Hello everyone,

I'm currently trying to install a new water pump on my 1990 Volvo 240 DL and I can't seem to come anywhere near close enough to getting the holes in the block and pump to line up in order to put in the bolts. I've tried torquing on the pump with a rod wedged against the power steering to lever it up, I've tried levering with a rod inside the inlet pipe, Ive even used my jack to try to lift up the entire pump. Nothing has seemed to work. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

A fellow Volvo enthusiast

 

sounds like you have the wrong part. I've never seen a water pump that didn't just easy go into place. Try comparing the part you removed with the new part to see if they are identical.

 

It could be challenging the first couple of times. The pump has two oval holes where the studs go through and the nuts attach. Put the pump on, hand tighten lightly those nuts; now the pump can move up and down a tiny bit. You need to slide the pump upwards to overcome the resistance of the donut gasket and then to line up the other holes where the bolts enter. Basically you need either a lot of muscle, or another way to do this. You can pry it up, or even jack it up from the bottom. As long as you have attached the pump with the nuts on the studs moving it up will be more controlled and easier. I know, it can be frustrating...

 

Lev is right on re: the technique of compressing that donut gasket. One thing I'd like to add is to use an OEM donut ring . I take it you are replacing the water pump and are using the one that came with the new part. I found that it was thicker and not as easily compressed as the Volvo one. I would hot-foot it to your local Volvo dealer and get their part. I would also highly recommend new bolts for said pump-also available at the dealer. The old ones may have lost a some of their strength and can be broken when torquing them up; requiring a difficult removal of the broken remnant and starting from square one again.. Don't ask how I know And I use a 2x4 on a floor jack to compress that gasket.

 

I wouldn't torque these bolts... And I ve found that the original OEM ones are good to reuse while "new" ones can be of questionable quality. And, yes, the Volvo donut should be used whenever possible as other brands start to leak faster which is the most common problem with these pumps; the pump itself rarely fails...