1996 Mitsubishi Galant Water Pump Removal

Question

Hello friends,

I am trying to replace the water pump for my 96 Galant but I see that it's not going to be easy because of all of the belts. I was wondering if you guys knew where I could start (maybe from the alternator) to remove the tension from the pulleys and how.

P.S. I have alldatadiy and it's useless, i am a amateur mechanic.

Thanks

Answer 1

yes you should change the timing belt also.  If its a four cylinder its pretty simple.  But you must take off everything in order.  To get to the cover you most likely have to take the cover off and that means taking the crankshaft pulley off.  Its tough if you're a Green horn.  I would get a book by Chilton's and read it because its got pictures.  I can use the alldata and have been thankful for it, because it too has pictures and everything a mechanic needs to pull the engine apart. Believe me the belts are the easiest part of the job.  

Answer 2

It would take me a whole day to do it and I've worked on cars for 20 years. You are better of taking it to a pro and have your timing belt replaced while your at it. The timing belt is the big problem here, it's very complected and very very easy to mess up. The parts alone for this job are about $400 if you do it right. I've done it a few times but I would never recommend trying to do it for your first time. If you mess up it will cost you a new engine.  

Answer 3

I wouldn't let the fact that you are an amateur mechanic keep you from completing this task. However, I strongly encourage you to read information anywhere you can get it prior to beginning this job. That includes going to a parts house and purchasing a Haynes or Clymer repair manual. I am suggesting the manual over an internet subscription simply because you can have the book at your car to flip back and forth while doing the job. This beats running back and forth to inside the house and leaving your grubby hand prints on everything (I am sure you have a wife as picky as mine when it comes to this).

Before beginning the task read the section thoroughly several times. And ask yourself: Do I have the tools to complete this? Do I have a back up plan if I realize I am in over my head? Just reading the book might answer some of those questions. And if you decide you don't want to do it, the book isn't a waste of money. You can always read sections to better understand your car.

As far as replacing the timing belt, yes! I don't like to break the tension on an old timing belt and then retension it. I have had some bad experiences. I might even suggest going even further and replacing the cam and crank front seals while I was at it. When these things start to leak they leave a mess. On a 12 year old car I would think seriously about having it done if I was doing a timing belt and water pump