The water pump on your Ford Ranger is a simple, yet very important device. Without it, your engine would overheat, causing damage to the engine block and cylinder heads. Anti-freeze needs to circulate through the engine to keep it cool. The water pump is the unit that makes this possible. The pump is also capable of sending this hot coolant through your heater core, giving you heat inside the vehicle cabin. Replacing the water pump is a moderately difficult task, but one that can be accomplished in under two hours using the proper tools.
Bring vehicle to a complete stop. Disengage the engine and open the hood. Allow engine to cool. Remove the negative battery cable by loosening the cable clamp with a wrench. Move the cable to the side.
Look on the bottom driver side of the radiator to locate the coolant drain plug. Put a coolant drain pan underneath the plug. Using a pair of pliers, carefully rotate the plug counterclockwise to open it and allow the fluid to drain into the pan. After it is finished draining, close the plug.
Loosen and remove the bolts holding in the fan cooling shroud. Use a ratchet and socket to remove the bolts. Grab the shroud and position it so you have access to the four fan bolts. Remove the four fan bolts with a wrench. Once the bolts are removed, you can pull both the fan and the shroud out of the engine compartment.
Remove the air conditioning compressor belt and the power steering belt. The process is the same for both units. Loosen the mounting/adjustment bolts with a ratchet and the units will stop putting pressure on the belts. Pull the belts off.
Remove the bolts that retain the water pump pulley. This is done with a wrench. Remove the pulley. Loosen the heater hose clamp with a screwdriver and pull the heater hose from the water pump.
Remove the bolts from the camshaft belt cover with a ratchet and socket. Pull the cover off of the engine.
Follow the lower radiator hose up to the water pump. Loosen the hose clamp at the pump with a screwdriver. Pull the hose off by twisting and pulling with your hands.
Loosen and remove the water pump retaining bolts. Use a ratchet and socket to remove the bolts. Once all of the bolts are removed, you can pull the water pump from the engine.
Stuff a rag into the openings on the engine. Scrape all leftover gasket material from the sealing surfaces. Be sure the area is clean before proceeding.
Apply RTV sealant to the water pump and engine mating surfaces. Also put some sealant on all the threads of the water pump bolts.
Remove the shop rag and install the new pump with bolts. Tighten the bolts with a ratchet and socket. Make sure the bolts are tight, but do not crank down hard on them. The bolt heads can break off, causing you a serious amount of extra work.
Reconnect the lower radiator hose to the water pump and tighten the hose clamp with a screwdriver. Reattach the camshaft belt cover and tighten the bolts with a ratchet and socket. Place heater hose back onto the pump and tighten the clamp with a screwdriver.
Reinstall the water pump pulley and tighten the bolts with a wrench. Reinstall the A/C and power steering belts. Insert a pry bar between the A/C unit and the engine block. Pry until the belt is tight. Hold the tension and tighten the mounting bolts of the A/C unit. Repeat this process for the power steering pump.
Lower the engine fan and cooling shroud down into the engine compartment. Attach the cooling fan to the fan pulley and tighten the bolts with a wrench. Reposition the shroud back to the original area and install the retaining bolts. Tighten them with a ratchet and socket.
Remove the radiator cap and fill the radiator with standard anti-freeze. Also fill the coolant reservoir to the 'full' line. Reconnect the battery cable and tighten the clamp with a wrench.
Verify that the parking brake is set and start the engine. Let the motor run to let it get warmed up. Check the water pump area for leaks. Monitor the coolant level and add more if necessary. Turn off the engine, close the hood.
