The bracket that holds the power steering pump is off. The actual piece that bolts to the block is still on. I'm thinking its made out of iron. I rest my pry bar on that iron piece. That way any impact damage does not hurt the block. The tip of the pry bar, I placed behind the flange that the water pump pulley bolts to.
The engine is on a stand. I didn't mention that in the first post.
Swiss I did try using a rubber pellet filled mallet. I started striking on the outer side of the water pump. I stopped that technique once I made a dent into the water pump aluminum. I just caught the outer edge of one of the bolt holes, so I don't think that dent will mess up the pump.
The pump itself has 62,000 miles on it. The shaft doesn't have any play in it, and it spins well with hand pressure. I just wanted to get the pump off to check the condition of the blade before I drop the motor into my shell. I'm thinking maybe I should just leave it as is.
What do you guys think? I wasn't having an issue with it before I pulled the motor out of the donor car. I'm starting to think I might make things worse by trying to be thorough.