7.3 Powerstroke Water Pump Replacement

How to replace the water pump on a 7.3 Powerstroke. 7.3 coolant leak.

[@bullwinkle1197]

Have a 2003 F-350. Did the water pump in a rest stop on I -30 just west of Okalona, Ark. About three months ago. What fun!

[@basicwrench4510]

Well done .. I’ve got the exact same truck , Replacing the original Oil cooler O rings and water pump only after 306,000 miles. Old School Fords.. 🍻 Rubber side down boys !!

[@paulgove6765]

I'm about to replace my water pump on the same year truck. If you remove the serpentine belt and spin the water pump pulley instead of the entire clutch fan assembly it threads a lot easier, learned the hard way myself. Thanks for such a great informative video!

[@AnthraXaXis]

My Sunday project, cheers for taking the guess work out!

[@Patrick-nw9bt]

Easy way to get the fan clutch off is take a ratchet strap and double wrap it around the pulley. Hook it up to both sides of the truck and tighten. Makes it a whole lot easier.

[@Rnddiesel]

That does sound way easier, I'll have to keep that in mind for next time, thanks!

[@josafatalvarez3728]

Thanks for sharing man..im about to do that on my truck for the first time lol.97 f350

[@robertfisk8344]

Good video I have an 02 super duty just did my water pump luckily I had the special tool to hold the pulley in place did not think of what you did with the hammer good to know for future if I do not have my tool I do enjoy watching your videos you're very good at explaining things to where everybody can understand without being discouraged or intimidated by the job great explanatory personality if that's a term LOL

[@ungodlysorrows]

Hey my man what special tool was that ? Lol

[@SanAntonioNewHomesForSale]

Super helpful... I'm doing a 1983 f350 7.3 powerstroke swap ... the engine will be off when I replace the water pump 😂😂

[@sterlingyoung88]

Lucky man!!!!!!!!!!

[@mattbliven5345]

Great video hopefully fan clutch goes better for me

[@chrispetrolino9059]

Thanks for the video! I have the EXACT same truck and am just starting to put my WP back on!

[@chrispetrolino9059]

Aaaaand one of the bolts snapped when I was putting it back on ‘with proper torque’ ugh

[@basicwrench4510]

Chris Petrolino Thank you.. I have the exact truck and 306k miles on the original water pump that has failed. Also my Oil Cooler O-rings failed most likely to the couple times its ran a little warm due to the water pump giving up.. Old school Fords .. Rubber side down boys!! Cheers!

[@chrispetrolino9059]

Basic Wrench you know it! I’m planning to do the rear main seal on mine soon

[@norman_sage2528]

That home made flat wrench was a good idea.

[@Rnddiesel]

Well it got the job done! Beats the heck out of spending $50 on a tool and having to wait for it to get shipped and arrive.

[@wylie7-7]

Nice informative video man. Attacking mine tomorrow. Thanks

[@vanrobinson]

Thank you Boss. Just the video i needed. Had a small bit of cavitation on interior of water pump housing, but I think I’m okay now that I’ve flushed and replaced with fleet coolant. Good stuff for a guy like me

[@theadventuresofchris1409]

Thanks bro lots of good info

[@nickduffy2361]

Hammering the fan clutch with that wrench is begging for you to bend something. Use a fan clutch wrench that comes with a fan clutch bolt wrench as well. You can rent these at your local auto parts store for free!!

[@jidabojay]

Great video. Just one thing may help with cuss words if you need to do another. When re-installing the fan clutch take the serpentine belt off the idler arm and spin the pulley of the water pump with one hand while using the other to just hold the fan clutch up to it. Much easier as all you need to do is keep the fan clutch in the right orientation as you spin the water pump. Props to you in the mad skills department for even getting threaded the other way. No wonder you used many cuss words. (You're allowed one more cuss word now as you wish you'd thought of that or known that when you did yours.) :)

[@westfloridalife2701]

Well done thanks

[@too-stoked-about-2-strokes]

These gates pumps have a grey coated steel lower elbow that bolts to the pump. It will flake off its coating and restrict flow to your oil cooler. Switch out that elbow for OEM or one that doesn't have a coating on the inside. The newer gates pumps don't have the inside of the elbow coated.

