Advice from DIY'ers: Replacing the Water Pump this Weekend

My Water Pump went out last Friday and I have the parts, coolant plus a new Thermostat. I've read the articles on the DIY's and the Water Pump threads but wanted to know from folks out there who have replaced the water pump themselves, if you have any other tips and advice. I will be bleeding the system manually as well as I don't have the vacuum bleeder. Any tips and advice is much appreciated! And any other things to look out for. Thank you in advance!!!

you need a vacuum system.. but you need a lift to make it easier.. and you need to take out the cover of the engine.. cause you need to vacuum there Lemon

You can borrow vac bleeder from me. I haven't done the WP myself but done plenty on lots of other cars. Doesn't look that hard from the article, but having a lift makes life easier. Those under panels and such need to be removed - which I find extremely annoying. And you have to get behind the seats as well. The thermostat is probably trickier than the pump. Some special compression tool or technique or some such. I'd do it too for the hassle of the pump labor.

i wrote something on it.. in my blog.. Lemon

I'm doing the same job. Where is the best place to attach the vacuum pump? The coolant filler neck or someplace else? Thanks, Todd

Kinda similar to the Cayman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQnfUe6P5VI I mounted the airlift device on the expansion tank. Maybe my compressor wasn't strong enough, but there wasn't a lot of suction strength (I didn't drain the system though, so it had a lot of coolant still) And it misted the coolant in operation. So make sure you cover the air outlet portion to avoid overspray on your interior.

When I replaced my water pump last summer I didn't use vacuum approach, but instead choose to use hose pliers available from Amazon and others. These allow you to pinch off the hoses and thereby avoid draining the entire system. I purchased a set of pliers containing an assortment of three pliers, plus one additional large-sized, because for the Cayman 's water pump you a total of three; two large and one smaller. This approach worked great for me. Suggest you review this article that I found to be very helpful. OEM Water Pump - Articles . Be sure to check the bolts' torque value because the article lists them at 7 ft-lbs whereas my manual shows 7.5 ft-lbs. I used a 1/4 inch adjustable click-stop torque wrench which worked well in the tight area, but I still needed a universal joint and extension for the one 'hidden bolt'. Also, this would be a really good time to replace your serpentine belt, plus if you're considering it, installing an underdrive crankshaft pulley. I did the pulley in an effort to extend the life of the new water pump.

inside the engine compartment.. you can not get away with the ones outside for top off ones.. Lemon

Thank you. Todd Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Keep track of the bolts on water pump. The two at 6 & 9 o'clock are longer than the others. Good Luck Rob

i have 4 pumps for the 05 to 08, from aftermarket to the OEM pierberg ones.. Schnell Autosports Engine Water Pump, Boxster/Cayman/997 (05-08) - Belts, Cooling, & Related - Type 987 (06-12) - Cayman - Porsche® Parts OEM, Genuine & Aftermarket Parts | Performance + Racing | Accessories just in case.. Lemon

Airlift system is not designed to drain the liquid from your system.. only the air.. you still have to go downstairs to drain the coolants.. Lemon

Hey guys, Thank you very much for the replies! Jeff, I might take you up on that offer sir if I have any issues with bleeding. I really appreciate the offer! Lemon, thank you as well, if I have any issues I'm taking my car to your shop lol Car guy, Thank you for your suggestion, I bought the plastic clamps to hold the hoses yesterday. I probably won't be able to work in it this weekend but probably next weekend and ill keep you guys posted on any issues that come up. Thanks again everyone!

