As I am sitting here waiting for my water pump to arrive through the dealership, I began looking more closely at the instructions in the 5 volume service manual.


It seems that the manual says to remove alot of parts that may or may not be needed. I understand that the fan and balancer need to come off, but is it necessary to remove the thermostat housing crosscover?


The manual also says to drain the entire block by removing the plug and blockheater. It looked to me that the water pump was high enough on the engine that that would not be needed. Am I correct?


In the removal of the balancer, the manual calls for removal of the starter and the use of a J 44643 flywheel holding tool. Does any one know if any of the parts stores have these available for borrowing? Or is there another way to hold the flywheel?


If there are any tricks or better ways of completing this project, I would greatly appreciate the input.


Thanks.