[@SECRETCREEKPROSPECTING1776]

Nice sharing

[@wolgonautomotive4343]

I just use a air chisel and it takes 20 secs to remove the fan clutch lol. People waste time and money on so many special tools and I am sure most of us have a air hammer. I also leave all the metal on the pump and pull it off as one piece. None of it is in the way of the main bolts that hold the pumps on and gives you something to hold onto when you pulling it out. Plus you should be replacing all that anyway after doing this pain in the butt job. Doing it this way also makes you waste less of your time and you can transfer and inspect all the parts you need to at a bench.

[@MrMsMexican]

That's just a lazy way

[@markland2837]

Where's the Anti sieze for the the fine threads on the fan clutch assembly?

[@manuelalvarez2389]

Thank you for your time and all the information great video gracias

[@Rnddiesel]

Sure thing, I'm glad to help!

[@TronicWiz]

I'm new to 7.3 ive got a leak somewhere havnt found it yet but what kind of anti freeze and or additives am I supposed to use ?

[@Rnddiesel]

You'll want to use an antifreeze that contains SCA's or supplemental coolant additives. You can get some additives from Ford to add to conventional green antifreeze for your truck, or you can just get SCA precharged mix and don't worry about it. I usually use the Peak Fleet Charge SCA Precharged Fully Formulated Antifreeze & Coolant and don't worry about adding anything.

[@boxeightytwo8]

How's the gates brand stuff holding up? I think my water pump just went out today. I was driving, smelt something burning, and all of a sudden my power steering went out. I got out of the truck to check, and it was dumping coolant from the front of the engine. The entire engine was soaked in coolant. I think the power steering went out because of the belt being wet and slipping on the power steering pump. Hopefully it's just the water pump!

[@Rnddiesel]

So far its been good, but I probably only have 20k miles on the pump right now, so it's hard to say for sure how it'll hold up in the long run. It'll at least get you back on the road. The Gates parts are good enough to work at least. Good luck getting your truck back on the road!

[@workingtorelax1223]

So I listened and watched your video on the oil cooler before and during the work as a reference. Or I’m doing a water pump after is shows up. My question is how long did it take you to do it

[@Rnddiesel]

I cant remember exactly how long it took. I believe it took me about a day to get it done. Bear in mind of course that's with me taking my time as well to get the right camera angles.

[@workingtorelax1223]

Rnddiesel kinda figured videoing slows the process down. I found what I believe is the correct clutch fan wrench I got to go pick it up today. Pump is here and I’m going to skip out on the t stats housing but I do have a new t stat. Also got new bolts as I hear a lot of horror stories of them breaking. I figured I would put a dab or anti seize on them and just chuck the old ones. Not sure if it’s the threaded part that screws people of the shaft.

[@MrSeanswan]

Nice video. Im about to do my water pump.. did you flush your coolant system?

[@Rnddiesel]

I didn't formally 'flush' my system as much of my coolant was still fresh from the radiator replacement not long ago. I more or less just filled it back up with fresh coolant to replace the stuff I took out from the job. A flush might not be a bad idea if you have the time to do it.

[@MrSeanswan]

@@Rnddiesel Thanks for the response. I just replaced what drained out of the rad, tank and water pump. hopefully shes good for another 200,000 km

[@araw1212]

What thermostat did you go with? Motorcraft or the motorad thermostat kit?

[@Rnddiesel]

I think I replaced mine with a Motorcraft brand thermostat, it's still working fine for me now

[@JoseCastillo-re5wy]

What’s the part behind the water pump. My 1996 is leaking antifreeze from the gasket and possibly the part has a hole too .

[@Rnddiesel]

That's the timing cover, I think it has a gasket there as well that can leak. It has to seal to the engine block.

[@JoseCastillo-re5wy]

Thank you. Great videos.

[@sladeschopshop]

Decavitation is when you run straight water instead of a coolant/distilled water mix. What happens with straight water is that it causes the block to rust out from the inside out and the compression will blow a hole in the cylinder wall due to the thining out caused by rust

[@Rnddiesel]

Robert Slade Jr, true, cavitation is essentially an accelerated corrosion process. However it will also occur if you use antifreeze that has not been treated with Supplemental Coolant Additives. Though cavitation is not a major issue for 7.3 Powerstrokes, it was the cause of failure for many of the 7.3 idi's. From my understanding, Ford, or International if you wish to be manufacturer correct, wasn't aware of the cavitation issues in the 7.3 idi's, until a number of them started coming back with pinholes in their cylinder walls, that resulted from cavitation. Since then, Ford has called for Supplemental Coolant Additives to be used in the coolant system of every Powerstroke Diesel. Essentially SCA's are made up of Silicate and Nitrate compounds that form a protective barrier against cavitation. As the cylinder walls flex and move from the high pressures in the diesel, it causes a rapid movement of the coolant near the cylinder walls. That movement causes a temporary but significant pressure drop that drops below the vapor pressure of the water. Basically the water is boiling near the walls, in a sense at least. As the pressure change comes to an end with the cylinder wall returning to it's initial state, the vapor bubble collapses which results in a shock wave being generated as the water slams against the cylinder wall from the bubble collapse.

