How to Install a Water Pump in a Ford Mustang

Place a drop cloth underneath the car to protect the floor from coolant spills. Designate an area to lay out each part alongside its bolts and connecting hoses and wires. Use a drop cloth here as well, some of the parts will have traces of grease and coolant.

Open the hood and use a screwdriver to unscrew the clamp that connects the negative battery cable to the battery post. Remove the cable.

Activate the parking brake, place cinder blocks behind the back wheels and then jack up your Ford Mustang. Use jack stands to help support the jack. Alternately, use tire ramps.

Unscrew the radiator's cap slowly to release pressure. Locate the drain plug at the bottom of the radiator, just behind the grill. Place an empty container under the drain plug, remove the plug with an adjustable wrench and drain the radiator. If you have a supercharged engine, its separate cooling system must be drained, as well.

Use the adjustable wrench to unhook the electric fan assembly. Loosen the bolts on the water pump pulley to get to and remove the accessory drive belt. Disconnect and remove the water pump pulley.

Unbolt the four bolts mounting the water pump to the engine with an adjustable wrench. Undo the bolts in any order.

Study your Ford Mustang's configuration. Supercharged engines have a system that connects the Supercharger to the engine's cooling system. You must disconnect these hoses and fan to remove the water pump. In a 3.8L engine, you must also remove the power steering pump assembly, ignition coils and hoses leading away from the pump.

Remove the water pump and gasket from the engine. Clean off the mounting area with a shop rag.

Discard the old water pump and bolts along with any parts that are in need of replacement.

Arrange the new water pump on the mount. You won't need sealant for the o-ring on a Ford Mustang. Hold the water pump and o-ring in place as you secure it with the new bolts.

Tighten them in a cross pattern with a torque wrench using 15 foot pounds torque. Begin with the bottom bolt and then the top, left of bottom center, then right of top center and so on.

Reassemble the rest of the parts in the order you took them off the Ford Mustang. Replace any parts that appear worn or damaged, if needed. Replace the drain plug and refill the radiator with the amount and type of coolant specified in your owner's manual.

Remove the jack stands and lower the jack, or drive the Ford Mustang off the tire ramps. Attach the negative battery cable to the post and tighten the screw on the clamp.

Start the engine and check for leaks. Then, close the hood. Clean up any spills and dispose of or wash your used drop cloths.