Had to change the water pump in my 2013

A little bit over 36,000 miles and about 8 1/2 months after the 36 month warranty expired, I had to replace the water pump. I'm not a mechanic, but I know enough fix some things. With the help of a chilton's manual and some experience with a water pump switch on my old 2008 Dakota, I was able to complete the job is 6 hours. LOL

The biggest issue was not having the tools to separate the fan and fan clutch from the water pump pulley. I ended up renting the tools from Autozone.

Ill say the hardest part for me was figuring out how to get the fan/fan clutch out of the engine bay. I didn't realize the bottom part of the plastic e-fan housing comes off and allows the fan to come out of the bottom. I finally figured it out after an hour of fighting the e-fan and the housing. LOL

Frustrating, but educational. Chilton's manual wasn't much help (I prefer Haynes) plus it only covered up to 2012 and I'd say there are a few changes or differences.

Was it reverse threaded getting the fan clutch off?

Good job! Any small repairs feel good when you're not a pro mechanic. Plus you saved some cash!

But odd to have that happen at such low mileage, right after the warranty expires. I also own a 2013, 50k miles. Hopefully just a fluke.

Just replaced the water pump in my 09. Took a little while for the same reasons lol. Wanting to do away with the fan clutch and do an e-fan at some point. The threads were reversed. Thought it was a blown head gasket at first... thankfully just the pump at 127k miles.

ramflava said:

A little bit over 36,000 miles and about 8 1/2 months after the 36 month warranty expired, I had to replace the water pump.

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Not to spoil your satisfaction of doing the job yourself successfully, but as long as you aren't past 100k miles, your powertrain warranty covers the water pump failing. My wife's 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the Hemi had the water pump leaking, and they replaced it under the powertrain warranty.

From page 10 of the warranty information guide for 2013s (the bolding done by me):

E. Parts Covered
The Powertrain Limited Warranty covers these parts and
components of your vehicle’s powertrain supplied by
Chrysler Group LLC:
Gasoline Engine:
cylinder block and all internal parts; cylinder head
assemblies; timing case, timing chain, timing belt, gears
and sprockets; vibration damper; oil pump; water pump
and housing; intake and exhaust manifolds; flywheel
with starter ring gear; core plugs; valve covers; oil pan;
turbocharger housing and internal parts; turbocharger
wastegate actuator; supercharger; serpentine belt tensioner;
seals and gaskets for listed components only.

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Hootbro said:

Was it reverse threaded getting the fan clutch off?

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Yes it was. I had to use a 36mm wrench and a that special tool to hold the pulley in place so it didn't turn while I loosened the fan.

jasonw said:

Not to spoil your satisfaction of doing the job yourself successfully, but as long as you aren't past 100k miles, your powertrain warranty covers the water pump failing. My wife's 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the Hemi had the water pump leaking, and they replaced it under the powertrain warranty.

From page 10 of the warranty information guide for 2013s (the bolding done by me):

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I thought it might be, but I get so damn frustrated with warranty stuff. I'm sure that's was they dealer wants. I figured even at 6 hours, I'd be able to get it done sooner. Plus I have a camping trip planned a few hours away this weekend and I wanted to make sure it was done before that. I didn't want to risk being put on an appointment a week or two away.

ramflava said:

I thought it might be, but I get so damn frustrated with warranty stuff. I'm sure that's was they dealer wants. I figured even at 6 hours, I'd be able to get it done sooner. Plus I have a camping trip planned a few hours away this weekend and I wanted to make sure it was done before that. I didn't want to risk being put on an appointment a week or two away.

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I understand the frustration with dealerships. Mine is a love/hate relationship: if its an easy thing to fix, they don't hesitate to do warranty repairs, such as a leaking water pump or a howling wheel bearing. If it is not so easy and requires actual troubleshooting/diagnosis, they usually get it wrong and blame the wrong parts. Unfortunately they are the only FCA dealership within an hour's distance, so I am stuck with them in most scenarios.

At least you know the job was done right, and sometimes that peace of mind is worth the extra cost.

Yeah, the sense of accomplishment and knowing I did it right is nice. A water pump isn't super hard to do, just frustrating with all the pieces that need to be removed to simply reach it is frustrating.

It's not above my level of ability which good. I did the think I'd be ready to tackle transmission or deeper engine work, but basic bolt on stuff is ok.

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