[@sladeschopshop]

@@Rnddiesel the reason it was a problem with the 7.3idi and not the 6.9idi or the 7.3psd is because the cylinder walls are much thicker on the 6.9 than the 7.3 IDI. All the 7.3idi is a bored over 6.9. in 1987 the 6.9 received a MUCH needed head upgrade and it was it's last year of production. 1988 was the first year 7.3idi. International reconised the issue and when they casted the 7.3psd block they made the cylinder walls thicker while maintaining the same displacement

[@Rnddiesel]

@@sladeschopshop Absolutely! It's kind of ironic that 6.9's blew head gaskets, I guess their 7/16" head bolts just weren't enough, while the next step up poked holes in the block! Heck I was looking at getting an idi a couple years ago, almost bought a nice CCLB, Dually, 4spd, 4x4, 6.9 for $1500. I couldn't get the engine to spin over though, figured I wouldn't trust an engine I couldn't at least turn over. Heck you can rebuild a 6.9 3 times at 0.030" over each time, and still have 0.020" thicker cylinder walls than the 7.3 idi. You definitely know your idi's! Have you ever heard of someone putting the bigger 1/2 inch head bolts on a 6.9 idi to help fix the head gasket issue?

[@sladeschopshop]

@@Rnddiesel it has been done by machine shops etc in the past, the 1987 6.9 has the 1/2" head bolt holes, better flowing heads etc. It was the strongest 6.9 yet just to get thrown away. Now they sell a head stud kit that are 7/16 for the 6.9 and there's no need to have the blocks drilled and tapped for 1/2 bolts or studs.

[@sladeschopshop]

@@Rnddiesel ive been working on and building IDI motors since 2008 lol.

[@mdevidograndpacificlumbera1539]

What does the intercooler do?

[@Rnddiesel]

The intercooler cools down the air after it gets compressed by the turbocharger. When air gets compressed it heats up, so the intercooler cools it back down to increase density so more air can fit inside the cylinders. This generally allows you to run more aggressive tuning that dumps more fuel into the cylinders making more power.

[@EM-fi2qg]

Have a question for you. I was following your filter video and qhen I go to RiffRaff, I get stewed on the price. Filter with the tube for obs 7.3 shows $106 in my shopping cart. How do I get this Donaldson filter with 4" elbow for under $80?

[@Rnddiesel]

I'm not affiliated with Riffraff, so I don't know how much of a help I'll be. Here's the link to their OBS filters: www.riffraffdiesel.com/6637-kit-related/ I just purchased the Donaldson Blue filter, it's only $40 or so, though shipping will add some onto that as well. To connect it to my intake, I just used a piece of 4 inch exhaust tubing and a large hose clamp. You could buy their '6637 Filter Kit' though it only comes with the normal white filter. As another option, NAPA usually carries the normal paper Donaldson Filter for around $60 if you don't want to buy online. Just go up to the counter and ask for a NAPA 6637 air filter. Maybe try clearing your shopping cart and starting over again at Riffraff. Also I assume you're on the mainland US? If you're not, I'm sure shipping would add quite a lot to that price. Hope this helps, best of luck!

[@EM-fi2qg]

@@Rnddiesel Thanks for the reply . I called my local Napa and they want $75 for their filter. I'm going to order the Donaldson blue from Riffraff and use their kit to utilize the 45 degree elbow. Do you have issue with the filter rubbing the battery or fender well?

[@Rnddiesel]

@@EM-fi2qg Yikes! $75 is a bit steep for a 6637! For my setup, I'm actually using a Super Duty 7.3 air intake hose, so it sits a little different. It does rub against the inner fender well, so the contact area has the insulation rubbed through, but it's no big deal. I haven't had any issues with it rubbing against the battery though. It'll just take a little bit of adjusting to get it to sit how you want it. I can usually rotate around the intake hose to get it to sit how I want so it won't rub through in any places.

