I have a 94 Grand Am with the 2.3 liter engine Single Overhead CAM (vin 3, I think). I have just got over 200k miles. I think the car sensed I was starting to lock at newer cars. Well the water pump just went out.
I am in the process of replacing the pump. I have everthing off. The exhaust manifold, pump housing and pump. Now the problem. I go to mount the new pump to the timing chain housing and it won't go. It mates up with the splines ( I had to rotate it slightly) and then it bottums out. It needs to go in about 1/8inch farther. I have measured the pump for the distance from the pump housing mounting flang to the end of the splined shaft. It is about 0.925 inches. I did a depth measurement on the female end if the idler. It is about 0.817 inches deep. The difference is about an eight of an inch. I have got another pump from NAPA this time, thinking it is the wrong pump. The pump depth dimension is pretty close to the first pump.
I have looked inside the housing at the idler. I don't see anything damaged or out of place. The snap rign is still in place. and the idler bearing looks ok.
Important note: I checked the old pump and found that the distance from the shaft end to the mountin face is about 1/8 shorter than the new pump. However I can push up on the pump impellers and make up for this difference (about 1/8"). The pump tends to spring back. Push up
1/8".I can only think of two things that may be the cause.
- The pump is still not the right one for the car. The pump may be different for this particular VIN. In which case I may have to go to the dealer and check out a pump from them.
- The idler and bearing have moved out of the housing seat by 1/8 of an inch. If this is the case how will I reseat the bearing. The book says I have to take the housing off and take it to get the bearing pressed in to replace it. I hope i don't have to take the timing chain housing off. If this is the problem then this may have been or contributed to the demise of the pump.
Experience... Comments...ideas, please. The help is appreciated.
Thanks Kevin