I replaced the water pump and t-stat on my Boxster about a month ago. Took about 4 hours total. I did not have to remove the engine cover...I just slid my Bose subwoofer bar back a little to remove the screws holding the carpet in place for the panel behind the seats. I had plenty of room to work on the water pump from just the access panel. I did not just any vacuum devices, nor did I try to clamp off the hoses...my car is now 10 years old and figured I'd try to replace as much coolant as I could get out. I was able to get about 5 gal out just through the line to the t-stat and on off the lines from the front radiators right near the t-stat. If you are trying to drain as much coolant as possible, remember to run your heater (engine off) so the valves open. Also, play with the jack height at the corners so gravity can draw the coolant to the t-stat area. I used a little steel wool to clean up the gasket mating surface on the engine block. If you've been reading the DIY's you should have seen one on how to burp the air from the lines. I used the technique where you start the engine, run for a few seconds, turn off, repeat few times, then accelerate a few times and turn off, then hold rpm at 2k for a few minutes and turn off. You will need top top off each time you turn engine off, or have a helper top off. I had to top off one more time the next day and all has been fine since.

Thank you Rljett!!! I plan on doing this adventure this Friday. Thank you again all!!!

So I tackled this job today. It took me almost all day since I was really taking my time- even washed the car while letting it cool down in between burping the system. The odd thing with the pump was the shaft wasn't even wobbling and the bearing looked fine- no play. I'm guessing that the gasket failed or something- not too sure... but the pump looked fine for having 88k miles!!! The articles really helped and followed it the T! I think I still need to burp again tomorrow just for the heck of it. I took it the operating temp then let it cool down twice and the level didn't change but just for the sake of it, will burp again tomorrow. The only pain was the bolt right under the pulley- just needed to be patient or you need to have small hands lol! Also it helped unhooking the battery as I didn't get any errors due to low coolant. I've read in the other threads that folks were getting low coolant warnings and errors probably due to the coolant sensor. Otherwise it was straight forward. Thank you all for your tips!!!

Well done and thanks for posting your update and pix. Eddie

Yeah, it isn't that hard, getting all the air out is probably the hardest thing. One piece of advice: Keep a gallon jug of coolant/distilled water in the frunk for a couple of weeks and check the coolant level at least every day you drive it after it warms up. There is probably still some air trapped somewhere and having that jug will allow you to top it off wherever you may be and prevent any possibility of engine damage. I used an Air Lift to change my coolant a couple of years ago and still had air trapped for 3-4 days. I did my water pump last Spring and didn't hook up the Air Lift, just replaced what coolant I lost in the repair, and again there was air in the system for a couple of days.

Thank you Mitch. Some had suggested to drive a couple of miles with the bleed cap open which I may do this weekend. Thanks again!

Wow...looks like this is a dealer job for me T_T How much is a dealer water pump replacement? Just seeing if the labor is worth the savings

its not that bad..actually.. the labor is 5 hours.. but can be done in 3.5 Lemon

I installed a water pump, thermostat, drive belt, and coolant over the weekend in my 2009 Boxster (2.9 engine). What a PITA. There were a few issues and the next go around I should get it done in 1/2 the time. *The drive belt tensioner had a metal cap on it that was so nice I thought it was permanent. After looking for the adjuster for a while I noticed that the cap was removable which showed torx drive. I needed to buy a larger 3/8 drive breaker bar as it takes alot of torque to push the belt tensioner down. After that it was a piece of cake. *Initially I drained the coolant, reconnected the hoses, put in the drain plug , and then tried to pull a vacuum but it did not pull any more than 10 psi. I finally put the other hose in the coolant mixture but only about 1/2 of the coolant went into the car. I then put in coolant the old fashioned way but was unable to get out the air pockets easily. After several hours trying different methods, I let the car cool somewhat and drained the coolant out. This time I turned the ignition to the "on" position with the temp to high and fan to low while I drained the coolant. This allow much more coolant to drain out as the heater core lines opened up. Now the tool pulled 25 psi with no problem and it pulled coolant into the car with no air pockets. In order for the vacuum tool to work correctly you need to get as much coolant out of the car as possible or you can still have air pockets. Live and learn I guess.

