Failing Waterpump ?

R

Rumblin_Ron

New Member
Hi All

Wonder if you can give me advice. After nearly 10 years of impecable behavior, Ron (the Rover) has started to run hot in traffic Q's and have the vapour locks. It also runs hot if left standing, cooling back to normal as soon as we are on the way. Its never done this before.
I have noticed the water pump pully is wobling a bit and there is some squeeking and rattling coming from the front of the engine (the pully/belt area). Is the water pump on the way out ?

Any advice from the experienced would be welcome

Rumblin Ron

PS many thanks to those who stopped to help at Newby Hall (where Ron got the vapours sat in a long but very classy traffic jam :oops: .)
 
Hello Rumblin_Ron,

You are spot on Ron, your water pump is on the way out. The bearing is failing, hence the play that you can feel, and the scaping noise is the impeller rubbing on the inside surface of the pump. You are more than likely also losing coolant from the small hole within the casing on the underside of the pump adjacent to the pump seal.

Ron.
 
Your pump is shot but may not be the cause of your vapour locks .
A new pump and a good flush of the cooling system may bring the temperature back down
Good luck with the bolts holding the pump
 
Echoing Dave, good luck when you pull the pump Ron.

Apologies if I'm stating the obvious but, once you've got the rad out and the fan off, resist the temptation to dive straight into the bolts. Give the 4 long ones at least quite a few heat/cool cycles with a blowlamp, and plenty of Plus Gas or similar. When you do go for them a brief tightening action can, perversely, help to free them off. And as Harvey's advised in the past, try to use a 6-point hex socket rather than a 12-point bihex.

Make sure the metal return pipe between the carbs is clear and feeding coolant back into the radiator neck. An 1/8" drill will take out any crud.

Cheers,
 
Thanks all for the advice, I will tread carefully with those bolts :shock: .

As for water coming out of a casting hole in the pump...that explains the small puddle of water in the gararge when running for a short while !

I suppose one comsolation is that with the grotty weather I will not be missing many shows etc :D

Ron
 
Would you recommend changing the timing cover gasket while the pump is off ?The pump bolts go through it plus a waterway and it would really p*ss me off to rebuild it to find it leaking elsewhere
That's why when I changed my pump it developed into a new timing chain and wheels !
 
You can open a whole can of worms if you start taking the timing cover off though. You're likely to drop coolant into the sump which will then need to come off and be cleaned. I'd say be careful with the bolts and only do the water pump unless you really need/want to make more work for yourself.
 
I've never had a timing cover gasket give problems after doing a water pump. Drian the coolant first, and you won't get coolant in the sump if you do decide to take the timing cover off.
 
Hi
The great water loss saga continues. Latest suspect is the water pump ; it looks as if there is a tiny weep along the shaft seal.
Where can I get a drop in replacement pump for a 1970 " Federal spec" pump ??ie the one fitted with the viscous clutch and multi bladed plastic fan . I have found lots of references in the US literature cross referencing GM pumps . However they are vague on shaft length ' shaft diameter, pulley fitting for the drive, and their suitability for the viscous drive fan. THe inference is you must have " Old Bert " and his machine shop in the back yard !!
Any ideas please ?
Cheers RVW
 
Hello RVW,

You are correct about the water pumps for the Buicks, although the footprint for the 215 Skylark is the same, the shaft and pulley arrangement is totally different, as is the length of the pump nose.

A large number of Rover 3500 and 3500S sold in Australia feature the same pump as yours complete with viscous coupling and 13 bladed nylon fan. I use TR Spares here in Sydney, and they are excellent. New QH water pumps are purchased from the U.K and suitably modified to accept the correct nose piece onto which our pulley will fit. They also do reconditioned pumps. In either case I am pretty sure that they will require your pump in order to remove and fit the nose piece onto a new QH pump, or to recondion your own pump with a new seal kit and bearing assembly.

New nose pieces that accept our pulley are no longer available, and the new QH pumps in the U.K don't have them fitted, rather they are all made to accept the 5 bladed steel fan, so the pump nose and nose piece are incorrect for our engines.

http://www.trspares.com.au/

Ron.
 
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