i have been trying to remove the water pump with the special tool but it wont budge, any suggestions

Are you rotating the pump counter-clockwise?? Clockwise to install and counter-clockwise to remove.

no i'm turning it clockwise as per the service manual

You are correct, I got it backwards. Sorry. I should stay away from this keyboard when sleep deprived!!

still cant turn the pump clockwise even with alittle leverage added. how much muscle is needed to turn these out of the housing?

Sometimes it takes a lot of force to break the grip of the little o-ring on the pump face.
I use a 1/2" breaker bar that is about a foot long and it takes some pushin'.

Put some leverage on it and push it clockwise.

Put an impact on it if you can and give it a short burst.

the tech archives said this is the easiest water pump to change! bull----, I found that if it dosen't move on the first try you will play hell getting it out, I ended up taking the belt tensioner off and turning it by way of long screwdriver and a hammer in the weep hole " successful " finish the job in the morning
big ern

footnote to last post the special tool i used was apiece of crap it messed up the old pump thats why the hammer method was used as a last resort, bought a new tool for the next time

Which tool did you use? The cheap $20 stamped steel Lysle tool or a beefy machined one from Snap-on, Kent-moore or such for $80? I have always been worried about the Lysle tool if the pump gave any resistance.

How many miles are on the car? I changed mine at about 90k (can't remember exactly) and found that although it didn't immediately break loose, an extension "cheater" bar on the ratchet worked wonders.

It IS the easiest water pump I've ever changed...less than an hour, start to finish, the first time doing it. It took me over 4 hours to change the pump on my '84 Cutlass, the second time doing it.

The first tool i used was a loaner from auto zone, it messed up the pump so bad i to resort to the method mentioned above. it wasn't the lyle it was a little beefier than that but not much the part of the tool that locks in place was messed up and in turn messed up the pump to the point that i thought i was going have to replace the whole crossover.
jadock the car has 96,ooo miles, it would not budge with with 18" of leverage on the rachet
Ranger i bought a snap on for the next time
Big Ern

Now that you have it, there won't be a next time. I made one so I'd have it when the time came. Sold the Deville in Oct. with 107K and never needed it. Best investment I ever made :histeric: I still have it for this one but it only has 19K on it and my daughters '99 is somewhere around 30K. The damn thing is still virgin. I'm not complaining mind you.