In order to change the water pump in a 2nd or 3rd gen Ford Escort equipped with an SOHC engine, the same procedure is required to go through as would be during the replacement of the timing belt. Please refer to the timing belt replacement guide and follow all of the steps. Once the timing belt is removed, carry out the following procedure below.

Changing the belt during the water pump replacement is not required, though may be a wise decision considering they are usually $ 30 and can save time in the future from not having to take it apart again. If you have a 3rd generation Ford Escort, you may wish to look into the benefits of using a 2nd gen water pump due to cost savings and simplicity. The timing belt replacement guide also contains more details on the differences between the two makes.

Procedure

1. Allow the vehicle to cool down to avoid dealing with hot engine coolant.
2. Drain the cooling system. Either use the drain plug at the bottom of the radiator or disconnect the lower coolant hose from the radiator. The later is much faster and better in cases where the drain plug might be faulty.
3. Remove the clamps on the heater core hose in the back of the water pump and the main radiator hose on the front of the water pump. If they are stock factory hose clamps then the easiest way to remove them is with a pair of vise grips, by compressing them. The amount of time and effort to remove the clamps may be pretty big, and hence their reinstallation is not recommended. Instead it's better to purchase normal screw driven adjustable hose clamps at any auto parts store.
4. Remove the 4 bolts that secure the water pump. There may be a bolt that will be really difficult to remove due to it's length and the spacing between the water pump and the unibody. You can either try to lift the engine up slightly with the jack, or simply leave the bolt danging as long as it's not in the threads any more so that when the rest of the bolts are loosened the long bolt can come out with the water pump at once.
5. Remove all remains of the old gasket. This can be a pretty lengthy task depending on the condition of the old gasket and how well it's baked on there. The best way to do this is with a regular razor blade. If the blade creates minor scratches in the aluminum this is acceptable, as the gasket from the new pump and / or the RTV will help seal them. Using a flat head screw driver or gasket scraper is not recommended as they are often dull, work very poorly, and result in gouging of the surface more than usual.
6. Seal the new mating surfaces of the water pumps. This can be accomplished several ways:
   • If a gasket is not available and one will not be cut out then pure RTV can be used to create a seal. This is not recommended, but it does work if done properly and if both of the surface are free of any debris such as old gasket layers, or contaminants such as oil. You may wish to let the RTV harden a little bit, but not solidify to prevent from having all of it squeezed out too quickly during tightening.
   • If a gasket is available but RTV is not, chances are it will work very good on it's own as long as the surface is clean on both sides and the water pump tightened down properly.
   • The last and best possible method is to take the paper gasket that was either included with the pump or that you created yourself, lay it out on a scrap piece of paper, and apply a thin layer of RTV on both sides. This will ensure the best possible seal.
7. Tighten the water pump bolts. While there is no particular tightening sequence for the water pump, it's best to do all the bolts gradually to help spread out the force. Be careful not to over tighten them too much because if one snaps right at the surface of the head then it will be a very difficult task to extract. If any doubt exists over the quality of the bolts, and they appear to be heavily corroded and weathered, it may be a wise idea to obtain replacement bolts from an auto parts store or elsewhere. Even junkyards can be good sources if a much fresher car is found. If purchasing new bolts, pay attention to the bolt hardness & strength ratings.
8. Reinstall the hose clamps. If you acquired adjustable screw driven type, keep in mind where everything will sit after reinstallation and how accessible the screw on the clamp will be for ease of disassembly in the future.
9. Resume the second half of the timing belt replacement procedure.
10. Run the car and allow it to reach operating temperature. If the timing cover has not bee reinstalled, check for leaks. If any leaks appear, sometimes a little more tightening of the bolts will stop it.

Also see

• Ford Escort & ZX2 section for the entire index of all Ford Escort and ZX2 related articles.