Truck Repair: 1987 Dodge Ram Van 318 Water Pump replace, dodge ram van, razor blade

Question
Hi - I have to replace the water pump on my old 318. This van has 400,000+ miles on it but runs great and with hand-choke I installed many years ago, is 100% reliable no matter what weather, down to sub-zero......anyway is there anything tricky I should know before tackling this? -there is no A/C- I've done water pumps in the past on other vehicles, but this one takes the cake as far as being in such a God-Awful location (full-size van) - Any tips would be greatly appreciated, Thanks in advance   < Mark

Answer
Hi Mark,
That is an extremely easy pump to change in a pickup truck.
Thank goodness for the lack of air conditioning. That makes it much harder in the van.
There is a bypass hose from the top of the pump to the thermostat housing area. Be sure to replace that. And I like to use screw type clamps rather than the spring rings that come on the orriginal.
There are bolts of several different legnths, so watch where they come out, so you can put them back into the same place.
At least one, but I think two bolts screw through the timing cover, and into the cooling system, and these bolts need sealer on them, prefferably Permatex.

Be sure to scrape ALL the old gasket of the engine. Use a single edge razor blade.

Good luck,
Van