Hi guys, the wife has a '96 Blazer with 6 cyl motor. it has been losing a little coolant recently (days at or over a hundred here in Texas) Yesterday was record hot & she pulled up in the driveway & most or all of the coolant was streaming out. Upon further inspection, I could see that it was coming out of the gasket by one of the lower bolts. From searching other's similar problems, it's been said this is easier to fix than it looks!. It appeared to me (novice) that alot might have to be removed to get to the pump. Can anybody give me any tips as I will be attempting to tackle this operation tomorrow it seems. Would it be reasonable to just replace the gasket? Thanks & great forum guys. Have a good weekend all.

 

Chances are that it's not just a gasket. There is a vent hole at the bottom of the water pump and it's probably leaking from there, which means replacing the pump.
First remove the upper rad shroud, about 8 10mm bolts. To remove the fan I use a big cresent wrench and a hammer. A sharp blow with a hammer on the end on a cresent wrench will usuall loosen that big nut.
Then I use a 15mm (or 13mm) wrench on the belt tensioner, just to give enough slack to slip off the belt. (ya might wanna take a picture or draw one of the belt routing around the pulleys.
You should be able to get to the 4 water pump bolts from this point.

 

Thanks CL, doesn't sound very difficult. Some have said it was a breeze, others say it might be a pain. Thanks again & have a great weekend.