This is bottom view of the
old water pump and you can see the leaking that was subtle, but
annoying, as it ran down the front
of the engine and then along the sides of the oil pan. It
looked liked some kind of an oil leak, but it was indeed
coolant.
I sent the pump back for an
upgraded impeller, as well as a later style seal and bearing
made domestically.
Wade bead blasted my old
housing and pulley and sent it back all primed and ready for
paint. Pretty quick turn around on this too!
Another view of the upgraded
impeller with additional vanes and a more aggressive design for
better circulation.
While my original pump was
out for rebuild, I installed a NOS pump that I picked up on eBay
last fall.
It lasted just about 350
miles before the same seal leak started. NOS parts may be
good that don't have seals,
but after 40 years of sitting on a shelf, it's not what you want
to count on for a long trip or to risk losing an engine over.
Time for a good coat of
Hylomar on both sides of the gaskets.
Some prep on the housing top
and front. I always pull the thermostat in order to fill
the block and make sure the
pump is immersed in coolant when it begins to spin. It
stays cool and gets it's lube broken in after about 3 minutes.
This is
where I fill from after the pump is installed. The
radiator will fill equally with this level until you are ready
to install the stat.
This is not
a difficult job, but it is tedious to keep everything neat when
draining down the radiator, and then there is the
issue of getting the three lock washers and nuts on the studs,
with the little bit of clearance between the pulley back side.
I start
mine on this side and get it on about two full turns, then I
move to the opposite side and do the bottom stud last.
I have
found that if you use the pulley to hold pressure against a nut
that is sitting against a stud, you can thread it easily.
All done
and sealed up after about 3 minutes at idle. Don't worry
about a slight leak in the beginning.
Just let
the engine idle for a few minutes to warm up and it will be
fine.
All warmed
up and ready for a nice back roads spin through the woods.
|