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On a 288ci engine is it possible to take water pump out without removing fan I don't believe I have enough space to get fan bolts out Please advise

You will need to get the fan and pulley off so that you have access to some of the water pump bolt--depends on which year. Since you are having clearance problems I'm guessing it must be a bathtub. Hope someone before you did not put in excessively long bolts. A ratcheting 7/16 box wrench is a huge help.

Indeed it's tight quarters but yes, as Ross says, you can remove the fan/pulley bolts with the radiator in place. I use a long, slender 7/16 box wrench held backwards so that the sweep of the handle is back towards the engine, and work between the fan blades.

When you reassemble, do yourself a big favor and make and insert a threaded stud into the pump hub and assemble the pulley and fan over this stud, this will eliminate the problem of getting the holes lined up to reinstall the bolts. Make sure the stud threads are loose enough that you can remove it with just finger pressure.

And if you are working on a 48-50 just remember the rubber in the front motor mount may have deteriorated letting the engine drop. When you get to the water pump removal the front of the engine may need to be jacked up slightly to get a socket on one of the water pump bolts.

Also a sheet of cardboard is good to have to protect the radiator.
Wes

ok the fan has to come off but if bolts too long can you loosen the radiator and tilt forward? Also I can get to all four bolts even bottom one so again I ask has anyone taken out a water pump with fan attached just wondering about my options Thanks for your answers

Don't believe the radiator will easily tilt because the support is bolted to the fenders and the mounting flange on radiator is in back of the support so no clearance for the radiator to go forward.

If there is enough room for the bolts to unscrew from the block before the bolt heads reach the pulley, there is nothing protruding on the back of the water pump. If you can reach all the bolts and get them out far enough, and if you can maneuver the fan blades past the upper hose or radiator connection nothing else will prevent a lift straight up with the fan still attached. IIRC, one or two of the bolts go directly into the water jacket and have copper sealing washers instead of lockwashers so take note of which bolts those are.

If you are taking the pump off it would also be a good idea to check and clean the water distribution tube. To remove the tube the radiator will have to come out.

Thanks Howard I believe my fan is closer than most and I really am just trying to think of every option Will report my results when we tackle this issue

I assume we're talking about a 22nd/23rd series car?

If so, I've done or participated in a number of water pump replacements on these cars. Never used a ruler but by eyeball the fan blades are about 1 inch, perhaps a tad less, from the radiator core and though it's close quarters and you'll likely skin a few knuckles, that is enough room to do the pump replacement.