Water pumps are what keep gasoline combustion engines from overheating. The water pump circulates water through the engine to keep the internal components from overheating and seizing. As is typical of all Honda vehicles, the Civic does not require a great deal of maintenance. However, if you find that your Civic is no longer cooling as it should or that your engine light is coming on under load, it may be due to a bad water pump.
Determine if the water pump is the problem. Locate the thermostat on the top of the radiator lid. Pull the thermostat and start the car. With the thermostat removed, the coolant should circulate continuously, making it harder for the engine to warm up.
Turn the Civic off and locate the water pump on the lower portion of the engine. Loosen the belt-retaining bolt and pull the belt off of the pump. Spin the belt drive with your hands to see if it rolls smoothly.
Remove the bolts on the hose clamps on either side of the water pump. Slide the hoses off of the pump and use the socket wrench to remove the two mounting bolts holding the water pump in place.
Pull the old water pump out and insert the new water pump in its place. Slide the hoses back in place and replace the timing belt cover.
