I have a 1969 Ford Galaxie and the thermostat stuck shut long enough to puke the water pump, and I am going to change it Thursday and I was wondering how long the labor takes and what all does it involve?How long does it take to change a water pump on a 1969 Ford Galaxie 500 and what all has to be taken off?it takes around a 6 pack and time depends on what accy package your running and what engine package.How long does it take to change a water pump on a 1969 Ford Galaxie 500 and what all has to be taken off?It's at least an hour and a half job. You will have to remove the rad, the fan and the pulleys. Some will tell you that you don't need to remove the rad, but if you follow that advice you will have a whole lot less room to work in. It certainly involves more work (disconnecting the hoses and the trans coolant lines) but if you're going to do the job, do it right the first time. And make sure you use the right %26quot;gasket in a tube%26quot; when you mount the new pump and allow it enough time to cure.How long does it take to change a water pump on a 1969 Ford Galaxie 500 and what all has to be taken off?The thermostat being stuck shut shouldn't have done anything to the waterpump... what's wrong with the pump? Does it make noise when the engine is running...? Is the car overheating? Lots of questions I have because this one doesn't make sense.
To answer the Q directly, the average mechanic should take 1-2 hours max depending on several factors and how talented they are. As was mentioned, some folks will take the radiator out and others will not. Since the 69 Galaxie is a large car (most folks these days would call it a %26quot;boat%26quot;), there should be tons of room under the hood to work on the car. Whether or not you can remove %26amp; reinstall the water pump without removing the radiator depends on a fan shroud, a clutch assembly on the fan and whether or not there's an A/C pump installed on the engine. A basic engine will be easiest to work on because there won't be any other parts getting in the way. A loaded engine might have other parts in the way that need to be loosened or removed to facilitate repairs. If so, that makes the repair take longer.
On a really basic engine, you won't actually need to remove the radiator to get the job done. However, I myself still recommend removing the radiator anyway. There are only 4 bolts holding it to the core support and the 2 hoses have one clamp each. The reason to remove it is twofold: 1) you cannot accidentally damage it with a bolt or wrench if it isn't in there and 2) you have that much more room to work. To me... it's just worth it to remove the radiator and not worry about it.
Bottom line here? It should take 1-2 hours max. There can be complications... if you have the wrong waterpump then you'll have to return to a parts store for the right one. This happens occasionally unless you take the old pump with you to the parts store (recommended!). The bolts can be frozen into the block... thus they can be a real problem to remove. Best advice there is to have a super high amount of patience. You might also damage the threads in the block when removing the waterpump bolts even IF you have patience. Corrosion is a real ***** sometimes... and waterpump bolts are notorious for becoming corroded over time. If the threads get damaged... it'll take time to repair the threads with a Heli-coil.
Also, you'll need to clean the mating surfaces for the gasket really well. Don't damage the block... just make sure all the remains of the old gasket are gone. Clean the metal with something that doesn't leave a residue like Acetone, lacquer thinner or an electrical parts cleaner. If the threads on the bolts look good, clean them really well and reuse them. If they're really bad, replace them! If you need to, go to a bolt supply shop in your area for replacement bolts. They don't need to be grade 8... grade 5 will work just fine. Just make sure they're not cheap, foreign made bolts with no plating on them. Also, remember what holes the bolts came from... some will be of a different length than the others. Draw a little diagram for yourself on a piece of cardboard and punch some holes in it to hold the bolts. That way, they won't get mixed up.
Lastly, it's wise to chase the threads in the block with the right sized tap. That cleans out any gunk or sealer from the threads and allows the bolts to be replaced with success. Also clean the threads with a non-residue degreaser or the previously mentioned electrical parts cleaner. A spray can works best, just blow out the holes afterwords with a healthy blast of air. When replacing the bolts, use an anti-seize on the bolt threads. Use just enough to do the job... don't go overboard. Also, depending on the engine, you might need to use gasket sealer on the threads of one or two bolts. Why? Because the bolt protrudes into the water jacket. Fail to use gasket sealer on those bolts and you might end up having a small leak. It should be obvious if the bolt does need sealer... because you'll see sealer on the bolt when you remove it, it'll be rusty looking or discolored compared to the other bolts AND because if you have a shop manual? It'll tell you so :-) Remember though... don't use both anti-seize and gasket sealer on bolts. Use one or the other. Water jacket protruding bolts ONLY get gasket sealer. All others get only anti-seize.
Best wishes!
