The water pump on the 2003 Ford Taurus is an integral part of the engine cooling system. The water pump pulls coolant from the radiator and delivers it to the engine. When it fails, your engine is not properly cooled, and you risk damaging it, so it is vital that you replace the water pump as soon as it fails. Many times, the water pump will seize, and the belt will break, indicating that you need to replace the pump.
Park your 2003 Ford Taurus on a level surface then open the hood to access the engine compartment.
Place a bucket under the front of the vehicle below the radiator plug. Pull the plug to drain the coolant from the car.
Turn the pulley tensioner on the water pump counterclockwise with a 1/2-inch drive socket to loosen the serpentine belt. The water pump is located on the left side of the engine.
Use the 1/2-inch drive socket to turn the bolt on the roll restrictor counterclockwise until it is loose enough so that you can move the roll restrictor out of the path of the water pump. The roll restrictor is a long brace that is part of the engine mount near the water pump.
Note the belt routing diagram for the serpentine belt on the top of the fan shroud. If the diagram has worn off, sketch one out so you will be able to properly reattach it to all the pulleys once you have installed the new water pump.
Remove the serpentine belt from just the water pump pulley. If you loosened the pulley tensioner enough, you should be able to remove the belt without any additional tools.
Turn the nut and bolt counterclockwise with the 1/2-inch drive socket to remove the support bracket.
Remove the water inlet hose leading from the water pump to the radiator.
Detach the sensor from the electrical connector. The sensor is a series of wires that connect to the water pump.
Remove the water pump from the engine compartment.
Install the water inlet hose onto the new water pump.
Mount the new water pump into the engine compartment.
Replace the bolt in the support bracket and turn it clockwise to tighten it.
Insert the electrical connection plug into the new water pump.
Move the roll restrictor into place and use the 1/2-inch drive socket to tighten the bolt.
Place the serpentine belt over the water pump pulley. Refer to the diagram on the fan shroud or the diagram you drew to verify the belt is going over all the pulleys in the correct order.
Use a pry bar to pull on the water pump while you turn the tensioner pulley clockwise to secure the assembly, placing tension on the belt.
Fill the radiator with coolant. Leave the cap off of the radiator, while you start the vehicle, to allow any air in the cooling lines to escape.
