Hi all,

I'm brand new to this forum, but a veteran to Mercurys and this Earth as well Anywhoo, I just replaced the water pump on my '00 Cougar V-6 this past weekend. As I've mentioned previously I'm not wet behind the ears when it comes to turning a wrench on Mercurys or cars in general, so the job took about 3 hours to accomplish. I'd like to share a short but sweet procedural documentation of the job with you guys, if you don't mind

For reference, feel free to consult these diagrams: Cougar Water Pump diagram

Cougar Water Pump diagram 2

First, drain the engine cooling system.

Then, remove or disconnect the following:

Negative battery cable
Water pump pulley shield
Water pump drive belt
Coolant hoses
Water pump and pump housing

After you have removed all of those parts, separate the water pump from the pump housing.

Next, install or connect the following:

Water pump to the pump housing and tighten the fasteners to 16–18 ft. lbs. (22–25 Nm)
Water pump and pump housing to the engine. Use new bolts and tighten them to 11–13 ft. lbs. (15–18 Nm), plus 85–95 degrees.
Coolant hoses
Water pump drive belt
Water pump pulley shield
Negative battery cable

Finally, fill the cooling system and check for leaks. Remember that the 3 water pump bolts are a torque-to-yield design and must be replaced.


-SkinnyOldCoot