Here are some Pics and ifno from my 99 Taurus water pump install.
New Water Pump: I looked at both the remanufactured and new water pumps offered. The reman had a raw steel impeller/shaft and a ruff textured mating surface $29.99. The new had a zinc rust prevention coated impeller/shaft and a smooth machined mating surface $49.99. I bought the new pump since I plan to drive the wheels off this car and want this to be the last water pump I ever install on it. Plus the new pump has a lifetime warranty.
Here’s a tip to make reassembly easier. 12 bolts of 2 different sizes hold on the Ford Taurus water pump. Yes I said 12. Take the new gasket that came with the pump and trace a template of the bolt locations. As you remove the bolts place them in the corresponding location on the template.
To remove the water pump follow the directions in you service manual. Be sure to loosen the water pump pulley bolts before removing the drive belt. This way you have the tension of the drive belt to stop the pulley from spinning. Using a 15mm box wrench pull to the front of the vehicle to release the pressure of the tensioner on the drive belt.
It was not called for in the service manual, but I chose to remove the alternator and idler pulley to allow for more room to work. The alternator does not have to be completely removed. It could be just pivoted out of the way on its swing arm mount. I was going to remove the power steering pump (my fluid looked like crap) but the mounting bracket would not brake free. So, that will wait for another day. The idler pulley is very much in the way of removing the bolts on the right side of the water pump. So, it had to go.
It is going to take some reaching and twisting to get a few of the bolts but it is not as bad as it looks. Place the bolts in your template to wait for reassembly. 3 of the bolts are studs. 1 has a hose mounted to it and the other 2 have braces for the alternator and AC. I recommend a small wire brush to remove the leftover gasket from the old pump. I scrape the bulk off with a razorblade and clean the rest with the wire brush. Be sure and lightly coat both sides of the gasket with RTV sealant. It will give you a good seal and best of all it holds the gasket in place during reassembly.
Now for those who want to see how bad the impeller rust feast your eyes on this
Mine was not rusted “completely off” as I’ve heard it described. At the point that I saw it still attached I had a gut feeling it was not my problem. But, as you can see it was give or take 6 months from being a problem.
98 Taurus Water Pump 
Hybrid Mode
