Mark, I went down the path the FSM told me the first time and the truck ran hot. When I did it the second time I pulled the upper heated hose loose from the head and it was so easy a cave man could do it. Absolutely no issues with trapped air.

Thanks for the tip Totallrad. I looked it over the next morning and it looks like it shouldn't be a problem. Now just waiting for a new pump and belt from Advance Auto. I got 20% off ordering online. I called the store and they wouldn't honor the discount. So I'm ridin the harley to work this weekend, tough duty!

Did the store have it in stock?

You're right, the stores won't honor the online price but if they have it in stock you can pick it up from them. :cool:

Just an idea here... Why buy an off brand water pump? For slightly more money you can get a Bosch made pump with warranty that you'll probably never have to use. I'd rather install it once and not have to worry about changing it out a week later as OP had to do. I highly doubt it was his unflushed coolant was to blame but Instead a poorly made pump. Also I refilled my system to top of radiator cap. Put cap back on topped off overflow and I am perfect. Level has not changed at all so the self-air bleeding system works fine. Don't over complicate things. Jmho

Btw my Bosch pump was about $90 thru rock auto

I can say. The water pumps last about 115,000 miles each with solid driving (very little idling). I should clarify that the mating o-ring gasket is what appeared to fail (not the pump itself); I opted to replace pump and gasket each time. The visual sign is the WP to engine mating perimeter starts to ooze some sort of coolant puss buildup...

I've put two on my rig. When the gasket goes bad there is very little warning.

So I would call them a 100,000 mile replacement part.

Thank you for the write up..!

I don't believe the pump was the problem. As I stated, it wasn't the flush but the fact that I didn't get the air out and it failed due to lack of lubrication.

You're welcome sir, thank you.:cool:

No need to remove the fan and/or the shroud. What does help immensely is removing the air box and the top fan shroud support. This is also a good time to pull the thermostat housing and replace the tstat. It is not real difficult to change out the pump but it is a pain to deal with that serpentine drive belt.

Noticed some coolant leaking, cound not find where it was coming from. It was slung everywhere but after I shut it off it would drip down the front of the engine, behind the pulleys. Used a mirror to see the weep hole but it was gunked over. I changed the water pump yesterday, took about an hour and a few cups of coffee. This article was very helpful!!! I did pull the air box off, only 1 nut and a clamp and you have plenty of room.

Awesome! :cool:

Great article. I have a question about Shortcut Number 2. I refilled mine and I have about 2 gallons of coolant left over (didn't remove the heater hose yet). Do I remove the hose while engine is off or running? Do I fill the block with coolant at that hose outlet or just keep filling through the radiator?
Thanks for clarifying- I'm concerned there is no coolant in the block and it's going to take too long to idle it up to open the thermostat due to the cold outside temps.

Reread my post above

just wondering, i know the WP on my truck is the same as the one in the post above. so why has mine lasted so long? at 270,000 miles and 13 years, not a sign of leak...........( i still have a spare behind the seat ) i don't know if i should just replace it or let it go until it starts to leak....

Thanks fatpete! Sorry I'm tardy answering you. If you set the temp control to high and let the heater run for half a minute or so before you started the removal process you just add the coolant through the radiator like usual. Once you remove the heater hose you'll be surprised how much more goes in. DO NOT RUN THE TRUCK WITH THE HEATER HOSE DISCONNECTED!:cool:

I can't explain it any other way than sometimes you get a good one. If it isn't broke, don't fix it.[laugh]

Forgot to tell you that I used your write up to change my pump and things went well.
I did use AH64ID's method for flushing including taking the guts out of the thermostat.
Also, I found if I slide a piece of pipe over the end of the socket wrench I can adjust the length and wedge it against the ground so it holds the tension off the belt.
Its like having an extra hand.
Thanks again.