I removed the remaining four bolts and removed the water pump. this is the OEM water pump and still looks to be in good shape after 17 years.

The modern water pump uses an o-ring seal which is much easier to work with than the old-style gaskets. Cleaning the block surface was a simple task.

With the block surface prepped, I installed the new water pump. The large bolt seen in the photo above also holds the engine mount bracket in place. I started it in the hole to ensure that it would thread in easily later on.

The last thing you want to have happen is for the water pump to have shifted just enough to make a bolt not line up properly. It's better to discover that sooner rather than later.

From this point, the reassembly process is the reverse of the removal process. I reinstalled the inner timing belt cover and camshaft pulleys. Next came the new idler pulley and spring-loaded belt tensioner.

I then installed the new timing belt. The important thing here is that all the Liquid Paper marks I made at the beginning of this ordeal must align with the new belt installed.

I didn't rotate the engine after I removed everything. So I was expecting all my marks to line up properly, which they did.

Crankshaft ? Check !

Camshafts ? Check !

I then installed the lower timing belt cover and engine mount bracket.

Reinstalling the crankshaft pulley was the hardest part of this job. It was at this point where I discovered that the O'Reilly special tool kit might not be the same one used at a Chrysler dealer. This car required an adapter that the kit didn't have. I improvised and eventually got the crankshaft pulley back in place. This was MUCH harder than it sounds !

I reinstalled the upper timing belt cover and engine mount. From there, the last step was to not forget all of the little parts I had to remove way back at the beginning of this adventure. Once reassembled, I took the car for a ride to make sure everything was the way it should be.

And with that, this project that I had been putting off for several months was not complete ! Better late than never.