot of areas in teh engine to get to the water pump. 4.5 hours sounds right. Unless you're a pro, don't bother.

 

Oh definety do not bother doing the water pump on the max unless ur a pro, this is not something u want to do twice, or once for that matter its a pain in the a$$ and there is literally 0 room to work with. doing the water pump urself is not something most people should try to do to save money, same goes with the A/C system.

 

My leak is betwwen the oil pan and the A/C compressor. I checked all of the hoses they seemed to be fine. So I am thinking this is where the coolant is coming from.

 

It does sound like its the WP, but to be on the safe side i would take it 2 u mechanic to get it checked out. 3days ago i had a car some in with the customer sayin the WP is done in, to the naked eye it sure looked like it cuz it was all wet by the WP, but a closer looked showed that the Freeze plug behind the WP on the Cylindehead was the 1 that was leakin. The plug and the WP were about 1.5" away from each other u never know.

 

Where's this freeze plug at exactly? I have the same sort of leak. Also, what's involved in fixing it (freeze plug)?

 

The freeze plug(s) are located all over the engine atleast 10 should be on the VQ block. there should be atleast 1 on each end of the cylinder head(s) and about 3 on each side of the block, under the exhaust manifolds. now the car i was mentioned that the WP was like 1.5" away from the freeze plug was in an 4.3 blazer. Now changing the freeze plugs isnt really a brain surgery type of operation its fairly simple, u want to drain the coolant first, but the real pain in the a$$ is getting to the freeze plug, usually u have to remove a bunch of other thing out of the way. In most cases things like the Alternator, compressor,ect... I havnt done any freeze plugs on the VQ cuz they dont usually go out oo fast, only after many yrs and alot of rust. U just have to punch a hole in it and pull it out.

 

So would the labor on the Freeze plug be the same as the water pump?


The freeze plug(s) are located all over the engine atleast 10 should be on the VQ block. there should be atleast 1 on each end of the cylinder head(s) and about 3 on each side of the block, under the exhaust manifolds. now the car i was mentioned that the WP was like 1.5" away from the freeze plug was in an 4.3 blazer. Now changing the freeze plugs isnt really a brain surgery type of operation its fairly simple, u want to drain the coolant first, but the real pain in the a$$ is getting to the freeze plug, usually u have to remove a bunch of other thing out of the way. In most cases things like the Alternator, compressor,ect... I havnt done any freeze plugs on the VQ cuz they dont usually go out oo fast, only after many yrs and alot of rust. U just have to punch a hole in it and pull it out. [/B][/QUOTE]

 

Not nesessarily, depends which plug ur talkin about, like i said there are about 10 on the VQ block. Tomorrow ill check my labor book at work and post exactly how many hrs it takes to the WP. the Freeze plug labor it gives isnt exact it sez .5 hr for eacg plug, plus add hrs it take to reach the plugs.

 

The nearest dealer here is an hour away. I'll try to see if I can get someone here to pressure test the cooling system to find the leak.

 

Are these plugs you're talking about that let any anti-freeze out of the engine block that just won't make it to the drain plug under the radiator?? If that's the case, the 4th gen Maxima VQ motor has 2, one on each side of the engie block. They are under each exhaust manifold and a major PIA to get to. You are supposed open those every time you change your anti-freeze, to make sure every last drop leaves your engine. Most people don't. It is way too much work. I saw them once when I was working on my Y pipe and said "no way". I'd rather go the route of repeatedly flushing the system with water so that any leftover old anti-freeze is dilute to the point of in-significance once the car is ready for the new stuff.

And if those plugs are what your are talking about, they are un-related to the water pump. No way near it.

DW

 

My leak is coming from between my oil pan and the A/C compressor. Is one of freeze plugs in this area.

 

NO NO NO, u never have to remove a freeze plug to dump the coolant. The freeze plug is there incase the coolant freezes, when/if it does freeze the coolant will expand while doing so, the freeze plugs get poped out letting the coolant seep out and expand outside of the block. if it expands in the block it will crack the block, kind of an insurance thing for the engine. Im not sure exactly how many are on the VQ block, i just guessed approx ten from all the other cars ive seen to date. if its two its two, and 99% of the time its a PIA to get to.

