95 chevy blazer have a few questions to ask?

Question

First of all, the water pump is that hard to change. The pump itself is only 59.99 , but the dealership wants to charge 423.00 to fix it. I am not sure that it is even the pump, it is leaking. Could be the gasket. Not sure until we get it apart. But they want 175.00 for taken it apart.
ok second question is the compressor and cluch. to the A/C i do not think that the compressor is bad but the cluch makes a bad sound. When i have the A/C or heat on. But when it is off it makes no sound at all.
If anyone could help that would be great.
And before you say go to another dealership I checked 2 and just about the same price.

Answer 1

I have been an auto mechanic for over 30 years now and that price, just to change the water pump seems a little high. The rated time (from a flat rate manual) to change the water pump, including A/C and power steering obstructions is 2 hours. I don't know what the labour rate is where you are located but in Southern Ontario it generally ranges from $80 - $110 per hour. You stated that they want $175 to take it apart (I would assume that also included putting it back together) so I think the labour rate for your area is about $87.50 per hour.That means $175 in labour plus the cost of the pump. (is the price you quoted for the water pump from the OEM dealer or is it an aftermarket pump?) plus fresh anti-freeze plus some shop materials (gasket goo, cleaners etc.) plus taxes. If they haven't given you an itemized list of what the various parts and labour costs are going to be I would suggest going back and asking for one. It may explain why there is a difference in cost.
Also water pump gaskets very very rarely leak, it is usually the front shaft seal that starts to leak due to the bushing that the water pump impeller shaft spins on being worn out.

Your noise from the A/C could be ether the clutch or the compressor itself. The compressor only turns when the clutch is engaged and free wheels when the A/C is not turned on. (note that the A/C does engage in the defrost position regardless off where the temperature settings is inside the vehicle) If it's making a 'chattering' type noise then yes it could be just the pull-in magnets that engage the clutch have gotten weak. They come as part of the A/C clutch assembly and can be changed without replacing the complete A/C compressor.

Answer 2

I Had a 95 Blazer 2 years ago and also had to change the water pump. It's not that hard to do. You have to remove almost everything from the inside of the grill to have enough room to work, but once you've got room, it's smooth sailing.I would also recommend replacing the thermostat, and temperature sensor at the same time so they don't go bad and your doing it all over again. As for the compressor? I would suggest just going to Autozone or Advance and just buying a new one. If you have a way to release the old r-134 you can recharge for a fair price if you do the work yourself. This is also an easy change. I think Chevy actually thought about do-it- yourselfers when they designed this year Blazer. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

i own a repair shop,,in Tennessee,,and i agree that is a lot there wanting to charge you,,as for the leak it probably is the pump,,because the gasket will very rarely leak and for the air compressor problem,,it is possible to replace just the clutch part of it,,and that is whats making the noise on yours,its common for the clutch to start doing this ,,i own a 95 s-10,,and it has done this before,,but in replacing just the clutch on It,,is a bad idea,,because the whole compressor really needs to be replaced,,i,ll tell you why,,its hard to put just the clutch kit on them and get them to seal up again,,i do this kind of work everyday,,and it is better to go with a rebuilt compressor from,,a place like advance,,or auto zone,,here,s why,,there,s come with a life time warranty on them,,and the clutch kit is pretty expensive for them,if you fail at putting it on,,or someone Else fails,,and it don't work,,that much money is just wasted ,,you don't have to have this work done at a dealer ship,,some of the smaller shops have the necessary tools to do it with,,and will be a lot cheaper,,here's an example,,i charge 175 dollars parts and labor to do the water pump on a blazer,,on the air cond-compressor,,the whole ob usually cost around 300 dollars,,now you see my point,,you are going to pay too much if you have a dealer do it,,check out some of the smaller shops they,ll appreciate your business,,good luck with this,,i hope it help,s.

Answer 4

The dealerships all us the same book to price by. If the pump is leaking it is probably from the shaft to shaft seal. You would need to take off you radiator to get at the pump. The condenser you need to leave in place, that is not take it out. You do not want to loose to AC charge. The AC clutch should not make a noise when you have the heat on, as it is not engaged. Are you sure you are not hearing the heater/AC motor that blows the air into the cabin. Sometimes the bearing get dry.

Answer 5

its not that it is hard to shange the pump just time consuming. have to remove many parts and accesories.

if the pump is leaking it is bad. eeven if it is just a gasket it is not worth taking it all apart to just replace a gasket.

the clutch is attached to the a/c compressor but it can be replaced without getting a new compressor. you can get the clutch and removal tool at your local parts store

Answer 6

Try calling a shop that isn't a dealership. I don't know about the difficulty, but I know that most of the time dealers charge more for their service than other shops.

Answer 7

people they don't know the difference between the dealers and an independent shop....its the price ...take to another shop they'll bet the price and its most likely your compressor clutch that is bad very common..

Answer 8

you can also service the A/C clutch separately, you need to know what you're doing........otherwise, just get a rebuilt unit, with compressor......