Water pump inlet pipe

Rangerinvegas · #1 04-16-2014, 05:12 PM

Was trying to replace the water pump on my 1997 ford ranger 4 cyl xlt 2 wd today. Everything was going good but i got stuck when i tried to pull the inlet pipe behind the alternator away from the water pump. It feels that either its rusted to the water pump or I'm just weak and can't get it to loosen up. As a disclaimer I have zero mechanical aptitude but thanks to youtube it made it a lot easier. I tried putting some wd40 inside the pipe and on the outside as well but couldn't get that little sob to move. Any suggestions? Thanks

4b316 · #2 04-17-2014, 04:45 AM

There is two bolts holding the pipe in,remove them and just rock it back and forth a little.Be careful,its plastic

Rangerinvegas · #3 04-17-2014, 07:18 AM

I removed the 2 bolts the pipe just doesnt seem to want to come out. Its a metal pipe on my truck. Guess more elbow grease is gonna be need

Anger Ranger · #4 04-23-2014, 08:20 AM

I encountered the same challenge on my 1998 Ranger. In another thread on this site it was written that the inlet tube is pulled out of the pump- this is total fantasy. Whether the inlet tube is metal or plastic, it will be impossible to pull it from the pump. It will be chemically bonded to the pump until the end of time. What will happen: after trying unsuccessfully to pull it down and away from the pump, you will break it, if its plastic. If its metal you will end up cutting it. The inlet tube is so well concealed behind the BUBA (Big Ugly Belt-driven Accessory) bracket, it is nearly impossible to reach it with any cutting tool, but it can be done. In my case, the tube is plastic. I first broke one mounting tab/ear off -trying to gently pry on it- then with real anger, just broke the entire tube in two pieces. The old water pump then came right out. The replacement inlet tube was almost impossible to find. A call to the local Ford dealer resulted in finding out the inlet tube is "discontinued" by Ford. Nice. After several hours on the internet and sifting through vague and conflicting information I found a suitable replacement. Dorman part number 902-004 is the holy grail of frustrated would-be 4 cylinder Ranger water pump wrenchers. It is a little longer on the "Y" end. This extra length is actually an improvement, making hose replacement easier in the future. The inlet tube should be part of the water pump purchase, not as a suggestion sale but as an integral part of the water pump. The clerks at the parts store argued about whether the Dorman-made tube would fit, the girl clerk said it wouldn't fit, the guy clerk said it would, but the girl was his boss so he had to keep his stones tucked away.
Because I'm new here I'm not allowed to post pics, but there's some good ones...maybe later.

Anger Ranger · #5 04-23-2014, 09:12 AM

Pics of 1998 Ranger 4 cyl water pump and inlet tube. Finger points at the "slip joint" where tube is pushed into the water pump inlet cuff. The new plastic replacement from Dorman (number 902-004 ) is a little longer; but only longer at the "Y" end where the lower radiator hose connects. Even with the old pump removed from the truck and 12 inch pipe pliers, the broken stub of inlet tube won't come out of the cuff. Never in my 40 plus years of wrenching have I seen such abject failure of design, misinformation and mistaken assumptions regarding a vehicle repair. The clerk at the local Ford dealership commented that he has rarely seen such engineering stupidity with regard to access for repair. The old pump developed a leak through a tiny (weep?) hole next to the small freeze plug. The new pump has a larger freeze plug (marked with red).

sheltonfilms · #6 04-23-2014, 12:20 PM

Damn, I never had any trouble with pulling my plastic one with 150,000 miles.

If Dorman made a replacement then it definitely must be an issue.

Anger Ranger · #7 04-23-2014, 01:37 PM

I think the inlet tube I had such trouble with was probably glued in by the truck's former owner's mechanic. However, in my searching the web for info, I saw a number of complaints about the inlet tube being stuck. Next project- clutch, flywheel and throwout bearing.

Anger Ranger · #8 04-23-2014, 02:18 PM

@ Sheltonfils, I just noticed your KIA creds. The car has seen thousands of bad dirt roads and the electrical is still good. Replacing a burned out tail light bulb is a bit of a task tho. The paint is falling off almost as fast as the body is falling apart. Brakes are short-lived.

The 98 Ranger has almost 200,000 on it. The water pump that I took out was not the original. The interference fit connection between the inlet pipe and the pump is just one of those things that a shadetree wrencher would look at and think -glue- I guess.

sheltonfilms · #9 04-23-2014, 05:05 PM

I work at the West Point, GA plant that makes the Optima and Sorento, so no Spectra made here.

Those creds are gonna be changing to Mercedes next week.