KA water pump (searched, just confirming; gosh)

[sw20>>s14]

need to change by the end of the week. changing pump, belt, and thermostat while im at it. everything seems straight forward, but im just double checking. basically i searched and came up with:

-drain bolt is on the bottom driver side of the radiator
-belt tensioner is directly below the distributor cap
-use gasket maker
-fill coolant, open valve, let fill, and fill accordingly

my questions are:

-does the brand matter? looking for longevity(sp?) and durability
-any good/bad experiences with brands such as "japan", "gmb", "npw"? was told to never use ac delco.
-how about brand preferences for the thermostat?
-could someone explain to me the "gravity bleeding" process again?
-any tricks or tips that the pdf fsm doesnt suggest? fsm is pretty vague on process and torque settings
-can someone give me esimations on all the torque specs on every bolt/nut im going to remove/install?

any more info would be appreciated...

[doainwpg]

i just replaced my water pump on my ka23e, it's pretty straight forward if you've ever done anything under the hood, and if not you should be able to figure it out pretty quickly. use an oem thermostat, i cheaped out and got a generic, replaced it a week later because it was stuck open.

[Maxtype 240]

Jeff (Jeff240sx, the moderator) recommeded me a water pump, can't remember which one. He said the blade design was best.

Be careful w/ the water neck on the thermostat. I stripped 1 of the 3 10mm bolts and had to tap/helicoil it.

Jesse

[F3600]

ill say buy an oem one.. ! thats it

[Maxtype 240]

OEM is $59 plus shipping - no way. Get one from your local auto store. Cordone are the re-manufactered ones, ASC are the new ones. Again Jeff knows which ones are best.

Jesse

[240Driver39]

comparing the oem to the ones from the local autostore, id get a brand new oem one....the auto store one i put on looked like crap compared to oem, and i dont like remanufactured units.

[nissantuner22]

dont like remanufactored? its a damn pump. i just put a duralast waterpump in my 240 today. great fit and finish, cost me 40 bucks. Its a remanufactored, so no problem there.

[sw20>>s14]

thanks for all the advise, ill get the median price, 35-45 dollar ones. just looking for something that lasts...

[kandyflip445]

I've been running some pump and thermostat from o'reilys. The cheapest ones. lol It has been fine for over 10k so far. Just make sure to bleed good.

[goodjuan]

when re-filling the coolant

1. first, remove coolant bleeder screw
2. fill coolant through radiator until coolant/water comes out of bleeder screw in a steady stream.
3. re-install coolant bleeder screw.
4. set heater on full heat and fan on full blast
5. start engine
6. keep filling radiator until bubbles stop coming out.
7. re-install radiator cap
8. done.

did i miss anything anyone?

[sw20>>s14]

sounds easy enough, thanks mang