How-To: Topside Engine Support 1.4L, Water Pump, Serp Belt, Clutch

carbon02 · Feb 19, 2019

Last fall I replaced my own water pump. I know it's under warranty. I decided to do this and it worked for me.

If you have a good shop great, for those of us that don't or want to tackle this themselves this is an alternative.

This is something that worked for me. I'm not responsible for damage to you or your vehicle. Work safely.

Many have suggested a jack on the oil pan. Given the pan is only sealed with sealant, I didn't want to do that. The product in the attached picture is the Norco 4 point Engine support bar.

Yea there's wood alternatives, but I would feel totally safe suggesting this equipment to anyone. I crossed the two bars as shown in the picture with a piece of 2x4 between the back bar and the front leg. To sandwich it all together. It sat for 3 days with no engine mount. No problem at all.

Cut small pieces of oak 1" dowel rod under the feet that are on the radiator support.

If there's any questions please ask and I'll respond.

Ma v e n · Feb 19, 2019

If you think the water pump can't be done in 1.4hrs.....Just be glad you don't have a 1.8L. Timing belt only pays 0.9hrs warranty time.

BTW, I can tell you that after personally replacing many dozens of 1.4L water pumps, ( probably over 100 at this point), I most assuredly can do it in 84 minutes or less, but dont tell GM, they'll cut the time again , it used to be 1.7...

Air filter box and intake pipe come off all as one piece. Undo it at turbo with screwdriver, unclip electrical harness, remove whole assembly, cover turbo.

Raise car enough to place drain pan under work area.(having a lift makes this a 30 second procedure, not several minutes like a jack and jackstands would be)

Support engine with jack from underneath oil pan. This step alone saves at least 10 minutes (or more) as compared to your setup.

Cordless or pneumatic impact wrench, remove 3 washered mount bolts and throw away, remove 2 mount fasteners and remove mount. Cordless or pneumatic ratchet, remove 2 mount bracket bolts and throw out. Remove final mount bolt and remove bracket and bolt as assembly, throw out bolt. It's easier to take the bracket out with the forward lower bolt still in the bracket hole.

Ratchet and Etorx socket, remove tension from belt, remove belt, insert pin into tensioner, release tensioner.

Cordless or pneumatic ratchet and Etorx socket remove 3 pump pulley bolts, and pulley, set aside.

The engine is now supported and the pump exposed and accessible, it's been about 6 minutes...Maybe 7.

I takes another minute or two to reposition the the heater hose clamp and remove hose with spring clamp tools and a hose pick.

If the vehicle is getting a thermostat you reposition the small hose clamp and remove the upper radiator hose leaving thermostat in place, but unplug iti. (3 minutes?) If reusing thermostat you remove the 3 Etorx bolts holding it in place with a 1/4” drive ratchet and socket. This is tedious, and fiddly with my size XL hands and can easily waste 4-6 minutes. But I don't undo hoses if not necessary, too easy to damage them or the t-stat.

We sit at 10-16 minutes in, ready to remove the pump.

Take your new gasket and trace it on the lid of the box, including the bolt holes. Poke holes for the holes
...One minute?

Get your air or cordless ratchet and the Etorx socket, and spend 5 seconds each removing 10 bolts, throw out the bottom right , and almost top left bolt. (1 minute)

Arrange the remaining bolts plus your new ones in the tracing you made. (1minute)

Remove the pump from engine, while simultaneously disengaging T-stat small hose if still attached. (2minutes)

Cleanup the engine surface(razor blade and brake clean). (2 minutes)

17-23 minutes, and we are ready to go back together. Well use the high side and say 23 more to go back together. Plus we'll allot say 15 minutes extra to torque everything , and finally a full 20 to fill cooling system. 81minutes. Half a tenth ahead of schedule

And that's doing it with quality workmanship and only using one notable "cheat", the jack. Using other methods and tools available shaves more time while.maintaining a quality job. Of course you can really shortcut it like a hack and cut that 81 minutes in half if you are that type of asshat.

Drewie64 · Feb 19, 2019

Total noob question here but, can you go more into detail on how that support works? Do you just loop the chains around the engine from the topside?

snowwy66 · Feb 19, 2019

Many have used the oil pan for years and never done any damage to the sealant. The pan has TONS of bolts. It's not going anywhere.

As for the job taking longer then alldata suggests.

Your first time not knowing the procedure ALWAYS takes the longest. After a few times. You'll be doing it in the allotted time.

The best job I've found so far was the rack n pinion on the earlier Taurus. 5 hours and can be done in 1 hour. Plus 30 minutes for alignment which paid .75 hours.

The worst jobs were heater core in the Taurus. Paid 24 hours and took all week. Same with engine swap in the S10 pickup.

There were other jobs and I refused em all in my wrenching days.

carbon02 · Feb 19, 2019

You can see one threaded rod hook on the engine support hook that's part of the engine. The other engine support bar is in the persons hand. This unit does not need to use chains, the hooks are nearly 24 inches long and threaded rod.

I had a full set of photo's for this job, but they have been removed from the phone. The four points of contact to the frame are the two strut towers in back with the back support bar and the front two legs are attached with leveling feet to the front support bar.

That's at least where I applied them. I was very happy with how this tool worked out. At the end of the day it's up to you and your comfort level and ability to address potential problems you have. I'm not responsible if you cause damage to you or your car..