[@EM-fi2qg]

@@Rnddiesel Ya, that price is ridiculous compared to what I have seen online. Thanks for all the info. 👍

[@EM-fi2qg]

@@Rnddiesel And I apologize for the previous type-o's. I just saw what I initially posted. Holy botched English! 🤪

[@Official_Jboogie]

What’s the size of the wrench that I need to take off the fan clutch?

[@Rnddiesel]

I have no idea since I made my own, I want to say it's 2 inch or something like that?

[@Official_Jboogie]

@@Rnddiesel could I just use like a long screwdriver to hold the bolts while I twist the fan the opposite way, I mean I could go get a loaned fan wrench at Autozone but I just wanna stay at the house

[@Rnddiesel]

@@Official_Jboogie It's much easier to do this with the right tool. I'm sure you can try a different way, but it makes the job waaay easier to have the right wrench. The job is frustrating enough as is.

[@Official_Jboogie]

@@Rnddiesel I ended up just going to Autozone and use their loaner program for the wrench, got the job done and now I’m back on the road, thank you for the help👍🏽

[@raunchymangos7468]

Hey man, coolant disappearing on my '95 7.3 do you have any ideas of what it might be?

[@Rnddiesel]

My first thought is a coolant leak somewhere external to the engine. It could be a bad hose, busted radiator, overflow tank, loose fitting radiator cap. Are you getting any oil mixing with your coolant?

[@raunchymangos7468]

@@Rnddiesel No oil mixed. When I top off the coolant the first few days after it has trouble starting as if the glow plugs need replaced but they're pretty new (like 7,000 miles ago new) and as the coolant goes away it gets easier to start. When this happens it makes a cranking sound but it's not the engine. I was thinking it might be an injector O ring issue and coolant is seeping in that way?

[@Rnddiesel]

@@raunchymangos7468 I don't think it would be the injector O-rings. Those only seal oil and fuel to the injector. It might be injector cups. There's a metal cup that presses into the cylinder head that the injector sits in, and that cup does seal up coolant keeping it out of the chamber. Typically though I think those cause fuel and coolant to mix rather than a pure loss in coolant. Definitely start by looking for leaks on your cooling system though since any issue there is going to be much simpler and less involved than having to tear into the engine to replace injector cups or head gaskets.

[@raunchymangos7468]

@@Rnddiesel Thanks man

[@barrancasdelatigra5341]

Hello, i have a coolant leak, i supose Is the water pump, what brand do you recomend?

[@barrancasdelatigra5341]

Water pump brand i mean

[@Rnddiesel]

It's hard to say what the best brand is. I used a Gates brand pump as it was way cheaper than the Ford dealer option. I've only had the pump on for about 5k miles, so it's too early to tell how it'll stand the test of time. Another option you may want to look into, if budget allows, is getting a cast iron International T444e water pump instead. You have to get a different lower radiator hose to get it to work, but it also adds a coolant filter. It's just a pricey ~$300 option, but would probably be well worth it. I probably spend a little over $100 on my water pump job between hoses and the pump, all Gates brand. Best of luck!

[@barrancasdelatigra5341]

@@Rnddiesel Thanks for answering, i´ll try the Gates pump.

[@barackobama7833]

the fan clutch Bolt is all mangled up because you're supposed to use a air hammer with a drift on it breaks it right loose.

[@Rnddiesel]

That explains it! I was wondering why it looked all beat up, must have been from the previous owner. I replaced my fan clutch anyway, figured I'd rather just use the wrench designed to remove it and not cause unnecessary damage.

[@barackobama7833]

you beat that radiator all up.

[@Rnddiesel]

It deserved it!

[@Rnddiesel]

Barack Obama, you seem like a nice guy. Some of your other comments would suggest otherwise though. I'm not trying to do everything wrong, rather doing things to the best of my knowledge and learning along the way. Is there anything I've done to offend you? If so I don't mean to do so, and I apologize if I have. To some of your other comments, of course I have to say something for my own piece of mind and to hopefully not mislead other folks in the process. Either way, I wish you the best!

[@barackobama7833]

the positive battery cable would cause less damage to the engine if it went out.

[@Rnddiesel]

Fair point, that would solve a lot of my truck issues too. After the cable shorts out and causes the truck to catch on fire, heck it'd be a good reason to just buy a new truck!

[@jaredallen8054]

Ford didn’t design that motor. You can thank navistar international.

[@festeringuncle5576]

And not 1 F-Word.

[@Rnddiesel]

yep, the most difficult part of the whole process