Just did the water pump and t-stat on my '07 2.7 Cayman with 120k. Really sorry I don't have the author of this writeup because I followed it to the T and it was great. I spent $40 on a 10mm, 1/4 drive universal from the Snap-On man and DIDN'T USE IT. Oh well, add it to the collection. I did all bolts with a 10mm deep 1/4 drive. I did take a few minutes to trace the shape of my new pump on a piece of cardboard and push holes through with a punch to store the bolts while I did the job. This kept track of the long ones and was kind of handy to know where the bolts were when I needed them. Why not. I did buy the orange plastic clamps on Amazon and they worked perfectly. I had NO air issues and added probably only 1-2 ounces after driving/cooling. I did replace the T-stat with lower temp. Here's the article and again sorry I didn't copy the original author; whoever you are, thanks! I used a much simpler approach, when I replaced the water pump and thermostat on my ‘07 Cayman : NOTE: Directions assume a cold engine. NOTE: This method replaces 50% of the system’s coolant capacity. back the car onto ramps and shut off engine remove upper and lower engine covers raise and lock bleed valve handle remove blue cap from expansion tank clamp off coolant hoses attached to water pump and thermostat (special locking pliers are available for this purpose, or improvise with whatever you have on hand, but be careful not to damage the hoses) position drain bucket below coolant hoses remove and replace water pump and thermostat transfer drained coolant into appropriate container, and measure/record volume recycle/dispose of used coolant according to local regulations remove clamps from coolant hoses slowly add new coolant and distilled water, through expansion tank filler neck replace blue cap on expansion tank unlock and lower bleed valve handle start car and check for/repair any leaks replace upper and lower engine covers drive car off ramps monitor coolant temperature gauge and coolant level over the next several drive cycles, and top off as required By backing the car onto ramps, the expansion tank is at the highest point in the cooling system. By clamping the hoses, the front radiators will not drain. If the new coolant is added slowly enough, all the air in the system will be displaced by coolant, and it will escape out the expansion tank through the bleed valve and the filler neck. I measured the volume of drained coolant at 3.0 gallons, and replaced it with 1.5 gallons of new Porsche anti-freeze, and 1.5 gallons of distilled water. Since I had purchased two gallons of each, I added the remaining 1/2 gallon of distilled water into the remaining 1/2 gallon of Porsche anti-freeze, and labeled the jug "50/50 MIX." I now have a spare gallon of pre-mixed Porsche anti-freeze. I'm sure that there are no air pockets in my car’s cooling system, because after driving the car for a couple of months, the coolant level remains at the full mark. I hope this information is helpful.

can anyone post what "orange locking plier set" they purchased from Amazon to avoid having to vacuum fill the system? also, what's the concensous on the best water pump brand to buy. I had a new water pump put on at 60k with metal impeller, now 25k later its leaking so I'm assuming this is a GRAF so thinking of going back to plastic impeller at twice the cost Pierburg / Porsche version. it seems all the water pumps suck on German cars since they have half the life of Japaneese pumps... but at least the plastic ones last twice as long as the metal ones (60k vs 25k)

We are supposed to use the Porsche water pump. Metal impellers can ruin the block when the bearing fails.

Wilmar W83205 3-Piece Line Clamp Set Sold by: Amazon .com LLC $9.84

Hi guys, I just finished installing the water pump and thermostat thanks for the tips. I did the process to clamp the hoses so I didn't have to vacuum fill the coolant. My tip, the hardest bolt to get to on the water pump right side at the 3 o'clock from bottom is one of the two longer bolts, the second longer bolt is at the six o'clock very bottom of pump (not 9 and 6 as someone else posted). Here are the places to use the orange clamps:

Well my car needed its 3rd water pump in just under 90k miles. So I swapped it out yesterday. It sounded like a huge hassle based on years of reading posts about replacing it. I rented a lift and that made it really pleasant to tackle. I also replaced the thermostat. While I actually went from behind the seats and below the car to remove the mounting bolts, I tightened all the bolts from below the car. 1/4 ratchet and 10mm deep socket.

Thanks for the info Jeff_07S. How long did it take from car up to car down? How much to rent a lift? I have Race Ramps that raise the car 8". While not a lift, do you think that would work? Eddie

How much coolant did you need to replace with this method? Just got the waterpump grumbles yesterday and I'm looking to DIY this Sunday.