Replacement of water pump of KIA Optima III 2.0 gasoline

In Optima III 2.0 gasoline, the pump is driven by alternator belt but not valve gear assembly like in many other cars. Therefore, the replacement of the water pump in Optima 3 is simple and does not require many tools. You should remove alternator belt, which can be replaced if necessary. The size of the belt is 6PK2120.

Once the belt is removed, don’t forget to check (rotate) tension pulley and idle pulley as well as all aggregates driven by this belt. In case of noise or loosening, replace pulleys and repair generator, air conditioner or steering booster.

The item number of original pump is 25100-25002. It is rather expensive. To save money, install pump Dolz с with item number N207. Upon installation of this pump there were some difficulties that required special measures to make it fit. We recommend to choose more reliable manufacturer if you don’t have time to fit this part.

To replace pump of KIA Optima 2013, you will need the following tools:

Hook spanner wrench 10;
Box wrench or small slack adjuster 10;
Hook spanner wrench 17;
Box wrenches 17 and 13 ( if engine guard is installed);
Tank for collection of antifreeze;
Pump.

Here we have our new ‘miracle’ pump.

Top view of belt drive

Pump.

If the guard is installed, do not remove it. In this case you will need wrenches 13 and 17.

Entire belt drive is clearly visible from below. First of all, while belt is tensioned, it is necessary to remove bolts of the pump pulley. Due to little space between the engine and side member, you can reach it only with hook spanner wrench 10.

Place wrench 17 in tension pulley and pull anti-clockwise to loosen the belt. To make this task easier, you can use one more screw as shown in the photo. Remove the belt.

Unscrew bolts of pump pulley and remove the latter.

Unscrew five bolts with wrench 10 and remove the pump. Don’t forget to place tank for collection of antifreeze. There are two guide bolts that securely fix the pump.

Carefully compare the old pump with the new one.

Compare from all sides and… In our case, we notice the discrepancy of pump shaft and the impeller. Place the pump on the engine. Here you can see that the impeller is pressed to the engine block.

To solve this problem, we had to. To get out of this situation, we had to machine the impeller and shaft with angle grinder and emery. Let’s check it once again. Now, the pump is placed without problem.

Clear mounting place from dirt and old sealant.

Install new pump with new gasket. Install belt.

Pour antifreeze into radiator. If you fill already drained antifreeze, it is necessary to filter it through cheesecloth or stocking.

Check the level in expansion tank.