I`m not sure if mine has the ho water pump and duel thermostats common on some 96`s. Is there a way to tell if the pump is ho or stock without removing it, and where would the the duel thermostats be located, in plain view or hidden?

themostats are located at the top of the motor near the rad. you would have to undo 4 bolts to access the thermostats assuming you have dual t-stats and the two on the bottom can be a small pain to get to. and bigger pain to put back in after changing thermostats. i used fishing line to hold the bolts in the socket when i put them back in. Ed

Pump has HO letters raised on the pump casting. Follow the upper hose to the end. And I echo that parts are expensive, but the US auto manufactures are dealing with less volume & are using the same pricing principle as the imports. Jam the customer on parts & service. Make the dealership profitible by asorbing all the operating costs by the back end,even if there are no vehicle sales.The aftermarket parts pricing has followed the OEM's rise.Cuts the bucks spent , making your fuel supply by converting to veg oil!!!