 

Umm, no. Coolant is never ever supposed to freeze, and afterwards expand. If it does, then that means someone put straight H20 in their system. Those 'freeze' plugs would'nt do any good anyhow because frozen stuff does not flow, it just expands. Even if they did pop out, what of all the other water surrounding the cylinders? Can you say C-R-A-C-K-E-D and completely destroyed cylinder block?


DW

 

 

Hey Dwapenyi;

You are mistaken. Freeze Plugs are to prevent the block from cracking in the event your coolant would freeze. Fact. Freeze plugs have been a part of an engine block for more than 70 years. No doubt, that is their purpose! They (freeze plugs) may or may not be an evolutionary deadend, but that was their original purpose, and they still exist on engines today. Maybe someone else can explain this in detail!

The engine coolant drain plugs in the engine are for draining the coolant from the engine. Fact. I agree with you on that one. I never waste my time removing them to drain the coolant, I flush it out several times like you described.

White96MaxSE

 

So you're saying that the VQ motor has freeze plugs? If so, why? How do you drain frozen coolant? Since the standard anti-freeze will protect a car down to -84 F, I can't imagine a Maxima in that situation. I guess I stand corrected. Sorry Hitman. Thx for the headsup White96. This is why I like the forums. You learn something new everyday.

DW

 

Btw blakkrob i checked my labor guide at work today and it said the waterpump and a DOHC max will take 3.9 hrs, adding in the oh crap time i would say that 4.5 hrs is a decent time to be charged for this job. dwapenyi no prob, u see coolant isnt 100% coolant its a 50/50 mix with water. If for some reason the coolant does freeze the plugs will save ur block from cracking. I work at a auto shop man i know what im talkin about (most of the time anyway) if i dont ill either keep my mouth shut and not post about a subject. If im proven wrong then so be it, im no smart A that has all the answers to every1s questions but i will help here and there. White96 thanx for getting that 1.

 

Thanks! I'm goona go to the dealer Friday and see if they can locate the leak and maybe set u an appointment for ht e pump if thats the problem

 

Coolant is a mix of antifreeze and water. Every coolant mix has it's freezing point. 50/50 Mix will freeze at -25 or -30 F (Look at the antifreeze for specific numbers). You can make freezing point lower by having up to 70% of antifreeze and the rest is water.

 

Is $175 for labor good for doing the water pump on my 1998 Nissan Maxima?

 

that's about two hours of labor, so yes.
Make sure use use an Oem pump and seals if you're planning on keeping the car a long time.

 

I have an oil leak near my lower timing cover...may have to take the timing cover off. If so I figure I'll replace my water pump too since it has 235K miles on it. Agree that OEM is the way to go since you want this to last long and the labor is a pain.

 

It is very unlikely the freeze plug leaking, water pump leaking is a common problem on 4th gen Max, there are 2 O-rings and a sweep hole in between, most likely the O-rings are bad. Replacing water pump is a PITA, mainly because the space is so tight, especially around timing chain tensioner area, but with enough patient, it is DIYable, I will give it 3.5 difficulty level out of 5.

 

You will know if your water pump seal is bad because there will be a puddle of antifreeze under your car on the passenger side just in front of wheel. Or directly below the water pump. This will only occur as the car cools down. You probably wont notice leak while car is cold only after driven and car begins to cool will it leak out. I did change my water pump and it is a PITA! Removing the passenger side engine mount helps, some. Swivel heads and you will need a paperclip tied to a string to retain the timing chain tensioner or just take it out and replace it, recommended. The water pump bolts torque is 7 INCH LBS!!

Edit: there is a write up in the 4th gen how to's. Its good with pictures. Sorry don't have link handy.

 

Any chance you have that write up link for replacing the Water Pump? I have a 1998 Maxima doing exactly what you've said...after off for a few, begins to drip water right by the passenger tire. I'm pretty machanically inclined and am going to try this but i'm always a little afraid. Question, Could someone clarify when i refers to moving the crank 20 degrees back? i really don't get this part.

Thanks,

 

 

Shop book time is about 3.5 hours. Removing the mount is a must the videos have everything you need to get it done. ive done it multiple times can do it bout 2 hours just tAke your time