Chrysler Repair: Waterpump, chrysler lebaron, 1992 chrysler lebaron

Question
How do you replace a waterpump in a 1992 chrysler
lebaron?

Answer
Hi Teresa,
It is dependent upon whether you have a 4 cyl or a V6 cyl engine in your car. The waterpump in the 6, which is the more likely, is a bit buried in the engine and it is driven by the timimg belt rather than an external drive belt. To get to it you have to remove the drive belts and then you have to remove the timing belt to get at the water pump. It is a good opportunity to inspect the timing belt for replacement because then you won't have to go thru the entire operation later if the drive belt breaks or begins to degrade. So it is not a typical external water pump replacement like on the 4 cyl. engine. Do you want to do it yourself? Or are you wondering why it is estimated to cost so much to do? The way it is designed makes it a more costly procedure, but if the water pump goes at about the same time as the timing belt becomes suspect (nominally 60,000 miles but that is not generally the true wear out point, just an "inspect") then it is really not an extra expense in that light. So if you haven't changed the drive belt in more than 60,000 miles consider it as a "killing two birds with one stone" project.
Roland