The water pump is essential to your Dodge Durango's cooling system, as it delivers the engine coolant. The water pump is mounted within the engine itself, and a bad one will cause the engine to overheat quickly. If you need to change the water pump on your 2001 Durango, there are a few variances on exactly how you must remove and install the pump. This largely depends on the type of engine the Durango has.
Disconnect the Durango's negative battery cable.
Place a large container under the radiator and open the drain fitting with pliers so the engine coolant drains into the container.
Remove the cooling fan and shroud. For an electric fan, disconnect the electrical connector from the motor, remove the clips at the top and lift it out. For a mechanical fan, loosen the retaining nut, disconnect the hoses at the coolant bottle and windshield washer tank and then unbolt and remove the shroud followed by the fan assembly.
Rotate the tensioner for the drive belt with a wrench (or loosen the idler pulley on a four-cylinder engine) and remove the belt.
Loosen the hose clamps for the water pump hoses with pliers and detach the hoses. If the hoses are stuck, grab them at the ends and twist them to break them off. Cut them off and replace them as a last resort.
Unbolt and remove the power steering pump using a wrench if the Durango has a four-cylinder engine. Set the pump aside without disconnecting its hoses.
Remove the bolts surrounding the water pump with your wrench and lift the pump out of the engine. On some V8 models, reach above the pump with pliers to release the bypass hose clamp.
Scrape off all traces of the gasket material on the engine block with a gasket scraper. Clean the surface with acetone or lacquer thinner and clean off corrosion and sealant from the bolts.
Apply thin layers of RTV sealant to the engine side of the new gasket and the mating side of the new water pump. Attach the gasket to the pump and slip two of the bolts through the holes to hold the gasket in place.
Install the pump onto the engine and insert the remaining bolts. Tighten them by hand and then tighten them the rest of the way with your wrench in quarter turn increments.
Reconnect the power steering pump with its bolts—if needed—and the hoses for the pump with their clamps.
Install the drive belt, using the diagram on the radiator support for the correct routing path. On a four-cylinder engine, tighten the idler pulley with the wrench and test the belt tension with your thumb; it should not deflect more than a quarter inch in the center.
Reinstall the cooling fan and shroud in the reverse order of removal.
Reconnect the battery cable.
Fill the engine coolant at the radiator. Use the old coolant only if it is uncontaminated; otherwise, use a fresh mix of water and antifreeze.
