Bought the truck new Feb 99 and I have put on 164,000 reliable miles, but now my 99 ranger 4 cyl. is leaking coolant somewhere around the water pump area. It doesn't seem to be coming from the weep hole and the bearings and shaft seem to still be tight on the water pump. So it looks like I have a project to work on. I figure I will replace the water pump , thermostat, timing belt, serpentine belt, hoses. My question is, has anyone tackled this project before? Anything else I need to replace while I have it tore down? And is there anything to watch out for? Or any tips to use, to make the project go easier? I have the Haynes manual to work from. Any ideas what this job would cost for a shop to do it? Is it worth doing myself?
Thanks, Ken