97 Cavalier Stalling Out After Changing Waterpump

Is the water pump driven by the timing belt or the serpintine belt. If it is the timing belt, your valve timing may be off if the belt was incorrectly positioned when the pump was replaced.

pump is chain driven

Sorry kramarat,

Tried to delete my reply by edit. no luck.

Been there done that, no problem.

no i did not seriously over heat....... oil was good.......seams to be leaking at the water pump not a very big leak...but big enough that i need to replace coolant every 3-4 days....no smoke from exhaust

Do you know where it is leaking from?

Have you checked your oil for coolant? You may have a head gasket problem and/or a warped head from overheating.

seems to be leaking from water pump ....slight drip but big enough to require coolant top off every three or for days

You need to do two things. One pressure test the cooling system to find that leak.

Two, do a compression test to determine valve timing, and cylinder sealing. Good luck.

will do ty

what if i take it apart and start over again and reseat the water pump to the timing chain....could it be that it is off a tooth or two.....dam i thought i was more careful than that.....could this have caused any damage

ty for all your help

Water pump driven by timing chain? WTF! These are the types of things that happen when engineers get too much freaking time on their hands. Before you tear everything apart, if there is anything in there that resembles a distributor, see if you can move it and get things to even out at all. If so, you will still have to tear it back down, find TDC on #1 etc., but at least you will know. No- if you were off by a tooth or two it shouldn't have caused any damage, but it will definitely run rough. I used to know how to fix cars, but I must admit, I'm a little clueless on this new stuff. The amazing part is, It's basically the same old internal combustion engine, they've just managed to morph it into something I no longer understand, I wonder if that was intentional.

A compression test will tell you if the timing is off.

The cooling system test will tell you if you need remove the WP.

After all the good stuff was suggested, now comes the crazy stuff,

Did you by any chance disconnect the battery cable , if so the ECM will need some time to readjust etc. This can affect idle quality.

Also , if you got some antifreeze on the belt , it will make unusual noises until you either wash it off or it wears off.

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washed it off......but the noise it is making is mechanical...thinking it is a timing issue ty

If you remove the serpentine belt, and start it for a few seconds, you will have eliminated all of the accessory items that could be causing noise.

The noise could be nothing more than just a piece of debris on the timing belt.

The water pump outlet pipe has an o-ring which must be lubricated with antifreeze before assembling. This is a common leak as is failing to tighten in the correct sequence, etc. Here is a snippet from the Autozone repair manual (hope it helps):

1. Thoroughly clean and dry all mounting surfaces, bolts and bolt holes. Using a new gasket, install the water pump to the cover and tighten the bolts finger-tight.
2. Lubricate the splines of the water pump with clean grease and install the assembly to the engine using new gaskets. Install the mounting bolts and nuts finger-tight.
3. Lubricate the radiator outlet pipe O-ring with antifreeze and slid the pipe onto the water pump cover. Install the bolts finger-tight.
4. With all gaps closed, tighten the bolts, in the following sequence, to the proper values:
1. Pump assembly-to-chain housing nuts-19 ft. lbs. (26 Nm).
2. Pump cover-to-pump assembly-106 inch lbs. (12 Nm).
3. Cover-to-block, bottom bolt first-19 ft. lbs. (26 Nm).
4. Radiator outlet pipe assembly-to-pump cover-125 inch lbs. (14 Nm).

you probably have the 2.4L "T" motor

the water pumps are a SOB

you set the cams with dowel pins

probably your timing is off a tooth, either at the crank, or one cam

also, your timing chain tensioner is not "released"

(causes the rattle)

this is an engine that you need to follow the service manual step by step

the gasket between the water pump adapter and the block is often an issue

the ignition timing is triggered by notches on the crank, and one cam

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Dear Sir/Madam: Does your Engine Coolant get into your Crankcase Oil? If so your oil will quickly go from normal color to Milky Grey. If so, Your Head Gasket could be leaking from Water Passage Port to Oil Passage Port Or a Crack in either the Block or Head. Retired Diesel Generator Mechanic, Carl.

Replaced thermostat and water pump and the leak still persist....furthermore the engine sounds rough and clicking noise is heard.I have a doubt that you may have encounter a serious internal combustion coolant leaks.A simple test can determined on the symptom.When the engine is cold state,remove the radiotor pressure cap and cranked the engine for several times.Does the coolant water spilled out or splashed out from the pressure cap?If do so,then there is head gasket for the cylinder head is worn or the cylinder head surface combustion are is cracked.You may dismantle the cylinder head and observed on the surface of the combustion taking placed.If there is a slight hair line cracked,then the cylinder head need to carry out a pressure test.