Chevrolet Impala SS, Handbook

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SSHandbook
Maintenance: Cooling System
6 Remove the thermostat housing (on top of the waterpump) and thermostat. Put these in the new
waterpump. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN THE BOLTS. The FSM says 20lbs of torque, this is incorrect, it
should be 8lbs. If you start leaking from here after all is said and done you can tighten them down a bit
more but DO NOT STRIP THE THREADS ON THE WATERPUMP.
7. Clean offall remnants ofthe old gaskets.
8. Now is a good time to replace the water pump drive seal. Use a pick and remove the old one. Install the
new one using extreme care not to damage the seal around the shaft. A tool can be found on the forum
that helps with installation.
9. Place the new gaskets. You need sealant on both sides ofthe gaskets.
10. Place the splined coupler on the shaft mounted to the cam.
11. Reinstall everything in reverse order.
12. Torque to 30 ft-lbs.
13. Fill the system and drive the car until it warms up.
14. Let it cool, but is still warm.
15. Refer to “Bleeding The System”.
16. Let car sit for several hours
17. Repeat steps 13 - 16.
18. Look for leaks, smell for antifreeze (you may smell some from have it dripping everywhere but it should
go away in 24 hours unless you dumped it everywhere).
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Weep Hole Tip: For the weep hole on your water pump. Get a 1/8" NPT (National Pipe Thread) tap and
run a thread in the weep hole. Be sure to use cutting oil and keep the tap straight. Also be sure to clean out
all ofthe chips from the water pump. Then get a barbed fitting and run a short piece oftubing. Ifthe water
pump goes, it won't drip on your opti-spark.