Is your water pump leaking and needs replacing on your 2003 Dodge Caravan or Minivan with a 3.3 or 3.8 Engine?
If so, here's what you need to do to get this job done...
1. Start by lifting the car on the rack
2. Remove the passenger-front tire and fender-well to gain access to the water pump.
Note: Some technicians prefer to lower the front part of the engine by placing a jack and wooden block under the engine and slowly removing the 3 motor mount bolts on the center mount.
3. Remove the water pump bolts on the pulley prior to pulling the belt. This will help to hold the pulley while you break the bolts loose.
4. Use a special tensioner tool to relieve pressure on the belt
5. Drain the radiator by opening the lower water pump hoses at the radiator. Be careful and make sure the coolant is not hot - you could be severely burned if this is pulled when hot.
6. To gain access to the water pump bolts, remove the pulley out of your way by lifting it up. Use a 10 mm ratchet wrench with flex head. Swivel joint sockets will also work on the 5 water pump bolts.
7. Remove the water pump and pulley together to prevent binding.
8. Reverse the procedure to install the water pump. Use 3M gasket glue to hold the seal in place. being careful to tighten all bolts by hand before final tightening.
Note: Failure to screw-in all bolts prior to tightening, may result in cross threading of the bolts and or misalignment of the water pump.
9. Reinstall the belt and hose and check for alignment
10. Refill the radiator with coolant and make sure all air has been removed from the cooling system. This can be done by letting the car run about 10 minutes with the radiator cap off. Reinstall the radiator pressure cap and you're done.
Note: To avoid scalding, do not remove the radiator cap once the engine is started or running. Check the coolant level in the radiator only after it has cooled - preferably in the mornings.