I didn't want to get into any issues with the oil pan. That's just me.

Ma v e n · Feb 19, 2019

Snowwy...Best job currently and probably ever I can think of, is a very recent pickup truck fuel system component that pays 10.0, and I can do them with a 1/4” drive ratchet, two different sized sockets, 2 pairs of pliers, and a special tool made from a wire coat hanger in 40 minutes.. with or without a lift. Roughly 1,400% productivity.

There's a particular steering component on a recent SUV that pays 7 hrs and can be done in 90 minutes.

There are several different HVAC actuators across several different GM vehicles that I typically do at about 1/5 book time. The jobs I can do at 400%+ productivity make up some for the inevitable losers below 100%.(internal trans work, certain heater cores, anything sunroof related, oil changes, water leaks)

Ma v e n · Feb 19, 2019

carbon02 said:
I didn't want to get into any issues with the oil pan. That's just me.

That's fine. There's nothing wrong with that. I tell tech apprentices all the time that the first time you do a job it should be 100% by the book and with no power tools. Learn what each step is for, if any of them are wrong or unneeded. Learn if anything is easier because your left handed, or left minded, or have skinny hands, or is harder because you have huge hands. Then develop youre own variations.

In 18 years in GM dealerships, 5 days a week, I've probably (conservatively) supported over 1800 engines by the oil pan.(2 a week average) I've never had an oil pan failure.

carbon02 · Feb 19, 2019

The key is, you have the tools and the EXPERIENCE to fix it if things go south. I'm an at home DIY guy that actually can afford to take it to a shop and actually would if I could find one that I trust.

Unfortunately my dealership experience hasn't been the best. I don't work in the automotive field, but Automotive technology has always interested me. I've spent more time reading Alldata for vehicles I own solely out of an interest in how electronics are designed.

I also know I over analyze things.

Ma v e n · Feb 19, 2019

carbon02 said:
after doing the water pump job there is no way a technician can do this project in... the warranty time of 1.4 hours is while still having a quality repair.

This is inaccurate and insulting.

"Of course you don’t know! You don’t know because only I know. If you knew and I didn’t know, then you’d be teaching me instead of me teaching you–and for a student to be teaching his teacher is presumptuous and rude. Do I make myself clear?"

I'm sure you're probably more highly skilled and efficient at "insert your career here" than I am, so why would you assume that there's no way I could be better than you at my chosen career and be able to meet GM labor times?

My job distilled down is to fix cars and trucks correctly in one attempt, in a time equal to or ideally less than the labor time GM creates.

If properly fixing cars in a predetermined amount of time is LITERALLY my job...Why would one assume that doing so is impossible?

I've got 18years of GM experience.
I've got more than $60,000 of tools stored in $12,000 worth of toolboxes.
I've acheived "Gold"(most advanced level training) status in 13 GM areas.(all those available with Gold level status)
I've voluntarily reached optional GM Master Tech certifications in all 10 mechanical areas, doing so earning GM World Class certification. Only around 1000 dealership techs nationwide in GMs roughly 5000 dealerships.
Im a dyed in the wool car guy for life who fixes cars to support his car habit and everything else that qualifies as life.

I have tools and equipment you don't, I have a particular set of skills that you don't, I have information memorized that you don't, I have information readily available at my fingertips that you don't. I'm willing to sacrifice my comfort and the ability to keep all my blood inside my body, for speed and efficiency.

I make things that you think are impossible...look easy.

Ma v e n · Feb 19, 2019

You also need to understand a little bit about how most GM techs are paid.
Flatrate pay is essentially piece work pay.

That labor time in Alldata or GM LTG is how much a dealer charges GM and a customer when work is performed.

So a 3.6hr time to replace a 1.4L water pump out of warranty from Alldata gets turned into a $360 labor bill at a $100/hr shop. The tech gets the job and they get paid 3.6hrs x techs hourly wage to perform the job. So $20hr wage on a 3.6hr job...$72 into the techs paycheck for the week, regardless of how long it take him. If he's skilled and efficient and experienced and bangs it out in 45 minutes, he gets paid 3.6hrs, and moves on to the next job. If it takes him all day...He only gets paid 3.6hrs.

Doesn't matter how quickly or slowly the job is done, it pays the techs hourly wage times the hours billed to the customer.

So yes, it's often possible to make 8, 10 or even 15 or more hours in an 8 hour day. It also happens that you make 6, or 3 or zero.

The idea is to have the tools, and skills to limit the days where you make less hours than you worked, and maximize the number of days where earn more hours than you worked. It's a double edged sword. Guys that are good(and lucky...Luck plays into it) love it and wouldn't change, other guys curse it daily and should probably find another profession. There's lots of guys in the middle somewhere (me included) where I love what I've been able to do and very happy when I crush a 70-80hr paycheck in 5 days working 8a-4:30pm, and weeks when I lament my decisions and try to figure out how to make 30hrs of pay cover my expenses. Should flatrate be illegal? It is in some ways in some places. But for example in some states you're considered exempt and potentially don't even collect minimum wage.

Long and short of it is, just like in your profession and every other....There's folks who are really good, and folks who give people a bad name. There's loads of guys who can beat 1.4hrs on a 1.4L water pump....There's just as .Any guys who can't fix a sandwich.

How-To: Topside Engine Support 1.4L, Water Pump, Serp Belt, Clutch

carbon02

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