couple trivial questions about replacing a water pump

[deniss]

I've never drained coolant on this car, but I do want to replace my water pump, so I guess I'll need to drain *some* of it. I found the drain plug on the bottom of the radiator not far from the battery and the major grounding point on the front cross-member. When you drain coolant, do you just open the drain plug and let the coolant splash all over the frame?? Or is there a hose you can put on the drain plug to direct it downward and avoid spilling coolant all over the frame?

For water pump replacement, I don't want to drain the whole cooling system, but how much drainage is enough?

Oh, and is it OK to install a Hepu (Germany) water pump instead of "Genuine Saab"? They cost half the money on eEuroparts, so I thought I'd ask about it.

Thanks.

[RickyS]

It would be a good idea to replace all the coolant, and flush the system when changing the pump, unless you have changed the coolant recently.

There is also a second drain plug on the engine block under the exhaust.

[deniss]

Yea, the coolant flush was done several months ago, so I figured I'll get away with just draining enough to replace the pump for now - I don't have the equipment to deal with coolant-flushing the entire system.

[RickyS]

You have to drain quite alot out to get below the level of the pump.

You only need a hosepipe to flush the system!

Some pumps are not good quality - they do not have cast impeller.

[cdaly]

If there's recent coolant in the system, use a hose on the drain plug and catch the coolant for re-use.

[deniss]

Originally Posted by cdaly

If there's recent coolant in the system, use a hose on the drain plug and catch the coolant for re-use.

Do any of you generally apply sealants when you do a water pump replacement job? Tom Townsend on his website recommends using a thread sealer on the two longer bolts, as well as Loctite #518 on both sides of the gasket... Does the Loctite work as the thread sealer as well?